Why we’ve partnered with Women in data…

NTT DATA UK&I is partnering with Women in Data because we share WiD’s belief in the importance of gender parity and diversity in the data industry. NTT DATA is committed to achieving 30% representation of women at all levels of our organisation, as part of the 30% Club Campaign and we strive to champion the voices of women across our organisation. Through our partnership with WiD, we hope to contribute to its initiative to increase women’s profiles in our industry, hire new talent and make a difference to our communities.

spotlights

Isabella Grandi
Isabella Giulia Grandi
Associate Director – Data Strategy & Governance
charly halsall
Charlotte Halsall
Principal Consultant
Naz Ghaderpour_WID photo
Naz Ghader-pour
Senior Specialist | Data Delivery Programme Manager
Ramya Alavandar-Carun
Ramya Alavandar-Curan
Data Engineer
Imageud1
Udita Singh
Head of Data Governance/CDO

How NTT see the data landscape changing in the UK in the next 5 years

We believe the data landscape will continue to change rapidly over the next five years, with a focus on treating data as a valued asset, transforming data literacy, sharing data securely and innovating with AI, ethics in data science will become increasingly more important along with transforming complex legacy data estates. Our data and intelligence expertise cuts across almost everything we do for our clients, from data-enabled consulting and engineering modern data platforms to data-driven customer experience and data service management. We call it the silver thread of information and insight.

about NTT

NTT DATA helps our clients navigate today’s world of fast-growing technological complexity, ever-rising customer expectations and rapidly changing business environments. Through innovation, in-depth industry expertise and dedicated onshore and offshore teams of experts, we provide the capabilities, resources and experience to guide digital development. We offer strategic yet practical advice, from blueprint to delivery and beyond.

Education:

  • Programme Imperial College, London – “5 Game-Changing Technologies for Business” Programme – certified January 2022
  • International MBA at Instituto de Empresa, Madrid (Spain) and Tufts University, Boston (USA) – graduated in January 2009
  • Master’s degree in economics and business – Laurea in Economia e Commercio; 4 years course with final thesis, Luigi Bocconi, Milan (Italy) – graduated in March 2003

Expertise: Data Strategy, Data Management, Data Quality, Data Governance, Data Ethics

LinkedIn

Isabella has joined NTT Data UK&I as Associate Director through the Women in Data and this is one of the reasons she decided to apply for the job !

She has worked in the field of Data Management, Data Governance, Data Quality and Data Strategy for about 15 years, mainly in the Financial Services, covering different roles from Master Data Manager to Head of Data Governance working to set up Data Offices, to support the functions of the business to building data capabilities, as well as running assessment on data maturity and provide best practice on Data Strategy. She is keen to bring to clients’ attention the value of the data *but also its liability*, by helping to identify the clients’ needs and data pain points and supporting them to build data strategies and embedding robust data strategy, management, and governance framework. She encourages clients to also change the mindset of how treating data, to embed the ethical component in the strategy and to adopt a culture that is data driven at each single level of the organisation to be successful with data initiatives.

Most of the initiatives on data have been originally pushed by regulatory requirements however nowadays companies that want to be innovative and customers focus must understand that knowledge on their data is key to stay competitive in the business. Similarly, privacy, security and ethical considerations are essential. Isabella is extremely fascinated by the criticality of the ethical aspects of the data management too.

Being a mother, Isabella understands the challenges of combining professional work with private life. She has supported initiatives of Women in Data and Technology throughout her entire career, and she believes organisations must change to better retain women at work, provide same opportunities for development and ensure women develop in their profession at any stage of their life.

Education: BEng Degree in Mechanical Engineering at Oxford Brookes University

Expertise: Data Strategy, Data Quality, Data Visualisation

LinkedIn

Charly is a Principal Data Consultant with a decade of experience in the data industry, focusing on managing a portfolio of global accounts to provide data strategy, data delivery, and data insights. She embarked on her data career after earning an Engineering Degree and has since thrived in the dynamic and fast-paced work environment, starting in-house and later transitioning to agency and consultancy roles. Over her career, Charly has contributed her expertise to diverse projects spanning various industries, such as Telecom, Automotive, Shipping, Pharmaceuticals, Electronics, and Charities. With her extensive background in the data field, she possesses a wide range of skills and experience, including website analytics, social analytics, data strategy, and technical expertise.

