Susan Walsh - The Classification Guru

The Classification Guru Ltd

I love improving the quality of procurement spend data, giving teams clarity so they can make better business decisions and cost savings.

Why not let me take the pain out of laborious data issues and make your life easier?

Whether it's a small or large data set, the accuracy can be improved by identifying classification errors, conflicts or gaps. I can provide a data verification service to efficiently find and correct these in a fraction of the time it would take you or a team member.

And a crucial part of having accurate data is also working with a comprehensive taxonomy, something that can be easily overlooked. I can provide a taxonomy development service to ensure you have all the vital areas covered for the greatest visibility - job done!

If you struggle with the time, resources or willingness to tackle your data, why not get in touch to see how I can make your life easier.

Founder/MD (Mistress of Data)

I love improving the quality of procurement spend data, giving teams clarity so they can make better business decisions and cost savings.

Why not let me take the pain out of laborious data issues and make your life easier?

Whether it's a small or large data set, the accuracy can be improved by identifying classification errors, conflicts or gaps.  I can provide a data verification service to efficiently find and correct these in a fraction of the time it would take you or a team member.

And a crucial part of having accurate data is also working with a comprehensive taxonomy, something that can be easily overlooked.  I can provide a taxonomy development service to ensure you have all the vital areas covered for the greatest visibility - job done!

If you struggle with the time, resources or willingness to tackle your data, why not get in touch to see how I can make your life easier.

Founder

Data Collaboration Alliance

I am a member of the Advisory Committee at the Data Collaboration Alliance, a nonprofit organization that’s dedicated to establishing CONTROL as the basis for meaningful Data Ownership and global Collaborative Intelligence. Our approach of eliminating data silos and copy-based data integration is similar to how societies already protect the value of their currency, identities, and intellectual property - and it works for data, too. My fellow advisors include the Executive Director of the Mozilla Foundation and the ex-CIO of Dropbox. I'm also a contributor to the Data Collaboration Community which offers open datasets, free tools, and free training in the data-centric skills of the future. Visit: https://www.datacollaboration.org/community

Advisory Committee / Instructor

Facet Publishing

Dirty data is a problem that costs businesses thousands, if not millions, every year. In organisations large and small across the globe you will hear talk of data quality issues. What you will rarely hear about is the consequences or how to fix it.

Between the Spreadsheets: Classifying and Fixing Dirty Data draws on classification expert Susan Walsh's decade of experience in data classification to present a fool-proof method for cleaning and classifying your data. The book covers everything from the very basics of data classification to normalisation, taxonomies and presents the author's proven COAT methodology, helping ensure an organisation's data is Consistent, Organised, Accurate and Trustworthy. A series of data horror stories outlines what can go wrong in managing data, and if it does, how it can be fixed.

After reading this book, regardless of your level of experience, not only will you be able to work with your data more efficiently, but you will also understand the impact the work you do with it has, and how it affects the rest of the organisation.

Written in an engaging and highly practical manner, Between the Spreadsheets gives readers of all levels a deep understanding of the dangers of dirty data and the confidence and skills to work more efficiently and effectively with it.

Author - Between the Spreadsheets

CONSTELLIA LIMITED

Connecting Professional Services Procurement people to the Consultancy Procurement Council

Membership Manager

Simfoni

+ Lead spend analytics project delivery across Europe & Middle East
+ Project Implementation​
+ Delivery of product demos
+ Development and delivery of training for Analytics team
+ Product development support
+ Spend analytics
+ Taxonomy development​

Senior Analytics Project Lead - Europe & Middle East

Highways England

Project Support Officer

Philips

Data Verification

+	Administration of product database
+	Working with cross functional teams to resolve issues
+	Develop and deliver training for business hubs to improve processes

Data Product Researcher

Coupa Software

+	Project managing multiple projects simultaneously ensuring all were delivered within time and on budget
+	Management of a team of 14 QA staff
+	Developed and implemented training plan and best practice documents
+	Recruit and train new staff
+	Ensuring consistent quality of work  produced by team

QA Manager

Spend360

+	QA, classification and review of data
+	Excellent attention to detail
+	Managing workload to tight deadlines

Data Services -QA

Fixer of dirty data ★ Spend data classification, supplier normalisation, and taxonomies ★ DataIQ100 x 2 ★DataIQ Data Champion 2022★ Author "Between the Spreadsheets" ★ Creator of COAT ★ TEDx - say NO to NO ★ DataVenger

Are you struggling to get reliable insights from your data?  Do you have duplicates, multiple versions of the same supplier or customer, and multiple date and address formats?  And is it saved in multiple different systems?

