We came across this insightful Forbes article from 2019, and despite being a few years old, its core messages remain highly relevant today. The principles it describes around data strategy, leadership alignment and organisational transformation still map perfectly to the realities of modern data-driven organisations.

Main Points & Ideas

• Business-led purpose – A data strategy must begin with a clear business objective. CEOs are expected to articulate why the organisation needs data, and what outcomes (growth, efficiency, innovation) they expect it to drive.
• CEO-IT partnership – The article stresses that data cannot remain an IT-only topic. The CEO must champion it, establish priorities and create shared ownership across functions, with IT acting as an enabler and strategic partner.
• Breaking down silos – Siloed data, inconsistent definitions and fragmented metrics hinder progress. The article recommends harmonising definitions, enabling access and building cross-functional alignment to create a single version of truth.
• Governance and culture – Governance is presented as a strategic necessity: defining roles, responsibilities, processes and data quality expectations. It also emphasises the importance of organisational culture and data literacy in driving adoption.
• Execution and technology enablement – Strategy must translate into concrete action: the right architecture, data quality foundations, lineage, security, access models and analytical capability. Without this operational backbone, analytics and AI cannot succeed.
• Continuous evolution – A data strategy is never finished. As business needs and technologies evolve, organisations must iterate on governance, platforms, skills and operating models.

Takeaways

• Active CEO sponsorship is essential for successful data strategy implementation.
• Business strategy and data strategy must be explicitly aligned to avoid wasted investment.
• Data governance is a value enabler; it creates trust, consistency and shared understanding.
• Technology alone cannot deliver transformation—culture, roles and processes matter equally.
• Data must be treated as a strategic asset that requires stewardship, investment and ongoing improvement.

Data Tribes Reflection

At Data Tribes, this article reinforces the foundational principles we promote with organisations on their data journeys. A few reflections:

• Our consulting work always starts with business value, not technology. The article’s insistence on CEO ownership aligns directly with our approach to building realistic, outcome-driven data strategies.
• We frequently encounter organisations where IT operates alone in driving data initiatives. This article affirms our focus on bridging business-IT collaboration and embedding data ownership across the organisation.
• Its perspective on governance mirrors our belief that governance is not bureaucracy, it is the mechanism that creates trust, ensures quality, and enables scalable analytics and AI.
• With our experience in digital twins and complex data ecosystems, we strongly agree with the emphasis on execution and evolution. Platforms must be designed for continual iteration, with proper metadata, lineage and quality controls built into the core.
• Finally, the article supports our holistic view: data strategy is a long-term journey that spans culture, governance, architecture, analytics and skills. Organisations that take this integrated approach unlock far more value than those treating data as a series of disconnected projects.

In essence: even years later, this article captures enduring principles of effective data leadership, principles that continue to guide our work at Data Tribes as we help organisations build strong, sustainable data cultures.

Image Credits: Forbes Website