Stop Automating Chaos: What the C-Suite Really Needs from Data
I believe data strategy is one of those terms that’s been stretched, distorted, and recycled until it’s almost meaningless.
In my experience, this is what the C-suite actually cares about:
Value, not vanity. A real data strategy doesn’t start with platforms or governance committees. It starts with the business outcomes you are driving for growth, efficiency, and resilience.
Translation, not jargon. If your exec team can’t explain your data strategy in one sentence, you don’t have one, you have a wish list.
Operating model before technology. Tools amplify impact, but only if people, processes, and decision rights are clear. Otherwise, you’re automating chaos.
Roadmap with ROI. If the business case doesn’t quantify cost savings, revenue uplift, or risk reduction, then it’s theatre, not strategy.
The fresh perspective here?
👉 A data strategy is a business strategy with numbers on it.
It’s not a separate function; it’s not a “data leader vanity project.” Done right, it is the connective tissue between corporate ambition and execution.
I’ve seen too many organizations get stuck in endless PowerPoints and governance frameworks that never move the needle.
The ones who win treat data like capital, will measure, invest, and expect to yield returns.
If you’re a CEO, CFO, or COO asking “What’s the ROI of my data strategy?” and your team can’t answer, then you don’t have a strategy.
