Johnny Beverton
Recently nominated as a Role Model of the Year at the Women in Tech Excellence Awards, Liz brings a wealth of experience from her time as a Chief Architect at Capgemini to her current role as Board Advisor and Chair at Hook Tangaza, where she helps organisations connect their data strategy to real-world business results.
The Challenge with a Tech-First Mindset in Data Hiring
According to Liz, one of the biggest hurdles organisations face is the industry's own excitement around new technology. "The data professionals fuel that," she explains. "We're always running after the next big, exciting thing and we don't get the foundations set in stone".
This emphasis on technology before people creates a culture clash that directly affects how organisations attract and keep talent. Liz shared a strong example: a data engineer turned down a job after learning the data team was led by the CFO, insisting he would only work for an IT-led function.
The irony, Liz points out, is that this is often where the real problem lies. "The CFO is the best person to lead data. We've had IT leading it for so many years and it's not necessarily worked". This disconnect between technology initiatives and business needs appears in many ways. Liz has seen IT teams pursue complex solutions without business input or buy expensive tools that business teams were never asked about and therefore never use.
"They said to me, 'We've got a data solution. We went and bought it, but they don't use it'," she recalls. "It is beyond me how this happens... unless we take a people-first approach, we will continue to have these challenges".
Beyond Technical Skills: What Makes a Great Data Leader?
When it comes to leadership, Liz argues the most important skills aren't technical - a point she notes has remained remarkably consistent for over a decade. She recalls a presentation from a senior data leader at Gartner around 2013 that has stuck with her ever since.
“She was telling us about a data leader’s skills: empathy, emotional intelligence, strategy, vision, influence, negotiation... I still believe those skills are more important today than they ever were.”
The result of overlooking these skills is solutions that are technically sound but fail to gain business adoption. “The challenge we’ve got is data leaders have come from the IT industry with a tech-first focus... you can put the best system in the world in an organisation, but if it's not adopted and used by the business, it's just a white elephant.”
This presents a key recruitment challenge for hiring managers, as leaders with this balanced skillset continue to be in high demand and short supply.
Developing Talent and Data Literacy
To build a people-first culture, organisations must invest in developing their teams' skills. However, Liz warns that common self-assessment methods for data literacy are often ineffective.
“If you give everybody an assessment and say, ‘Rate yourself’... we all said we were five-star everything. We're all brilliant. Why wouldn't you?” she asks. The issue is that people don’t know what they don’t know.
She recommends a more structured approach where managers, guided by HR, lead conversations to assess skills against clearly defined roles like 'data consumer' or 'data specialist'. The goal is to cultivate what she calls the three Cs: Capability, Confidence, and Curiosity. “When you have that curiosity,” Liz notes, “you get the innovation and the ideas to move the organisation forward.”
Career Advice: The Power of Mentorship and Networking
For professionals looking to move into leadership roles, Liz’s primary piece of advice is to embrace mentorship.
"The advice I would give anybody is to understand how good a mentor can be. Having somebody on a regular basis can bring a different perspective, different ideas, things that you didn't realise you could do better. And remember that a mentor doesn't have to come from within your organisation."
She also stresses that building a professional network is crucial. Through her own networking, she was recently approached by The Washington Post to share her views on AI and data - a tangible testament to the power of building a personal brand.
Championing Diversity and Inclusion in Tech
As a passionate advocate for diversity - and formerly the only female Chief Architect in Insights and Data for Capgemini in the UK - Liz’s approach is practical and hands-on. She focuses on creating visibility for underrepresented talent.
“What I do is give my team opportunities. Where can I show that they can shine? I introduce my team to senior execs, so they get that exposure... I want to get their skills front and centre of the business.”
She also highlighted the importance of having advocates in the room. “Having advocates that when you are not in the room will speak up for you is really helpful... having those people that will step forward for me when my voice is not heard.”
Looking Ahead
Liz’s insights offer a clear roadmap for any organisation aiming to get real value from its data investments - by putting people at the heart of the strategy, leaders can move beyond the hype and build a culture of innovation and success.
Liz continues to share her expertise and is currently writing a book to share her views on data strategy. You can pre-order it here.
She will also be speaking at the upcoming Big Data London in September and future Richmond CDO Forum Conferences and is open to put her skills towards future non-executive director board roles.
Ready to Build Your People-First Data Team?
Liz’s experience shows that finding leaders with the right blend of technical and people skills is the key to unlocking data’s potential.
Our specialist Data and AI recruitment team connects organisations with leading professionals with proven track recordings who can drive your strategy forward.
If you are looking to build out your data team, hire data leaders, or are a technology professional seeking your next data role, browse our current vacancies or get in touch with our expert team today.
Be sure to connect with Andrew Manion and Liz Henderson on LinkedIn to continue the conversation and visit Liz’s website and blog.
