Anne Merel Oosterbroek: Why Demystifying Data for Executives is a Priority for ABN AMRO Bank

Anne Merel Oosterbroek, Head of Data & Analytics, Financial
Restructuring and Recovery at ABN AMRO Bank NV shares her tips on
creating data literacy campaigns for senior executives

Successful digital transformations require careful planning and
significant investments of time and money.


Demystifying data and analytics for senior leadership is an
essential part of winning that financial investment, argues Anne
Merel Oosterbroek, Head of Data and Analytics, Financial
Restructuring and Recovery for ABN AMRO Bank NV in this week’s
episode of the Business of Data Podcast.


Data teams steeped in data and analytics know their power and
potential. However, educating senior leaders who may be less
aware of the benefits is an important step toward successful
digital transformations.


“Start with the top,” she recommends. “It’s very important to
create those believers, not only at the lower levels of an
organization but [also] at the top. If you have a few believers,
[then] it is a lot easier to have those investments approved.”


By creating a data literacy campaign specifically for senior
executives, data and analytics leaders can demonstrate how
digital transformation will help their businesses to achieve
their goals.


“We shouldn’t assume that our leadership team understands what we
can do with data and analytics,” she says. “We should really
start by answering the very basic questions. As soon as we’ve
done that, we can then explain what is possible, so they actually
get enthusiastic.”


Communicating data and analytics success stories is also an
important part of winning hearts and minds across the business,
Oosterbroek says.


“Invest your time in understanding the possibilities of data and
analytics, and don’t be shy to make your colleagues [feel]
enthusiastic about this fantastic world of data analytics,” she
concludes.
Key Takeaways


Don’t assume that senior executives understand the
potential of data and analytics. Start with the basics
and build toward more complex topics from there


Educate senior leadership on the benefits to secure
buy-in. Their support is essential to achieve
successful digital transformations


Become a data and analytics evangelist.
Establish data and analytics literacy programs and prioritize
education across business units to get people excited about the
future