DATA GOVERNANCE

Data governance is becoming key in organisations as data risk increases and the regulatory landscape matures. I have been very fortunate to develop capability in data governance, which I have been able to apply when new data regulations are relevant to information or knowledge I have been custodian for.

Information Management Roles

  • Information Governance Lead
    IAG New Zealand, New Zealand | August 2017 - November 2018
  • Knowledge and Information Manager
    Auckland War Memorial Museum, New Zealand | May 2013 - February 2015
  • Knowledge Manager and SharePoint Administrator
    First National Bank, South Africa | August 2007 - October 2010

Compliance and Standards

  • APRA CPS 234
  • APRA CPG 235
  • General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR)
  • Official Information Act 1982
  • Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI-DSS)
  • Privacy Act 2020
  • Public Records Act 2005


Examples of Projects Delivered

  • Organisation: IAG New Zealand
    Project focus: Data Object Catalog development
    A foundational part of data governance is understanding what you have - what you don't know, you can't manage appropriately. The Data team did not have a consolidated list of all of the data assets that were managed, including key metadata for the management of the assets. The Data Object Catalog was designed and developed to provide a mechanism to capture information about the assets that were managed by the Data team, including the capture of classification-related information and business ownership of the asset.
    Role: Information governance lead
    Outcome: The delivery of a consolidated, single place for the recording of information about the data assets, which has provided a key starting point for reviews for projects where data assets are impacted. This has reduced risk of business interruption and loss of service when data locations change. In addition, this has provided a mechanism to identify high-risk information, which enabled building adequate risk mitigation controls and processes.

  • Organisation: IAG New Zealand
    Project focus: Implementation of SSRS and Power BI
    For the implementation of SSRS and Power PI respectively, the design and development of governance models that address the data lifecycle specific to each of the technologies, but also data identification, risk management, controls, and the overarching management of data housed in and published on the platforms. 
    Role: Information governance lead
    Outcome: Successful development and implementation of the governance models for the platforms, which integrate with key parts of the data governance framework.

  • Organisation: IAG New Zealand
    Project focus: Knowledge base governance, standards and compliance
    Managing knowledge content without robust, consistent and considered governance is difficult. Managing knowledge bases without governance presents risk, and potentially leads to the wrong information being released to employees and customers. Knowledge management needed to be matured, with consistent and robust governance patterns designed, and consistent governance applied across all knowledge bases. 
    Role: Knowledge lead
    Outcome: The delivery of a governance patterns, processes, content standards and application management protocols, which means that content is accessible, is managed, is inventoried, owned and reviewed on a regular basis. This translates into lowered content risk for the organisation.

  • Organisation: First National Bank
    Programme focus: Implementation of SharePoint 2007
    Development and implementation of the end-to-end governance for the Microsoft Office SharePoint Server (MOSS) 2007 platform for First National Bank to support the daily management of the platform, the management of information held in the platform, and the relevant controls that needed to be implemented to support safe and secure access to and use of information.
    Role: Technology and information management lead, subject matter expert and product owner 
    Outcome: Governed application, with implemented controls, standards and processes for document and records management.

  • Organisation: IAG New Zealand
    Programme focus: Data capability development
    An important component that underpins data governance and information management in organisations is ensuring that employees are information literate, understand how to identify sensitive information in order to protect it. The focus of this programme was to develop and deliver courses to support an uplift in information literacy, as well as to provide practical tools and techniques that could be applied by learners in their daily work.
    Role: Lead instructional designer, content developer and course facilitator
    Outcome: Courses were delivered on a regular basis across major cities in New Zealand, with growing demand for attendance and positive feedback. There was regular communication that the tools and techniques taught in the courses were being applied to learners' individual contexts of work. 

My Favourite Tools and Techniques

I doubt there are many people out there who get truly "excited" about data governance. I must be one of the rare instances! The reason I get excited about data governance is because it is an enabling capability for organisations, but also one that helps to ensure that data is managed in a safe and responsible way.


  • Data management maturity model: is a technique used to assess the level of data management maturity in an organisation, and to identify problems and opportunities to be addressed. When working through data management maturity, I use an agile approach, identifying key priorities to be addressed, whilst ensuring that there is a holistic approach taken to data governance.
  • Data stewardship: which relates to developing the ownership and responsibility models for data in an organisation. This, however, needs to go hand-in-hand with building data capability and ensuring that stewards have the right skills and knowledge to support their oversight of data.
  • Information lifecycle: is a foundational technique, but fundamental to building out processes and controls across a data platform.
  • Kaizen 5W and 1H: is a technique which I borrow from my business analysis toolkit, which is a robust framework for developing data governance models because it addresses all of the key elements that should be considered in data governance.