Helen Akao

Leading enterprise data governance for a high-impact, multi-system data migration
programme across a national UK public register.
• Designed and delivered the end-to-end Enterprise Data Governance Framework,
standardising data practices across multiple business domains and reducing data
ambiguity across 5 critical data sets
• Defined and operationalised a Data Ownership and Stewardship Model,
establishing accountability for senior business stakeholders and cutting average
issue-resolution time by eliminating responsibility gaps
• Built a Data Quality Framework from scratch introducing validation controls,
monitoring dashboards, and structured remediation workflows that reduced
recurring data defects by over 30%
• Led enterprise-wide data profiling across critical datasets, identifying and
resolving systemic issues before migration go-live preventing downstream
regulatory reporting failures
• Established metadata governance capability: business glossaries, data
dictionaries, and full lineage visibility supporting audit, traceability, and
regulatory sign-off
• Acted as central governance authority, aligning all data practices with regulatory,
audit, and organisational compliance standards
• Embedded governance controls directly into ETL/migration pipelines, ensuring
data integrity, consistency, and traceability across all target systems
• Delivered governance KPI reporting to senior leadership, translating data quality
metrics into executive-level insights and strategic decisions

Established the Data Governance Operating Model supporting a major CRM and Digital
Transformation programme across a FTSE 250 housebuilder.
• Designed the Governance Operating Model underpinning a Salesforce CRM
implementation ensuring data quality, ownership, and compliance from day one
• Implemented end-to-end Master Data Management (MDM) processes for
Customer and Supplier domains, eliminating duplicate records and improving
data completeness
• Defined Enterprise Data Standards, Naming Conventions, and Data Classification
Frameworks across the organisation
• Led Data Quality Remediation programmes that measurably reduced duplication
and significantly improved completeness across key data domains
• Implemented Data Validation Controls within the Salesforce CRM lifecycle,
preventing poor-quality data entering operational systems
• Developed Metadata Repository, improving data discoverability and lineage
visibility across business and IT teams
• Conducted Data Impact Assessments for all system integrations and migrations
ensuring governance compliance before go-live
• Ensured full GDPR compliance and Data Protection controls across all digital
platforms
• Chaired Data Governance Forums, driving accountability and fostering a culture
of continuous data improvement

Led data governance implementation across ERP HR and Finance systems for one of
Africas largest banks, operating in a highly regulated environment.
• Designed and led the Data Governance implementation programme across ERP
Finance and HR systems, establishing governance as a banking-wide capability
• Managed Master Data Domains Employee, Financial, and Supplier data ensuring
consistency, accuracy, and regulatory compliance across enterprise systems
• Developed a comprehensive Data Quality Framework covering profiling,
cleansing, monitoring, and issue management achieving measurable quality
improvements across critical data sets
• Implemented Data Lineage documentation supporting Regulatory Reporting
enabling full traceability from source system to board-level report
• Established a Data Stewardship Community across all major business units,
embedding data accountability into daily operations
• Oversaw Data Migration Governance for major system transitions designing
reconciliation controls and validation frameworks that ensured zero material
errors at cutover
• Designed executive Data Quality Dashboards and KPI reporting, providing senior
leadership with clear visibility of data health
• Conducted Root Cause Analysis on recurring data quality issues, driving
permanent fixes rather than repeated workarounds
• Embedded Data Governance controls within enterprise banking platforms
including core ERP systems

• Supported data analysis and cleansing initiatives, improving accuracy of
operational and regulatory reporting
• Contributed to Data Protection compliance through comprehensive Data
Mapping exercises
• Developed business requirements for data-driven system enhancements and
process improvements
• Facilitated stakeholder workshops to improve data handling processes and
capture controls
• Supported UAT validation of data transformation logic across multiple system
implementations
framework for HM Land Registrys
national data migration, on time and audit
ready through structured quality frameworks at
multiple organisations

Led 6 years of banking data governance
at Standard Bank . MDM, lineage,
regulatory reporting, stewardship Embedded governance into Salesforce
CRM at Bellway, preventing data quality
failures from day one

Established data ownership and
stewardship models that eliminated
accountability gaps and reduced resolution
times
Built executive data quality dashboards
used by C-suite to make strategic data
investment decisions