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Episode 45

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Published on:

7th Oct 2025

S5 | Ep 45 | Climbing the Data & AI Literacy Ladder with Pete Williams, Director of Data at Penguin Random House and Greg Freeman, CEO at Data Literacy Academy

In Episode 45, of Season 5 of Driven by Data: The Podcast, Catherine King takes the hot-seat as she hosts a live panel discussion alongside, Pete Williams, Director of Data at Penguin Random House and Greg Freeman, CEO & Founder at Data Literacy Academy, where they discuss how to allow your organisation to climb the data & AI literacy ladder, which includes;

  • Why Data & AI literacy isn't about technical skills or tools.
  • How practical implementation and belief in the value of literacy are still recent developments.
  • How there are no decisions in modern business that are free of data.
  • Why people don’t use what they don’t trust and they don’t trust what they don’t understand.
  • Why literacy must address taught fears and cultural resistance.
  • Why companies are still falling into the trap of thinking tools and tech will drive transformation.
  • Why Generative AI is proving to be a Trojan Horse and the opportunity it provides for enterprise impact.
  • Why literacy efforts need to go beyond 'tick-box' training to personalised, job-relevant learning that connects directly to business outcomes.
  • Why you should track productivity improvements, promotion rates, and qualitative feedback from learners.
  • How to use behavioural metrics and ROI-linked business initiatives to measure literacy impact.
  • How you can create effective feedback loops from the frontline that are essential for iteration and broader transformation.

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.

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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.