Episode 27

full
Published on:

3rd Jun 2025

S5 | Ep 27 | The Execution Disconnect: Closing the Distance Between Strategy and Delivery with Indhira Mani, Chief Data Officer at RSA

In Episode 27, of Season 5 of Driven by Data: The Podcast, Kyle Winterbottom was joined by Indhira Mani, Chief Data Officer at RSA, where they discuss the disconnect that often exists between strategy and execution, and what it takes to actually deliver, which includes;

  • Transforming from legacy to modernisation and then innovation.
  • Shaping data as a transformation to move data to the point of decision.
  • Designing a strategy that works in reality to create impact.
  • Failing fast is the best way to execute a strategy.
  • Why building trust through execution will make or break your strategy.
  • Understanding what you can deliver versus what your business wants.
  • Why you should treat your data activity as a 2-way product framework.
  • Why ‘why comes first’.
  • Making practical decisions around organisational readiness.
  • Measuring organisational readiness.
  • The importance of flexibility, practicality and pragmatism.
  • Why you need Executive Commitment and why sponsorship isn’t enough.
  • Testing for that commitment.
  • Why you need clarity of tangible outcomes against goals and objectives.
  • Why we’re not in the business of building lakes and warehouses.
  • Building reusable and scalable products.
  • Identifying what capabilities and skills you need to deliver.
  • Inheriting a team of 20 and growing it to 120.
  • The relationship between operating model and successful transformation.
  • The importance of incorporating change iteratively.
  • Why you shouldn’t aim to change but to win hearts and minds.
  • Why it’s never about ‘what’ but always about ‘why’ and ‘how’.
  • The importance of building curiosity.
  • The 4 transition states of transformation.
  • Trebling the return on investment in the short term and aiming for 10x over the long-term.

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.