
The Modern CFO is the Product Owner of Data
From Don't Panic! It's Just Data by EM360Tech
January 13, 2026 · 23 min · Season 1 · Episode 55
About this episode
The episode discusses the evolving role of the CFO as a product owner of data in the context of modern finance and AI.
In the recent episode of the Don’t Panic It’s Just Data podcast , Shubhangi Dua, Podcast Producer and B2B Tech journalist at EM360Tech, reports on the podcast shot live in London. Guest speakers, Pavel Dolezal, the CEO at Keboola , sit down with Vineta Bajaj, Group CFO, Holland & Barrett. They get specific about how modern finance leaders move faster: start with one governed source of truth, then layer automation, and only then AI. They explore how the CFO role is evolving. From reporting numbers to also owning the non-financial “whys” behind them. In the age of the AI boom, that shift turns every CFO into a product owner of data. But as Pavel Doležal puts it, without a clean, connected foundation, AI is just noise. According to Vineta Bajaj, Group CFO of Holland & Barrett, the role of the CFO has fundamentally changed. Today’s CFO must act as a product owner for data, not just owning the numbers but also determining how data is defined , structured, and used throughout the business. Finance and Data: A Complete Product Drawing on her experience with Ocado Group, Rohlik Group (one of the fastest online grocery businesses in the world), and now Holland & Barrett, Bajaj…
People in this episode
Host: Shubhangi Dua
Guests: Pavel Dolezal, Vineta Bajaj
Topics covered
- CFO
- data ownership
- automation
- AI
- finance
Keywords
- data governance
- financial leadership
- business intelligence
Mentioned in this episode
Products: Keboola
Places: London
More episodes of Don't Panic! It's Just Data
- Why Is the Semantic Layer Critical for Data Governance, Compliance, and AI at Scale? · April 20, 2026 · 27 min
- AI Is Replacing BI — Here’s What CIOs Need to Know · April 8, 2026 · 29 min
- Why Data Quality Makes or Breaks AI Success in Supply Chain and Procurement · March 24, 2026 · 32 min
- Revenue-Ready Data Is Not Magic, It’s Engineering · March 19, 2026 · 30 min
- How to Navigate the Trust Paradox in AI Adoption: Insights from Informatica’s 2026 CDO Report · March 18, 2026 · 28 min
- Are You Scaling Intelligence — or Just Scaling Errors? · March 10, 2026 · 28 min
Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the Don't Panic! It's Just Data podcast page.