Meet Tina Chakrabarty, a recognized leader in data governance and management.

Tina Chakrabarty is an award-winning, highly recognized executive data practitioner. Currently working at Deloitte Canada as a Data Governance & Data Management leader, she has been a trusted advisor to the C-suites of multiple Fortune 500 companies across various industries, guiding them in creating and promoting a data-centric culture. As an advisory member of the Canadian Data Governance Standardization Collaborative, Tina provided support in the development of the Canadian Data Governance Standardization Roadmap, published in 2021 by the The Standards Council of Canada, a federal crown corporation. Committed to mentorship and empowering others to be successful in their professional journey, Tina is a passionate advocate of inclusion and diversity. She strongly believes in the famous quote by Sheryl Sandberg: “In the future, there will be no female leaders. There will just be leaders.”

I decided on a career in data science because… 

When I started off, “Data Science” and “Data Scientists” were becoming the buzzwords of the industry. I was intrigued by the wide opportunity the field had to offer, which was more than only data curation, but also intelligently and statistically analyzing the data and helping businesses in better decision making.  

I started off my career in the field…  

As a consultant in Data Management and Data Governance almost 15 years back, when only financial institutions and healthcare industries had started treating their data as an asset. In most of the other industries, data management and governance was still an alien concept.

I’m passionate about data governance and management because…

As it is said, “Data is the new oil of the digital economy.” Every industry is now treating data as a corporate asset. I would add to this by saying that it is not data but good and trustworthy data which is the new oil of the digital economy. Data management and data governance play the pivotal role in extracting good and trustworthy data, which can be leveraged for intelligent business decision making and giving an enterprise the competitive edge over others. 

My proudest accomplishment is… 

When I was nominated for WXN’s Canada’s Most Powerful Women: Top 100 list in 2021, based on my contribution and dedication towards my tribe.

My biggest setback was… 

We all come across various setbacks in our professional careers. So far, my biggest setback was when the pandemic hit in 2020 and we all were struggling to figure out how to make things functional and productive in the drastically changed mode of work. As a leader, during those unprecedented times, we had to think not only about the business outcomes, but also the impact on the employees’ well-being and also deal with the “great resignation” phase post-pandemic. 

I overcame it by… 

To overcome the challenges, I, like most other leaders facing the pandemic and post-pandemic world, had to adapt to the transformational and empathetic leadership style where employees’ well-being was the primary focus. To counterbalance the wave of dissatisfaction of the employees that led to the “great resignation”, we needed to develop fluid structures which were democratic, flexible and versatile. We needed to provide employees a safe and motivating environment to work.  

“I love the revolutionary potential the field of data offers, the challenges that come with it, and the tremendous impact it brings to any business.”

One misconception about my field is…  

The most common misconception is that data is the IT team’s responsibility and should be driven by them — but in reality, for any organization to be data-centric, any data initiative should be driven by both business and IT collaboratively. 

My advice for aspiring data leaders is…  

Start small and grow big. Get your data foundations right before deep diving on innovation, data literacy and regulatory aspects of the data. Focusing on your basics around data strategy, management, quality, governance, privacy and security will unlock exciting opportunities around data innovation and modernization. Learn constantly from the leaders or the peers of the data industry, and keep yourself updated with new data trends, regulatory compliances or new data technology if you want to be successful in a fast-paced industry like data. 

My view on diversity, equity, and inclusion is…

As it is said, “Diversity is a program, but inclusion is a state of mind.” Rising above unconscious bias is of utmost importance to encourage an inclusive culture across an organization. I am happy to say that Deloitte leadership exhibits that — where you are not only welcomed wholeheartedly, but everyone is invested in your growth and supports you in every possible manner to make you successful.

The one piece of advice I give that I have trouble following myself is… 

I firmly believe self-discipline and following a healthy routine is very important for all of us, especially for a professional. It is of utmost importance to get into the habit of healthy eating and timely sleeping, but I still struggle on improving my sleeping habits. Currently I average 4 hours a day, and that is not at all recommended.

The thing I love most about what I do is… 

I love the revolutionary potential the field of data offers, the challenges that come with it, and the tremendous impact it brings to any business. The focus is not only on the end goal; it is about the journey as much as it is about the destination. The ultimate end goal for any organization is to be data centric, where people are accountable and engaged in using data in the best possible manner. Ushering in changes in the overall organizational culture of treating data as an asset and realizing its value offers a lot of satisfaction to me. 

If I were to pick one thing that has helped me succeed, it would be…  

My passion towards my work and my perseverance have helped me to succeed.

If you googled me, you still wouldn’t know… 

I am an extremely private person, so if you can’t find something about me on Google, then probably it’s better kept with me.

I stay inspired by… 

What inspires me the most is to become a better version of myself both personally and professionally by challenging myself every step of the way and continuing to be a life-long student by learning something new every day and honing my skills. Apart from this, whenever I face any doubt or need guidance, I seek advice from my mentors whom I look up to and who have been my true inspiration. My biggest pillars of strength and inspiration have been my parents who have instilled in me the values of integrity, kindness, modesty and empathy — these values have motivated me to exhibit transformational leadership style.

The future excites me because… 

The vast opportunity data modernization and innovation are going to offer in various fields of Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, along with a key focus on data privatization and security, intrigues me. What fascinates me the most is how combining Big Data with Machine Learning and Natural Language Processing is going to evolve where a computer’s ability to learn from data will improve considerably due to the application of unsupervised machine learning approach, deeper personalization, and cognitive services. As a result, the machines will become more intelligent and capable to read emotions, drive cars, explore space, or to find new disease patterns in patients.

My next step is…  

To be an inspirational and impactful leader in the industry.