Data Debrief: Juggling Plates, Commerical Value & Steven Bartlett Drinking Wine

About this episode

Catherine and Kyle discuss the importance of commercial thinking and business partnering in data leadership, reflecting on their conversation with Sarah Emerson.

Welcome to another episode of the Data Debrief, the companion show to Driven by Data: The Podcast, where hosts Catherine Dowden-King and Kyle Winterbottom unpack Tuesday's episode, share what's been on their minds, and explore the realities of leadership, culture, and capability across the data and AI landscape. This week, Catherine and Kyle reflect on the conversation with Sarah Emerson, Group Director of Insight & Business Partnering at Howden, diving deeper into the growing importance of commercial thinking, business partnering, and the role relationships play in driving value from data. They cover: Why Sarah's background in finance and corporate strategy offers a unique perspective on data leadership, and how commercial acumen can become a powerful differentiator for leaders looking to influence organisational outcomes The challenge of connecting data strategy to business strategy, why many organisations struggle to articulate strategic priorities clearly, and the practical ways data leaders can uncover them regardless Why curiosity about business value shouldn't be reserved for senior leaders, and how analysts at every level can develop a stronger understanding of…

People in this episode

Hosts: Catherine Dowden-King, Kyle Winterbottom

Guest: Sarah Emerson

Topics covered

• data leadership
• commercial thinking
• business partnering
• data strategy
• organizational outcomes
• operating model design

Keywords

• data
• AI
• leadership
• commercial value
• business strategy
• data strategy
• business impact
• operating model

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Howden

More episodes of Driven by Data: The Podcast

• S7 | Ep 10 | Commercial Thinking Meets Business Partnering: How to Make Data Actually Matter, with Sarah Emerson, Group Director of Insight & Business Partnering at Howden · June 9, 2026 · 48 min
• Data Debrief: Demystifying Data Leadership & Kyle makes a Bet on Topic Choice · June 4, 2026 · 49 min
• S7 | Ep 9 | The Mandate Gap: Why Data Teams Keep Failing to Deliver Commercial Impact with Keith Moody, VP of Analytics & AI · June 2, 2026 · 53 min
• Data Debrief: Navigating the Executive Journey with Confidence and Patience · May 28, 2026 · 39 min
• S7 | Ep 8 | How to become a NED? with JoAnn Stonier, EX-CDO Mastercard, Lara Izlan, Director of Data, ITV & Abbi Agana, CEO, Leathermarket JMB · May 26, 2026 · 1h 2m
• Data Brief: Stop asking permission, and claim your lane (and the whole pool whilst you're at it) · May 21, 2026 · 31 min