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Newsletter - March 2026
Welcome to our monthly newsletter - where we share with you exclusive updates from the team at DAMA UK.
Dear Data People
It’s safe to say spring has finally sprung.
This time of year naturally serves as a moment of renewal - a chance to wade through the clutter, going beyond our daily chores.
But it’s not just our homes that benefit from a fresh start this time of year. Perhaps it’s time to give your data a thorough spring clean too, developing some useful habits to carry through the rest of 2026.
This month, our curated selection shows us the many and varied ways organisations are using data to unlock new opportunities, foster rigorous stewardship, and bring greater clarity to challenges.
Finally, catch it while you can! Our ever-popular CDMP Training Bootcamps sell out very quickly, and we have just a few spaces left for October (see Diary Dates).
🎬 Data Governance as a Movie Production
If you’ve ever worked on data governance, you know one truth: Good data isn’t an accident - it’s a production.
Just like filmmaking, it takes vision, coordination, craft, and sometimes… a little drama. 😄I’ve realized lately that I don’t enjoy blockbuster movies the way I used to.
Some people would say, “Congrats, Diana, you finally grew up.”
Maybe. But a few decades ago, I dreamed of becoming a theatre critic. And once you develop that instinct, you never really lose it. Theatre, film, data: they all rely on structure, roles, and clarity to tell a coherent story.
So, when a movie falls flat, my brain automatically goes behind the scenes: Who didn’t deliver? Was it the Director? Costume? The Editor who fell asleep?
Oddly enough…DG has given me the clearest answer.
DG has given me the clearest answer: when roles aren’t defined, nothing - movie or data - turns out right.
The Next Horizon: Data, AI and Impact
AI is now considered central to corporate strategy, but for many organisations, it’s not delivering as promised.
Cynozure’s 2026t Industry Report, ‘The Next Horizon: Data, AI and Impact,’ highlights a significant disconnect in ownership: while 80% of organisations say the CDO owns the data strategy, only 28% give them responsibility for AI - leaving many initiatives fragmented.
In this latest article, we dig into the report’s implications for data professionals, explaining why strong, modern data foundations are key to AI success.
How To Explain Data Governance To Business
“Most leaders don’t hate data governance. They simply hate what it sounds like.”
Yurii Yakovlev makes some brilliant points about leadership buy-in and data governance. It is often true that the moment data professionals mention things like governance councils, executives start looking for the exit!
It’s an age-old problem, but thanks to the amazing data community, it’s one with many evolving solutions to try.
Here we have Yurii’s breakdown of Products ➡️ Management ➡️ Governance ➡️ Operating Model, which is a great way to visualise the scaffolding he mentions. It moves from the tangible aspects the business sees (the Product) down to the bits which business teams don’t want to know about, which keeps it from breaking (the Operating Model).
The latest DAMA UK article is live!
We’re delighted to feature a piece from DAMA Committee member Nigel Turner, Principal Consultant, EMEA, and committee member of DAMA UK.
Nigel reflects on DAMA’s first face-to-face event in Belfast - a place forever linked with the story of the RMS Titanic. He explores how organisations can avoid their own AI “icebergs” by aligning data and AI strategies from the outset.
👉 Click the link below to read the full article and find out how to ensure your AI voyage is set for success: https://www.dama-uk.org/articles/navigating-choppy-waters-aligning-data-and-ai
Missed out on September's CDMP training bootcamp? Not to worry, we’ve got another one of our ever-popular events lined up for September.
Once again, DAMA UK members have the opportunity to join us for an in-depth three-day course designed to boost their data knowledge.
The course comprises modules covering a wide range of data essentials, including:
✅ Data Governance, Management Organisation, and Roles Expectation
✅ Data Ethics and Data Architecture
✅ Data Modelling and Design
✅ Data Storage and Operations
✅ Content and Document Management
✅ Data Security, Integration, and Interoperability
✅ Data Warehousing, Business Intelligence, Big Data, and Data Science Metadata Management
And much more!
Attendees can also opt to take an exam, which counts towards their CDMP accreditation. This can be taken from Day 3 up to 12 months from the course start date - depending on your schedule.
👉To reserve your space for October 26, simply click the link right here!
🎙️All Things Data Governance & Data Literacy
In this latest webinar, Satya Jayanty leads us through the practical side of data governance, using DAMA principles and real organisational practices.
Satya is a data strategy and architecture specialist with over 30+ years of experience. He’s also a published author of three books on relational databases, and a DAMA Committee Member.
Some key themes this session will unpack:
✅What effective governance looks like inside an organisation
✅How it supports better decisions, regulatory compliance, and trust in data
✅Operating structures, roles, accountability, and measurable outcomes.
✅How to move beyond training courses toward a culture where employees understand the meaning, quality, and limitations of the data they use.
This webinar is designed especially for data and business leaders, governance practitioners, data architects, and business stakeholders who want to put effective governance into practice rather than simply documenting policies.
👉 To find out more and sign up - simply click the link right here: https://www.dama-uk.org/events/open-webinar-all-things-data-governance-data-literacy
Did you miss?
1,000 days in the life of a Data Quality Operating Model. In this webinar, we get a behind-the-scenes look at a three-year journey for a new data quality team. Attendees got an inside look into how data quality is understood, managed and improved across the NHS.
Curious about our other recent webinars?
Each of our webinars addresses a specific aspect of data management or the challenges and opportunities facing us data practitioners. They’re hugely popular and valuable, so if you didn’t catch them all, why not take a look at our fantastic archive with plenty for members and non-members here 👉 DAMA UK - Events.
If you’ve enjoyed catching up and would like to receive our monthly newsletter straight into your inbox, subscribe here (you can unsubscribe whenever you want).
Sponsors
Finally, we would like to say a HUGE thank you to our brilliant sponsors, who support DAMA UK on our mission to nurture a talented community of data professionals championing the value of data management across the UK.