Charly is NTT Data’s Women in Data Lead, where she is passionate to enhance the visibility of women in the industry, recruit fresh talent, and create a positive impact on women within the company.

Education: MSc in Artificial Intelligence, KULEUVEN University

Expertise: Data Pipelines, Cloud Migration and Machine Learning

LinkedIn

Naz is an experienced and dedicated data-driven professional with a robust background in enhancing data pipelines and data analytics solutions, and extensive experience in data center migrations. With over 15 years of experience across public and private sectors, she boasts a track record of forming and leading high-performing teams to deliver intricate data-driven solutions that align with business requirements. As a committed AgilePM practitioner, Naz is results-focused and driven by a deep-seated enthusiasm for harnessing data to drive positive change.

Her skill set encompasses data analysis, machine learning models, cloud platforms, programming languages, and software development methodologies. In addition, Naz has a background in delivering computer science modules in further and higher education institutions. She excels in effectively conveying complex findings to technical and non-technical stakeholders, ensuring that data-driven insights are comprehensible and applicable across various teams.

A passionate advocate for the transformative potential of data, Naz is motivated by its capacity to enhance lives, mitigate risks, and enable individuals and organizations to make well-informed decisions. As a female professional in a male-dominated sector, she is committed to advancing diversity and creating opportunities for women to progress in the IT field, particularly in data engineering and analytics.

Beyond her professional endeavors, Naz is a professional member of the British Computer Society (MBCS). She is the founder of Crack the Code, a training organization dedicated to instructing coding and robotics to young individuals aged between 7 and 15. Through this initiative, she has supported local schools in integrating coding into their curricula. Additionally, a few years ago, she had the privilege of serving as a mentor to a group of young girls who participated in IBM’s competition – Girls Who Change the World. Together, they developed an AI prototype, and she takes pride in their victory, securing the first place in the competition.

Education: Masters Degree in Business Administration, India

Expertise: Data Engineering and Visualisation, Client Management

LinkedIn

Ramya has worked in several public and private sectors, including Media, Education, IT, Service, and Healthcare, with experience spanning client management, project management, and delivery.

She possesses the knowledge to build solutions by leading high-performing delivery teams that adhere to established standards and methods.

Ramya has been actively involved in tasks related to designing, developing, and maintaining data ingestion pipelines and data visualization.

One of her key strengths is her ability to analyze, design, and implement projects, seeing them through from inception to completion. Currently, Ramya is employed in the public sector domain, where she provides support to the business in setting up a new environment and migrating from legacy systems. Her responsibilities encompass providing end-to-end migration support, data validation, addressing data quality issues, and ensuring timely delivery.

Additionally, she demonstrates strong problem-solving skills and a proven ability to introduce new ideas and deliver results.

Expertise: Data Strategy, Data Governance , Data Mindset Enabler

Education: MSC in Computer Science, Brunel University London, Master Level CDMP, DAMA

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/singhudita

Udita Singh, now Head of Data Governance at NTT Data UK, has worked in the industry for over two decades, witnessing seismic industry shifts and gaining vast cross-sector experience. Her varied roles – from data management to architect to CDO – have given her a breadth of corporate exposure. This enables her to identify clients’ needs and pain points swiftly, build practical data strategies and embed robust data governance practice – skills that are central to her role today.

Udita’s focus also lies in empowering clients to leverage the full potential of their data. An ardent advocate of a data-driven mindset, she says that too often we see ‘the tail wagging the dog’; where organisations prioritise technology over the quality, clarity and timely accessibility of the data needed to drive their business forward.

Starting her career at aged 22 in IT Udita reveals that her journey has not always been plain sailing. A mother of two, she juggles family, heavy work loads and professional studies to keep ahead of fast-moving advances in a wildly competitive industry. There have been moments of great self-doubt and anxiety. Nevertheless, she recalls with gratitude those key figures – empathetic, generous mentors – who restored self-belief, and gave her the courage to drive forward.

While welcoming recent initiatives to support females in Data and Technology, and to attract more to the industry, Udita stresses there is much more to be done. The goal, she says, is not just to employ more women, but to ensure those women become our industry leaders.

Her message to all women in the industry today is this: Do not feel intimidated when you are the only woman sitting amongst men. Do not shy away from voicing your opinion with confidence. Do not let self-doubt shackle you.