Harnham

Vision 2020: Challenges of Today and the Skills of Tomorrow

our consultant managing the role
Author: Scott Lazarus
Posting date: 10/18/2018 8:14 AM
Yesterday is history. As businesses race to stay competitive and relevant in today’s world, they face unprecedented changes to the way business works. The increasing speed at which digital advancements transform our ways of working has forced all of us, from entry-level to CEO, to adapt. If business leaders can’t add digital leadership to their expertise, they’re in danger of being left behind. 

Key Characteristics of a Data & Analytics Strategy


Data is driving business and it is increasingly important to build an effective Data & Analytics strategy. To do this, companies need the right people in place. They’ll need to get familiar with pressing topics and trends such as GDPR, AI, and Blockchain. Though GDPR is currently only within the EMEA region, it’s important for all businesses to adopt worldwide as part of their ongoing strategy. 

There are three key characteristics businesses will need to bear in mind when formulating their strategy:

  • Trust
  • Robust Capabilities
  • Insights

By engaging with these characteristics, business can help secure their enterprise for the long term. 

Skills to Have for the Future of Work


While technologies such as AI can take over routine tasks allowing human employees more time to solve complex problems, we all need to review what other skills we can contribute. 

Whether you’re in school or looking for your next opportunity, here are a few skills which can help you rise above the competition in the next year or two. According the World Economic Forum’s 2018 Future of Jobs Report, these are the skills employers will need, whether they know it yet or not:

  • Cognitive flexibility and critical thinking. This involves logical reasoning, problem sensitivity, and creativity.  
  • Negotiation skills. This applies to every industry from Data Analysis and Software Development to those in commercial and industrial Art and Design fields.
  • Service to others. Are you known for helping those on your team, your supervisors, and those in your industry? These skills will be more important than ever.
  • Judgement and decision making. Getting buy-in from a colleague and offering a strong suggestions to managers and executives at the right moment. 
  • Emotional Intelligence. Can you gauge someone’s reaction by their body language or the slight hesitation before they answer a question or make comment? This skill will become increasingly important as the workforce of the future begins to blend robot and human. 
  • Coordinating and collaborating with others. The ability to adjustable, flexible, and be sensitive to others’ needs.
  • People Management. For managers and higher, it will be crucial to choose the best people for the job, motivate them, and help them develop their talents and skills.
  • Creativity. Employers will need people who can think creatively and not only apply it to new products and services, but also to discern new ways to solve a problem. Critical thinking skills coupled with creativity just may be the one-two punch needed for the workforce of the future.
  • Complex problem-solving. Humans who can analyse data results and have intelligent conversations with the employees who need them will be highly sought after in 2020. 

One thing that’s important to note in the list above is the prominence of ‘soft skills’. Though Data & Analytics roles remain the top technical arena, what employers need in the future is individuals with highly developed social skills too. As robots and AI take on mundane, routine jobs, employers will need people who can be, well, human. 

Can you bring a group of people with diverse opinions together? Can you morph from cold analytical numbers to warm greetings? Can you explain complex topics in varying degrees to people at different levels – graduates, managers, the boardroom? Continue to harness these skills and you will be even more valuable by 2020. 

Have you got 2020 vision for the future? We may have a role for you. We specialise in both Junior and Senior roles. 

To learn more, check out our current vacancies or get in touch. 

Related blog & news

With over 10 years experience working solely in the Data & Analytics sector our consultants are able to offer detailed insights into the industry.

Visit our Blogs & News portal or check out the related posts below.

Vision 2020: Challenges of Today and the Skills of Tomorrow

Yesterday is history. As businesses race to stay competitive and relevant in today’s world, they face unprecedented changes to the way business works. The increasing speed at which digital advancements transform our ways of working has forced all of us, from entry-level to CEO, to adapt. If business leaders can’t add digital leadership to their expertise, they’re in danger of being left behind.  Key Characteristics of a Data & Analytics Strategy Data is driving business and it is increasingly important to build an effective Data & Analytics strategy. To do this, companies need the right people in place. They’ll need to get familiar with pressing topics and trends such as GDPR, AI, and Blockchain. Though GDPR is currently only within the EMEA region, it’s important for all businesses to adopt worldwide as part of their ongoing strategy.  There are three key characteristics businesses will need to bear in mind when formulating their strategy: Trust Robust Capabilities Insights By engaging with these characteristics, business can help secure their enterprise for the long term.  Skills to Have for the Future of Work While technologies such as AI can take over routine tasks allowing human employees more time to solve complex problems, we all need to review what other skills we can contribute.  Whether you’re in school or looking for your next opportunity, here are a few skills which can help you rise above the competition in the next year or two. According the World Economic Forum’s 2018 Future of Jobs Report, these are the skills employers will need, whether they know it yet or not: Cognitive flexibility and critical thinking. This involves logical reasoning, problem sensitivity, and creativity.   Negotiation skills. This applies to every industry from Data Analysis and Software Development to those in commercial and industrial Art and Design fields. Service to others. Are you known for helping those on your team, your supervisors, and those in your industry? These skills will be more important than ever. Judgement and decision making. Getting buy-in from a colleague and offering a strong suggestions to managers and executives at the right moment.  Emotional Intelligence. Can you gauge someone’s reaction by their body language or the slight hesitation before they answer a question or make comment? This skill will become increasingly important as the workforce of the future begins to blend robot and human.  Coordinating and collaborating with others. The ability to adjustable, flexible, and be sensitive to others’ needs. People Management. For managers and higher, it will be crucial to choose the best people for the job, motivate them, and help them develop their talents and skills. Creativity. Employers will need people who can think creatively and not only apply it to new products and services, but also to discern new ways to solve a problem. Critical thinking skills coupled with creativity just may be the one-two punch needed for the workforce of the future. Complex problem-solving. Humans who can analyse data results and have intelligent conversations with the employees who need them will be highly sought after in 2020.  One thing that’s important to note in the list above is the prominence of ‘soft skills’. Though Data & Analytics roles remain the top technical arena, what employers need in the future is individuals with highly developed social skills too. As robots and AI take on mundane, routine jobs, employers will need people who can be, well, human.  Can you bring a group of people with diverse opinions together? Can you morph from cold analytical numbers to warm greetings? Can you explain complex topics in varying degrees to people at different levels – graduates, managers, the boardroom? Continue to harness these skills and you will be even more valuable by 2020.  Have you got 2020 vision for the future? We may have a role for you. We specialise in both Junior and Senior roles.  To learn more, check out our current vacancies or get in touch. 

