Johnny Beverton
In our latest episode, Empiric Director Andrew Manion sits down with Erdoo Tor-Agbidye, a Data Management and Strategy Expert. Her career spans applied psychology, social media analytics, and senior roles in sports and data management across Europe via an MBA in big data and technology in Spain. Her career is a testament to the value of a diverse and interdisciplinary background and we were thrilled to interview her!
Watch the full episode and read on below for a breakdown of her insights on the changing landscape of successful leadership, team culture, the importance of soft skills and the power of interdisciplinary teams.
Bringing Your Full Self to Work, Overcoming Imposter Syndrome and Building Inclusivity
On building inclusive teams and resilience, Erdoo challenges the common imposter syndrome narrative with a focus on real-world data - especially as it affects women. She notes, “Imposter syndrome is a bit of a buzzword - people often feel like they don’t belong, but the data actually shows that it’s quite the opposite for a lot of women.” Highlighting workplace research, she explains, “[When applying to roles] when women see that they are closer to 100%, then they’ll apply versus men at 50% or close in that ballpark.”
She emphasises that qualified people are frequently held back by organisational cultures that ask diverse hires to do “two jobs” - their core role plus the additional role of representing diversity. “Leaders need to take responsibility for creating environments where people feel they belong from the start, not just after the hire.” As she puts it, truly effective teams come when “you connect with who they are and make them feel comfortable.”
To achieve this, Erdoo urges leaders to do the hard work upfront - like engaging in cultural events and workshops - before they bring in new team members. For candidates, her advice is to “make sure you are in a space where you are comfortable being yourself - if you don't necessarily see yourself represented, go for it, but go for it understanding that you'll need to bring your authentic self to the table.”
She credits her working experience at The Olympics with a very international and diverse team, for reinforcing a relaxed and collaborative team: by introducing icebreakers, riddles and jokes through her improv background into weekly meetings, she helped her team relax and opened lines of communication, making her more approachable as a leader.
The Olympics and Adapting Data Strategies to Different Industries
Erdoo has seen how the demands of data work shift across government, non-profit, corporate and sports. As she explains, “There are about three different metrics that are very different across all areas: benefit, insights, and speed.” In federal government, she points out, “the benefit is protecting people and protecting assets,” while “in the sports world, the benefit is providing a wonderful user experience.”
When it comes to insights, she asks, “What is the value that you're ascribing to the data? That varies when you’re looking at the games, because you’re trying to identify who’s watching what, how often, and how to increase that - it can be as granular as recommendations or personalisation.”
Speed, for Erdoo, is a defining difference. “Working in federal government or non-profit, there tends to be a lot of red tape and so speed can be a few months, and when you work in certain corporations, speed could be within that week. The strategy changes - that can be exciting, but that can be challenging. It requires you to learn how to deliver business value across those different metrics while understanding what the true motivation is at the heart of any organisation.”
Why Overlooked Non-Technical Skills Drive Performance
A central theme of the interview was the rising importance of soft skills - Erdoo sees emotional intelligence as a key competency, which includes self-awareness, empathy, and social skills. She says, "I've seen plenty of talented people who just simply cannot excel because they lack the relational capabilities that is required to influence change, to inspire others, to motivate and to engage stakeholders."
During interviews, Erdoo encourages leaders to probe for real self-awareness, "How did you respond when you got negative feedback? That can show you, does this person have self-awareness? Is this person empathetic? Imagine how you feel giving this information, and then how do they use that to better communicate their skills?" She sums it up: "Emotional intelligence, hands down, especially with AI emerging as a more important component to our work. It's not just about augmenting what you do but bringing that human side to what AI can't do - AI is doing a lot more every day than what we thought it could do, but it still can't be human."
Mentoring and Upskilling for Sustainable Talent Growth
Erdoo shared a mentoring and upskilling strategy she calls the 70-20-10 approach. This approach breaks down learning into three parts:
- 70% hands-on, project-based work, often by shadowing a mentor
- 20% independent case work where a mentee can develop a business case and test their knowledge
- 10% online or classroom learning to establish foundational knowledge
"When you are in a classroom, you are not getting all of the nuances that come with the reality of implementing it - having mentees that have recently come out of school, it can be really shocking to them when they realise that all that they spent in the textbooks and the classes can change in real life and needs to be adapted." For Erdoo, "once you get into applying theory, the 70% helps you see the nuances and that helps you take on the expertise and experience from people who have been doing it for much longer than you have."
Upskilling Strategies in the Age of AI
With the wealth of information AI has brought to the table, Erdoo says key skills are learning data governance, data management, and data quality. She highlights that the classic saying "garbage in, garbage out" is even more true with AI. Additionally, she stresses the importance of data literacy – or simply put, the ability to explain data to the business.
She believes that some jobs will be taken over by AI because it's cheaper and faster. However, she differentiates between being "efficient" and being "effective". The key is to understand how AI can augment your work and support your learning. She advises people not to feel like they need to do "a million crash courses" in AI to stay relevant. Instead, they should upskill in areas that strengthen their existing profiles and use AI to magnify reach.
Conclusion and Looking Ahead
Erdoo's experience is a practical guide for the future. "AI is doing a lot more every day than what we thought, but it still can't be human." By putting culture, mentoring and emotional intelligence at the core, tech leaders can build teams that perform - not just comply. Those who invest in upskilling with a people-first mindset can step ahead of the hype and shape genuine innovation.
Ready to build your people-first team? Our dedicated Data and AI recruitment team connects organisations with leading professionals with proven track records who can drive your strategy forward. If you are looking to build out your team, hire data leaders, or are a technology professional seeking your next role, get in touch with our expert team today.
Be sure to connect with Andrew Manion and Erdoo Tor-Agbidye on LinkedIn to continue the conversation.
Erdoo is speaking at the upcoming Analytics + AI Summit 2025 on October 9 at Dublin’s Convention Centre. Tickets are available here.
