Initiating data governance can be challenging when data is generated and managed outside of IT systems, such as data collected from engagement with the physical world, including science research, regulatory enforcement, and even operational activities. Addressing this type of unmanaged data is critical for public sector organizations who often have vast volumes of such data collected over decades.

This presentation will examine the journey of Fisheries and Oceans Canada, a Canadian federal department, in establishing data governance, how the Department grappled with the realization that the vast majority of business value data was unmanaged, and some lessons learned and recommendations on interim steps for tackling unmanaged data before data governance can fully be embraced.

Speaker: David Collister

David Collister is an accomplished and forward-thinking leader with a prolific career encompassing two decades as a public servant and a myriad of organizational contexts, mission-critical endeavors, and progressively prominent roles. He is responsible for developing and providing leadership on the Data Strategy for Fisheries and Oceans Canada, a large science, regulatory, and service delivery department within the Government of Canada. Key accomplishments include establishing organizational frameworks for data governance, data quality, ethical data use, data literacy, competencies, and the Department's first AI strategy.