As companies become more reliant on data-driven technologies, it has never been more essential for technology professionals to develop the interpersonal and professional skills they need, to develop strategies for success and influence business change.

The Data Strategy Alliance (DSA) is a not-for-profit industry initiative, helping business leaders understand and deliver value from data by building a community around executive coaching, research, content and cross-sector collaboration.

Free newsletter: Digital Culture Playbook

Weekly tech innovation, culture, policy and research: news and stories curated to help transformation professionals.

Executive coaching for data leaders

  • Targeted coaching for better data strategies.

    As companies become more reliant on interpreting and understanding data, it has never been more essential to break down communications barriers between technology professionals and senior management.

    We coach your data experts to communicate more effectively, navigate conflict, manage upwards and ask the right questions.

  • Data experts can be strong leaders too.

    Technology experts often struggle to develop the advanced interpersonal and executive communication skills they need to influence change in their businesses.

    Some have limited experience in supporting junior staff, navigating conflict, managing upwards and communicating complex ideas effectively at senior levels.

  • Creating a safe space to succeed with data.

    With a critical skills shortage in data science, engineering and strategy and fierce competition for AI talent, companies in all sectors are working hard to retain and promote their data experts.

    Our structured coaching interventions focus on the specific needs of this group of high potential current and future leaders.

Get involved with our cutting-edge research on Digital Transformation, Artificial Intelligence and Management Information, across our community, capturing the views over 300 CTOs, CIOs, CEOs, Board members, senior executives and domain experts, from every market segment.

Two common challenges:

  • Poor communication between experts and executives leads to data strategy failure.

    Lack of executive data literacy and poor data strategy account for nearly a third of transformation risks;

    87% of senior executives and Board members feel that management information (MI) has become more complex over the last three years.

    Leadership engagement in transformation projects has dropped by 40% since the pandemic;

    78% of leaders say they will be ‘largely’ or ‘completely’ reliant on data to make decisions in two years.

  • Most business leaders don’t understand data, or how to unlock value from it.

    Just 23% of CEOs, executives and Board members understand and trust the data they make strategic decisions with;

    Only 1 in 5 CTOs believes their ExCo and Board has the skills and culture to deliver their digital strategy;

    Fewer than 4% of Board members and 9% of executive leaders in UK PLCs have any technology background or experience;

    58% of large firms do not have an AI expert in the top three tiers of management.