Every day, like invisible breadcrumbs, we leave trails of personal data scattered across the digital landscape. Each click, every search, every purchase - they all tell a story about us. But do we know where these breadcrumbs lead? Who's picking them up? And most importantly, what are they doing with them? In an era where data is documenting our lives across a host of platforms, understanding these trails and their implications is no longer a luxury but rather, a necessity. It's about our privacy, our rights, and our well-being in an increasingly interconnected world. In this episode of Leaders of Analytics John Thompson and I dive into his newly released book that should be on everyone's reading list - "Data for All". During our discussion, we'll delve into the eye-opening insights Thompson shares in his book, such as understanding the scope and consequences of companies manipulating and exploiting your data. We also explore the step-by-step guide he provides on how to navigate this changing landscape.

It’s no secret that data and analytics can be used to create a competitive advantage for almost any modern business. In fact, the customer data you capture in the course of doing business is one of the strongest differentiators between you and the competition. So, how do we build an organisation that is capable of both producing and consuming truly differentiating data products? It’s not enough to just have a great analytics team that is capable of producing high quality work. We also need an organisation that is able to consume this output, however advanced it might be. Back by popular demand, analytics executive and author of ‘Building Analytics Teams’ John Thompson is returning to Leaders of Analytics to talk about the future of analytics leadership. In this episode, we discuss: Where analytics teams should sit in the organisational structureThe typical mistakes businesses make when designing analytics teams and embedding them in the organisationHow we plant the seed of advanced analytics and build a data-driven cultureHow we select and prioritise the right data and analytics projects to work onThe main purpose and remit of a Chief Data & Analytics OfficerWhat the perfect data-driven organisation looks like, and much more.John on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/johnkthompson/ John's book 'Building Analytics Teams': https://www.packtpub.com/product/building-analytics-teams/9781800203167 Defensive vs. offensive data & analytics: https://hbr.org/2017/05/whats-your-data-strategy

Modern analytics teams are central business functions directly and indirectly responsible for increasing revenue, reducing costs, optimising processes and improving customer and employee satisfaction. But there are many obstacles along the way. Data needs collecting, projects need careful design and execution and stakeholders need convincing. Analytics teams are required to cover a wide range of technical knowledge, business acumen and leadership skills to be impactful. What is the recipe for creating analytics teams that deliver impactful solutions and drive real business value? What are the technical, interpersonal and leadership skills required to lead the business through change and adoption of analytics? To answer these questions, and many more relating to the art and science of building excellent analytics functions, I recently spoke to John K. Thompson. John is an international data and technology executive with over 30 years of experience in business intelligence and advanced analytics and author of the best-seller ‘Building Analytics Teams’. In this episode of Leaders of Analytics, we discuss: The hallmarks of an excellent analytics teamWhat a perfect analytics team looks likeThe skills, personality traits and behaviours you need in an analytics teamThe common traits of highly effective analytics leadersHow analytics leaders set themselves up to meet the expectations of business stakeholdersHow to select and prioritise the right projects to work onWhere organisations typically fail when designing analytics teamsThe lowdown on John’s upcoming book, and much more.John on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/johnkthompson/ John's book 'Building Analytics Teams': https://www.packtpub.com/product/building-analytics-teams/9781800203167