The Classification Guru can help.

If you’re in procurement, do you find it hard to see how much you are really spending with one supplier, and on what?  Have you got free text descriptions which mean you have multiple versions of the same item, often misspelt and not against the correct GL or categorisation? How can you make the best negotiations with your suppliers, the biggest cost savings, or manage your supplier list if you don’t have the correct information?

Or if you work in sales or marketing, is your CRM full of junk data, poorly formatted and even missing information, and maybe saved in multiple different systems?  Your team could be wasting time contacting redundant leads, or worse you could be sending out expensive print out to the same address twice, or addresses that don’t even exist.

We bring clarity and accuracy to data and help teams work more effectively and efficiently, finding cost savings through spend and time management, supporting better, more informed business decisions, delivering a strong ROI and delivering back to your organisation faster and more cost-effectively than using large consultancies or spend analytics providers.

While most people dread having to classify or cleanse data, my team and I love it! We are hugely passionate about providing clients with accurate and meaningful data, and because I have been doing this for a decade, I can do this much faster and more accurately than people who might look at their data infrequently.

We can help prevent costly mistakes from happening.

There are many solutions available to automate data classification, but these are never 100% accurate. I've developed a method that my team use to efficiently and accurately classify, cleanse and verify data to minimise the errors in the same amount of time.

When working with large volumes of data it's hard to spot these errors even if you know what you're looking for and especially in Excel, let alone if you don't. With my team and I’s knowledge, experience and tools we can do this for you, freeing up your internal resources.

Fix your dirty data now - www.theclassificationguru.com

Nicola Askham Ltd

Data Governance doesn't have to be complicated or hard to do.  I help organisations design and implement successful Data Governance frameworks in a number of ways:

Training:
My standard Getting Started in Data Governance course (available online and face to face) takes you step by step through everything you need to do. You will also get examples, templates and the actual detailed checklist I use.


Coaching:
Regular support during your Data Governance initiative. The idea of Data Governance Coaching is to provide support and skills training as well as implementation advice.   

Consulting:
I have developed a number of services to help support organisations at various stages in their Data Governance journey.  Each service is designed to give you not only the support you need at the time, but also to help build Data Governance capability and expertise in you and your team, to ensure the long term success of your initiative.

 
If you want to find out more how I can support you book a call: 

https://TheDataGovernanceCoachCallBooking.as.me/DataGovernanceSupport


"I was new to Data Governance when I attended. I had various queries around understanding how Data Owners fit into a Governance structure, how you identify them and allocate and assign responsibilities. I also needed a high-level view of the main components of Data Governance, what are the key elements and where to start.◦I feel that the course did exactly what it said on the tin! Help to get started – but also it gives a complete overview, so not just about starting but tips for keeping going. One of the main things I think was useful is that DG is not one size fits all and there is not a standard methodology – you have to tailor it to your organisation. This was really useful to grasp.◦It also addressed my problems re Data Owners - it gave me the knowledge to know what to do, (and who roughly to pick), and some pitfalls to expect."

Claire Laws, Data Governance Adviser, The Pensions Regulator

The Data Governance Coach

D.A.T.A.

Bringing together the Data and Tech Communities to help Ukraine

Founding Committee Member

Camelot RT

Camelot RT is a network of independent consultants who are ex-C-Suite Execs/Senior Managers who have all been there and done it in top organisations, mainly in insurance but others as well. We have formed a strong and diverse network to provide help and services to each other and importantly to companies who would benefit from our expert assistance.

Data Governance Consultant

DAMA UK

The Data Management Association (DAMA) is a global community of data management professionals organised around local chapters. DAMA UK is a local chapter and formed in 2002

DAMA UK's mission is to nurture a community of data professionals in the UK to manage data and information as a key asset.  Please contact me if you interested in finding more about how DAMA UK can support you.

Director

Aspen Insurance

Providing expertise and advice to embed data governance and data quality across the business, covering both Solvency II and other group wide initiatives.

