Episode 26

full
Published on:

30th Apr 2024

S4 | Ep 26 | Why One of the World's Biggest Brands has a Commitment to Change and Innovation with Michelle Gansle, Chief Data, Analytics & AI Officer at McDonalds

In Episode 26, of Season 4, of Driven by Data: The Podcast, Kyle Winterbottom is joined by Michelle Gansle, Chief Data, Analytics & AI Officer at McDonald's, where they discuss why, as one of the world's biggest brands, they still have a commitment to change and innovation and how Data & Analytics fuels that, which includes;

  • 3 fun facts that people don’t know about McDonald's
  • The data and analytics goals of McDonald's
  • The size and scale of the D&A capability at McDonalds
  • Defining the right operating model for such a large enterprise
  • Key D&A use cases in the fast food industry
  • Why prioritisation should be the easiest part of the job
  • Why even the biggest companies need to optimise and innovate to be successful
  • Why one of the world's biggest brands has a commitment to change
  • The tangible impact that certain innovations like drive-thru’s and delivery apps have had on their business
  • What the landscape looked like before and after the pandemic
  • Building a foresight team to predict what may happen in the future
  • The three-legged stool concept
  • Why the McDonalds culture has always been tied to innovation
  • How innovation is in service of the organisation's core business
  • Why they view their size and scale as an incomparable advantage
  • The double-edged sword of being a large business
  • Why relentless curiosity will make you successful
  • Understanding the difference between what you could do versus what you should do
  • The benefit of having a seat at the table
  • Why it’s imperative to understand what “the end” is, and why Data & Analytics is not it
  • Who really are the competitors
  • Why they’re rarely first to market but are often fast followers
  • The role that GenAI will play at McDonald's
  • The 3 horizons of Generative AI
  • How D&A was mentioned 42 times at investor meetings

Thanks to our sponsor, Data Literacy Academy.

Data Literacy Academy is leading the way in transforming enterprise workforces with data literacy across the organisation, through a combination of change management and education. In today's data-centric world, being data literate is no longer a luxury, it's a necessity.

If you want successful data product adoption, and to keep driving innovation within your business, you need to start with data literacy first.

At Data Literacy Academy, we don't just teach data skills. We empower individuals and teams to think critically, analyse effectively, and make decisions confidently based on data. We're bridging the gap between business and data teams, so they can all work towards aligned outcomes.

From those taking their first steps in data literacy to seasoned experts looking to fine-tune their skills, our data experts provide tailored classes for every stage. But it's not just learning tracks that we offer. We embed a deep data culture shift through a transformative change management programme.

We take a people-first approach, working closely with your executive team to win the hearts and minds. We know this will drive the company-wide impact that data teams want to achieve.

Get in touch and find out how you can unlock the full potential of data in your organisation. Learn more at www.dl-academy.com.

Show artwork for Driven by Data: The Podcast

About the Podcast

Driven by Data: The Podcast
Designed for Data Enthusiasts to hear from the Data & Analytics industry's thought leaders
Orbition Group is delighted to bring you this podcast series, which is designed for Data Enthusiasts, to hear from some of the most high-profile Data, Analytics and AI thought leaders from around the globe.

Each episode will detail the guests journey to the top while bringing unique insights, drawn from first-hand experience on the industry’s most trending topics.

This podcast was created as a way for our industry's most respected leadership figures from across the world to give back to the Data & Analytics community, by sharing; knowledge, experiences and ideas, to inspire, innovate and provide real-life use cases on the industries most pressing topics/challenges.

About your host

Profile picture for Kyle Winterbottom

Kyle Winterbottom

Founder of Orbition Group, a Search and Talent Solutions business that operates exclusively within the world of Data, Analytics & AI.

I am hugely passionate about enabling organisations to drive decisions and obtain value from the use of Data, Analytics & Artificial Intelligence.

As such, I believe it is imperative that as a community, we share; knowledge, ideas, real-life use cases and inspiration to collectively give back to our industry.

Given my fortunate position of speaking with hundreds, if not thousands of leadership figures within the global Data & Analytics community each year , I feel it is my duty to share the successes, failures, challenges and opportunities.

Therefore, I have positioned Orbition Group to be a facilitator of that knowledge sharing, through these podcasts, events we host and public speaking.