Join Alejandro Alvarez and Gustavo Mesa, this year's 2025 DGPO Best Practice Award Winners, for this compelling case study!

This case study outlines how Banco de la República Oriental del Uruguay (BROU), a public bank in Uruguay, improved its data governance practices to add real value to its operations and clients. BROU has won the 2025 DGPO Data Governance Best Practice Award. This achievement highlights the bank’s commitment to placing data at the center of its operations and decision-making, creating value for both the organization and the society it serves.

At BROU, we believe that data governance is built gradually. It’s not just about tools and policies, but about involving people in the process and making data a part of everyday decision-making. Looking ahead, building trust and fostering a strong data culture will remain essential, especially as AI and other technologies continue to evolve.

Key Takeaways for Attendees:

1. Turning data into a strategic asset: Learn how BROU integrated data governance into its core strategy, enabling better decision-making and enhanced operational efficiency.
2. Overcoming challenges to create a data-driven culture: Discover how BROU transitioned from siloed data to a shared understanding of its value, making it a fundamental part of the organization’s operations.
3. Building a sustainable data governance framework: See how BROU combined people, processes, and technology to establish a data governance system that evolves alongside the organization’s growth.
4. Balancing governance with business needs: Understand how BROU kept its data governance practices flexible enough to adapt to changing business goals while maintaining high-quality data standards.
5. Encouraging cross-departmental collaboration: Learn how BROU facilitated cooperation across various areas of the bank to improve data practices and foster a collective approach to data governance.
6. Preparing for the future with AI: Gain insights into how BROU is positioning itself to tackle future challenges, including the integration of AI and machine learning into its data governance strategy.

Speaker: Alejandro Alvarez

Alejandro is an Accountant with 40 years of experience at BROU. He currently serves as Executive Manager of the Data Analytics and Artificial Intelligence Area, a new area that emerged after working on a project developing the analytics platform as a specialist in data models and business models.

Prior to this, he served as Digital Banking Manager, Buenos Aires Branch Manager, Commercial Network Coordinating Manager, Retail Business Analyst, and his early years as a branch executive.

Speaker: Gustavo Mesa

Gustavo is a Computer Engineer with 18 years of experience as a Data Management consultant. He has spent the last 11 years at Banco de la República Oriental del Uruguay (BROU), where he currently serves as a Data Governance Specialist, working alongside the bank's technology and analytics teams. Throughout his career, he has led and contributed to various projects related to Data Warehousing (DWH), Data Quality, Data Governance, and Metadata Management across different industries in both the public and private sectors in Uruguay and Central America.

Gustavo is a certified CDMP Practitioner by DAMA International, specializing in Data Governance and Data Quality. He is also an active member of the DAMA Uruguay board, serving as the Deputy Vice President.

In addition to his role at BROU, Gustavo is passionate about knowledge-sharing and teaches workshops on Data Management. He works as a Data Management Specialist for Quanam, contributing his expertise to improve data practices across organizations.