CDO Manufacturing & Logistics Post‑Event Report

The inaugural CDO Manufacturing & Logistics Exchange brought leaders from across the industry together for two days of valuable insights. The post show report the delivers a strategic, data‑driven overview of the insights shaping modern manufacturing and supply‑chain transformation. Built around the core themes of strong data foundations, pragmatic modernization, cross‑functional alignment, purpose‑led innovation, and measured value, this report captures the most impactful discussions and real‑world lessons shared by industry leaders.

Explore how organisations are strengthening metadata, governance, and data quality to unlock AI‑ready operations; navigating legacy complexity through modular, high‑impact improvements; and driving transformation by empowering people, clarifying roles, and building trust across business, IT, and operations. The report also highlights how purpose‑first innovation accelerates adoption, avoids fragmentation, and ensures AI solutions deliver meaningful, sustainable outcomes.

With a focus on measurable impact - from efficiency and risk reduction to user satisfaction and adoption - this report serves as an essential resource for data leaders seeking to elevate manufacturing performance, modernize logistics, and scale AI with confidence.

Stay ahead of the game and gain the crucial insights from the report now. 

A Conversation with Nicolas Nikula, Director - Analytics, Processes, Systems & WFP, Fiskars Group on Context, Data, and Business Value

In a world where organisations are increasingly awash with data, the real differentiator isn’t volume, it’s context. Nicolas Nikula, an experienced data and analytics leader, sat down with us to discuss how data professionals can make their work matter more to the business. From aligning with strategic priorities to bridging communication gaps across departments, Nicolas offers grounded advice that’s both actionable and refreshingly human.

In today’s fast-evolving data-driven landscape, the role of the CDO is undergoing an unprecedented transformation. As data tools and capabilities evolve, CDOs need to be able to wear multiple hats as they balance staying up to date with rapidly changing technological advancements while also keeping the business’ wider data strategy and goals front of mind. Download this report to gain key takeaways from our expert audience.

The CDO Manufacturing & Logistics Exchange is pleased to release its 2025 Book List, specially curated for data and analytics professionals. Whether you’re looking to learn more about the latest concepts in data management, hone your leadership skills, or simply read for pleasure, we hope that some of the chosen books will make it onto your reading list for 2025.

Rafid Denha, Global Head of Transformation – Compliance Data, HSBC

An interview with Rafid Denha, Global Head of Transformation, HSBC.

Tableau has developed the Data Culture Playbook to guide executives and data leaders in how to mature data usage across the organization in a way that ensures value is being created where and when it is needed most. The playbook lays out a phased approached to build, run, and expand your Data Culture.

• Data lake origins and challenges including hybrid data integration, multiple data source platforms, and lakes both on premises and in the cloud.
• Real-time integration, with change data capture technology that integrates live transactions with the data lake.
• Rethinking the data lake with multi-stage methodology, continuous data ingestion and merging processes that assembles a historical data store.
  Leveraging a scalable and autonomous streaming data pipeline to deliver analytics ready data sets.

As data increasingly emerges as the currency for innovation and competitive advantage, it is essential to build a modern and agile data ecosystem that will support and augment business-decision making. A robust strategy that treats data as a strategic corporate asset is crucial to maximising its value across the business. But as digitalisation proflerates and the world becomes more connected than ever, businesses are grappling with an overwhelming volume and variety of data.

This begs the question: where should you begin in formulating a vision and strategy that connects the disparate parts of the data puzzle to unlock enhanced decision-making capabilities? In this session, Rob McKendrick shared how The Co-Op is building a strategy that places data at the core of the business to both drive internal operational efficiencies and foster improved customer outcomes.

• Moving from federated to centralised operating model to break down functional and data silos
• Aligning your data vision to the creation of customer value
• Embedding trust and ethics into your approach to data usage in order to build transparency

Rob McKendrick, Head of Data Governance and Management, The Co-Op

The explosion of data being generated, curated, and shared within organisations in recent years has brought with it unprecedented risks. As consumers and regulators alike are becoming more concerned with the misuse of data, the question of ethics and inherent societal bias in data has been thrust into public consciousness. High-profile data breaches have proliferated over the past few years, so it is crucial that organisations create ethical data practices in order to avoid the astronomical consequences of a breach, not just from a financial point of view, but also from a reputational perspective.

This panel discussed how to navigate the complexities of data ethics in order to foster a trust-based, transparent approach to data and analytics.

• What are the key risks that organisations need to be aware of regarding the ethics of data and AI?
• What metrics/procedures can be put in place to ensure that you can both understand and mitigate your risks?
• How can you ensure that customers have a transparent view of how their data is being used?
• How can you navigate the risk of unconscious societal biases?

Speakers on the panel:

• Sudip Trivedi, Head of Data and Analytics, London Borough of Camden
• Mahesh Bharadhwaj, Head of Europe Analytics, Funding Circle
• Dan Gilbert, Director of Data, News UK
• Nina Monckton, Head of Data Strategy, Advanced Analytics and Data Science, AXA Health
• Moderated by Robin Sutara, CDO, Microsoft