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Newsletter - September 2026
Catch up with the latest news from DAMA UK
Welcome to our monthly newsletter - where we let you know what's been happening in the world of data, keep you in the loop with our latest blog releases, highlight our top news picks and share with you exclusive updates from the team at DAMA UK.
Dear Data People
As the leaves start to change colour and the first signs of autumn settle in, it feels like a good time to take stock and think about what’s ahead. And there’s certainly plenty to think about in the world of data and AI. From the foundations behind successful AI to the role of governance and trusted data, this month’s conversations highlight the importance of getting the fundamentals right.
In this month’s newsletter, we explore why a data catalogue isn’t the same as data governance, what’s driving AI readiness, and why mastering foundational data disciplines remains so important. We’ve also got a busy autumn ahead, with webinars covering everything from MDM and the DMBoK to data ownership, agent trust and managing data platform costs. Plus, we take a look back at our recent People, Data & AI event in Birmingham and some of the conversations that came out of the day.
A Data Catalog(ue) Is Not Data Governance
Buying and populating a data catalog(ue) is not the same thing as embedding true data governance.
As Lakshmi B suggests, it is indeed an easy trap to fall into. An organisation invests significant time and budget into connecting platforms and indexing thousands of datasets.
Yet, time passes and trust in reports hasn't improved. Business teams still don't know which numbers to rely on.
An afternoon with CDOs, heads of BI and analytics leaders. Three practitioner sessions and a panel, curated and chaired by Ben Clinch.
AI is forcing analytics leaders to look again at the BI estates they have inherited: decades of dashboards, reports and pipelines containing valuable institutional knowledge, but often little visibility of what should be trusted, retained or retired.
As AI puts greater weight on clean definitions, trusted metrics and strong context, the decisions organisations make now will shape their analytics environment for years to come. Move too fast and valuable knowledge can be lost; move too slowly and the cost of maintaining the existing estate starts competing directly with investment in AI.
Join fellow data, analytics and governance leaders to explore how organisations can bring these two worlds forward together.
Click the image to register
The AI Submarine
Perhaps this image is what perfectly captures the visual absurdity of certain modern tech stacks!
John Wernfeldt makes many valuable points on the matter. Regarding talent misallocation, for example, many organisations hire high-priced AI engineers to optimise model performance by marginal percentages, and end up witnessing them spend 80% of their time being an ad-hoc data engineer.
But where John’s post opens up a deeper discussion for data leadership is his point on the target operating model (TOM)...
The Data Foundation Behind AI
What if we told you that the real driver behind successful artificial intelligence wasn't the AI itself, but the data foundation beneath it…
CIO Dive discusses a striking shift in talent demands. While AI headlines dominate many conversations today, demand for advanced analytics skills has quadrupled, and database architecture roles have surged by 150%.
As organisations rush to deploy generative models and enterprise AI solutions, leadership is coming to the realisation that perhaps true longevity lies in mastering foundational data disciplines.
Below, we look at some of the key skill domains mentioned in driving AI readiness.
Every AI Governance Conversation Ends Up In The Same Place
As AI agents transition from simple single-prompt tools to multi-agent autonomous chains, perhaps it's time data governance shifts from monitoring actions to evaluating contextual permissibility.
Anindita M.’s post highlights a pivotal distinction in data management in terms of the difference between:
An audit trail (a passive log of accessed systems)
A decision receipt (a contextual proof of why specific data was admissible for a specific business purpose).
Click below to take a closer look.
NEWS
Member Resources and Training
We are delighted to launch the DAMA UK Learning Series, short, punchy and informative sessions from experienced experts. The first two days cover careers, 18 and 19 November, 2 sessions each day at 12.00 and again at 16.00. These are FREE and only available to DAMA UK Members. Click on the links below to book and find out more.
Book a Day One Session here Book a Day Two Session here
We are also delighted to announce that we’re continuing to build out the member resources area - watch this space for news of highly valuable workbooks, practical guides, whitepapers and more…
CDMP Training
As popular as ever, our CDMP 3 day courses are fully booked up to February 2027, there are places left on this course, click here to book. The next course is scheduled for 10-12 March 2027. This will be open to book in a few weeks.
People, Data & AI: What Happened When DAMA UK Came To Birmingham
DAMA UK joined the Data & AI Literacy Academy and Amplifi at The Exchange in Birmingham for People, Data & AI, a deliberately small and discussion-led day for data professionals across the Midlands and beyond.
The format was the point. Rather than a stage and rows of seats, the day was built around keynotes, a panel and round tables where every person in the room was expected to contribute. What followed was an unusually candid set of conversations about the challenges data people are actually facing.
Three themes came through:
🔹 Shared language is the foundation. Without an agreed definition of things like a data product, it is very difficult to agree who owns something, what good looks like, or whether value has been delivered.
🔹 The skills picture is shifting rather than shrinking. Judgement, critical thinking, elicitation and the confidence to challenge an answer are all at a premium. A key concern was the entry-level squeeze as AI changes reporting and analytics roles.
🔹 Willingness to experiment matters more than access to tools. Most organisations already have the tools. What many lack is the psychological safety for people to try something, get it wrong and learn from it quickly.
A huge thank you to the Data & AI Literacy Academy and Amplifi for partnering with us; to our speakers, Stuart Squires and Greg Freeman; our panellists, Sydney McCabe, Sue Geuens, and Ben Clinch; and, above all, to everyone who came along and contributed so openly.
DAMA UK runs events, webinars and community sessions across the UK throughout the year. We look forward to continuing the conversation at the next one.
What Successful MDM Actually Changes For An Organisation - 2nd October, 2026
Rather than another walkthrough of MDM theory, this webinar brings together Semarchy's own strategists and customer success leaders alongside customers who've lived the "before and after" to show what success really looks like — faster decisions, less operational friction, and data trusted enough to build on.
Register here
Ask DAMA Anything: How to use the DMBoK - 9th October, 2026 - MEMBERS ONLY
A practical session exploring how to use the DMBoK in your day-to-day data management work, with the opportunity to ask DAMA UK your questions.
Register here
From Chaos to Clarity: Redefining data ownership through business outcomes - 16th October, 2026
In this fun and practical session, Royal London shares how they’ve built and embedded a new ownership model that works with existing business accountabilities instead of fighting against them. Expect real-world lessons, relatable stories, and a few laughs along the way as they unpack what truly makes ownership stick and what definitely doesn’t.
Register here
Self-Optimization: The Reinforcement Loop And The Future Of Agent Trust - 23rd October, 2026
This session will show you how the reinforcement loop that drives self-optimization depends on that trust infrastructure underneath it to stay reliable, cycle after cycle. Get the foundation wrong, and the loop just optimizes your agent around a broken system.
Register here
Optimising Cost Management To Your Data Platform - 30th October, 2026
This webinar takes a practical look at how organisations can optimise and manage the costs associated with their data platforms.
The Compliance Trap: How Data Governance Lost The Plot
Replay this engaging session led by Dr. Tony Mazzarella, data leader and researcher working at the intersection of data quality, metadata, and governance.
In this webinar, Tony explored how data governance can move beyond compliance.
He shared what data governance practitioners around the world actually said is getting in their way (spoiler: it isn't technology), and made the case that governance isn't something you install and audit, it's something people do, or don't.
👉 Replay it here: https://www.brighttalk.com/webcast/12405/672244
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 & Partners
Finally, we would like to say a HUGE thank you to our brilliant sponsors & partners, who support DAMA UK on our mission to nurture a talented community of data professionals championing the value of data management across the UK
