Why Data Alone Isn’t Enough | Tina Hughes, Yorkshire Building Society

Tina Hughes from Yorkshire Building Society shared her thoughts on how financial institutions should be thinking about data, with an emphasis that it’s not just about having data, but what you do with it that really matters.

Financial institutions need to be clear about what the purpose is behind their data use: what problem are they trying to solve, and where is that data coming from? Data is now available from a variety of sources as well as in various formats, however the challenge making that data accessible and usable, not just storing it.

Hughes then highlighted the importance of translating complex data into something customers can use and actually interpret, focusing on spotting patterns and drawing on insights. For Hughes, the key question always comes back to “so what?” what decisions or actions are being driven by this data? That question, she said, is what leads to better efficiency.

Hughes made it clear  that she sees commercial success and customer focus as interconnected: if you get the customer side right, the commercial results should follow naturally. This customer-first mindset is central to the work happening at Yorkshire Building Society, where Hughes described the organisation as being “on a journey” with its transformation efforts. Having a clear focus on the customer, she said, is a strong foundation for everything else.