Scott Lazarus

18. October 2018

What does it take to be a Chief Data Officer?

By Noam Zeigerson Noam Zeigerson is a Data & Analytics Executive and entrepreneur with over 16 years’ experience delivering Data solutions. What does the role of the CDO entail and how can we succeed? Researchers at Gartner estimate that 90 per cent of enterprises will have a ‘Chief Data Officer’ (CDO) in place by the end of 2019. It also predicts that by then only half of CDOs will have been successful. So, what does the role of the CDO entail and how can we succeed? The rise in the use of data in the enterprise to inform business decisions has led to a recent phenomenon - the Chief Data Officer. Organisations will have a CDO in place to handle the many opportunities and responsibilities that arise from industrial-scale collection and harnessing of data. Unfortunately, it is rare to be successful, due to a number of challenges. As a new role, the CDO need to be in a position to increase business efficiencies and improve risk management, especially since the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) came into effect in May 2018. This puts the CDO in a position where business expectations will be high, and we have to make tough and potentially unpopular decisions, because the CDO’s role sits at the crossroads of IT and business. We typically responsible for defining the data and analytics strategy at our organisation. The CDO becomes instrumental in breaking down siloed departments and data repositories, which makes information easier to find and also have ramifications for the IT team. As Gartner notes, many CDOs have faced resistance, but the successful ones are working closely with their Chief Information Officer (CIO) to lead change. To be a key part of any organisation’s digital transformation, the CDO need a wide range of skills. The skills required of a Chief Data Officer The role of the CDO is multifaceted. For this reason, CDOs need to be able to combine skills from the areas of data, IT, and business to be successful. Data skills: A background in data science is crucial. A passion for statistics and a clear understanding of how to interpret data to glean insights is core to the role of the CDO. The CDO then needs to be able to communicate what those insights mean in a business context and make information easily available to all. A knowledge of data security is also critical. In the UK, the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO), whose job it is to enforce GDPR in the country, recommends the creation of a Data Protection Officer (DPO) at each organisation. This should fall within the remit of the CDO. The value of sharing data at a senior level is recognized by UK organisations, by and large. Further down the authority chain the picture is different, with about three-quarters of executive teams and nearly half of front-line employees actually need to have access to detailed data and analytics. The CDO needs to ensure that those who need data to further inform decision making can do so and are sufficiently trained to gain business insights from that data. IT skills: Understanding how information flows is an advantage as the CDO is well placed to recommend and implement technology to democratise and operationalise data, as well as improve security. The CDO will need to manage expectations across the enterprise, so appreciating what technology can deliver is the key. Artificial Intelligence (AI) and machine learning are going to feature heavily of UK data projects, so many CDOs need to get to grips fast with this technology. Business skills: Strategic business logic is essential to success as a CDO. If the expectation of the CDO is to influence strategy based on data, then consulting experience will be valuable. Project management skills is at the forefront of the CDO’s day-to-day role. Being able to bring siloed groups together and get them striving for the same common goal is a vital skill for any CDO. It’s clear that data analytics is only going to be deployed more heavily throughout the enterprise, so the CDO’s role is only going to become more influential and pivotal within organisations as different business units seek to gain insights to improve the business further. Making a success of the CDO role Every organisation will have different objectives and expectations of their CDO. Gartner estimates that four in every five (80 per cent) CDOs will have revenue responsibilities, meaning we will be expected to drive new value, generate opportunities, and also deliver cost savings. No pressure! Given those expectations, it’s no wonder that Gartner expects only half of CDOs to succeed. The core responsibilities of the CDO includes data governance and quality, and regulatory compliance. The CDO must also address the way that technology is deployed to address these issues. The CDO needs leadership and team building skills, as we are the chief change agent in the organisation for creating a data-driven culture. This means first-class communications skills will be valuable.The Chief Data Officer is going to be essential in delivering digital transformation. Organisations who create a CDO role must support that individual and make sure that they are integrated across departments, not isolated in a silo. The C-suite must lead from the front on this and, as we saw earlier, the support of the CIO will be critical. Harnham are the global leaders in Data & Analytics recruitment.  Take a look at our latest roles or get in touch with one of our expert consultants to learn more. 

Guest Blog

08. November 2018

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