Episode 22: Bridging the Data Skills Gap - How to Upskill and Build Analytics Culture

In this episode of Harnham’s Data & AI Podcast, Harnham CEO Dave Farmer speaks with Rockborne CEO Waseem Ali about one of the biggest challenges facing organisations today: closing the data and AI skills gap while building a culture that uses data in everyday decision making.

Waseem explains why the gap is often misunderstood. Many companies focus on technical hiring or new tools, but the real issue is confidence and capability across the wider business. People need to understand how data helps them make better decisions, not just how a platform works. That shift takes leadership focus, clear communication and continuous learning, not one-off training sessions.

The conversation breaks down:

• How organisations can combine upskilling, coaching and literacy programmes to build capability at scale.
• Why celebrating early wins and visible examples creates momentum and buy-in.
• How leaders can balance hiring specialist talent with developing the people they already have.
• What happens when centralised teams try to hold everything, and why federated decision-making often speeds up impact.
• Real lessons from clients who improved decision-making and adoption by focusing on communication, context and consistent leadership support.

Waseem also looks ahead at how AI is changing expectations of data teams. Coding remains important, but problem framing, critical thinking and asking better questions are becoming central skills as automation improves.

He closes with practical steps leaders can take today: get clear on the decisions that matter, train executives first, remove friction around data access and spend time listening to the business before rolling out solutions. Subscribe for more conversations with data and AI leaders, and explore the full series at harnham.com.