Interim Data Quality Manager

Direct Line Group

Providing expertise and advice to implement a data governance and data quality framework in order to meet Solvency II data requirements. 

Working with senior and executive level staff across the organisation to implement and embed good data working practices.

Solvency II Data Governance Manager / Consultant

Glue Ltd

Implemented a Data Centre of Excellence for the Ministry of Defence.  This covered a number of different Data Management roles and was particularly focused on implementing a Data Governance structure and training Data Quality Analysts.  This included drafting processes and supporting documentation for the team to follow, but more importantly coaching and mentoring the team in their transition to their new roles and supporting them through pilot activities to test their new skills.

Data Architect

Platon

As part of an Information Management Programme, implemented a full Data Governance Model in Thomson Reuters.  This included drafting full supporting policies and processes, as well as providing training and support in all the new roles and responsibilities rolled out and supporting the definition of key customer data attributes, including KPI’s for Data Quality reporting.

Principal Consultant

Senior Consultant specialising in Data Governance and Master Data Management.

Platon is a market leader in the Information Management space. The company’s mission is to support its clients in managing and exploiting information as a strategic asset through consulting services based on a unique Information Management methodology.

Senior Consultant

Lloyds TSB Bank plc

•	Set up and ran the Data Governance and Data Accuracy workstreams for the Advanced Basel Programme, where data lineage/tracebility and data quality were key to the success of the Programme.
•	Set up the Corporate Banking Data Management Function and managed a team delivering Data Governance within Corporate Banking.
•	Managed and delivered the development, execution and communication of data related policies, practices and procedures.
•	Set up and ran the Corporate Banking Data Governance Forum
•	Successfully rolled out the Business Impact Assessment process, working closely with Operational Risk to include additional controls and reviews for Corporate Banking.
•	Undertook analysis of key reference data items, investigating all business requirements before designing solutions which met all business needs and were integrated into both legacy and new systems.

Manager Data Governance

Data Governance can bring many benefits to an organisation, but most organisations lack the knowledge and capability to implement it successfully and a failed attempt makes future implementation attempts even harder.

One of the biggest challenges you’re probably struggling with is knowing where to even start. 

There’s lots of advice available online and in books, but how do you take this huge quantity of sometimes conflicting theory and turn it into something practical?  

You might have tried sharing some of this theory with your senior stakeholders but you are struggling to articulate what it means to them.

What is more, if you fail to convince them to support your Data Governance initiative and you don’t start to actually deliver value, the Data Governance initiative will fail and you will be blamed.

There is no such thing as a standard approach to Data Governance but there are some clear steps that everyone needs to follow to gain senior stakeholder buy-in and to design a framework that is right for them.

As a Data Governance consultant with over 20 years experience of designing and implementing Data Governance Frameworks, I have developed a practical approach that takes you through all the steps needed to be able to successfully design and implement a Data Governance Framework that is right for your organisation.

I help Data Governance Teams across all industries and sectors. I train, coach and provide consulting support for my clients, giving them the skills and knowledge they need to implement Data Governance successfully.

“This is such a good course. Data Governance isn't easy but Nicola breaks it down into workable pieces. Highly recommended to anyone looking to implement a Data Governance programme.”
Carolyn Crooks, Head of Information Management CUH
 

Find out how I can help you take your Data Governance skills and capabilities to the next level by booking a call with me: 

https://TheDataGovernanceCoachCallBooking.as.me/DataGovernanceSupport


Training:
https://www.nicolaaskham.com/data-governance-training

Coaching:
https://www.nicolaaskham.com/data-governance-coaching

Consulting:
https://www.nicolaaskham.com/data-governance-consulting-serv

Nicola Askham

We’re LIVE, and we’re talking… AI! 🤖

Friend of the pod, Jamie Knowles from IDERA ER/Studio joins me once again this week, where we’re discussing:

💡What AI actually is 

💡How AI tools are being used in analytics today

💡Why we need to prepare and harmonise data before AI can use it

So, if you’re looking for some clarity about how AI links up to your data governance work, this episode is here to answer all your questions!

Catch the full podcast episode here: https://lnkd.in/eUzHeHGK

OR stream on your favourite listening platform.

#ai #datagovernance #datapodcast

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Susan Walsh - The Classification Guru

Nicola Askham

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