Brian Clifford
VP & CDO
Amica
Brian Clifford is the VP & Chief Data Officer for Amica Insurance, and Governing Body Member of the Boston CDAO Community. He has over 20 years of experience in insurance with a variety of roles in analytics, strategy, and data management.
A fun fact about Brian, he and his wife are kept busy by their three children. In his spare time, he frequents the local beaches of Massachusetts.
Learn more about the Boston CDAO community here.
Give us a brief overview of the path that led to your current role.
Prior to joining Amica, I formed and led the Global Data Office for Liberty Mutual's Large Commercial and Specialty Insurance business unit. My experience leading up to that role spanned strategy, process excellence, data management, and more, and I worked across multiple functions of the company. This variety of experience is critical to my success in my current role, where I am accountable for driving advancements in data, analytics, and AI for Amica Insurance.
What is one of your guiding leadership principles?
Seek to learn. Oftentimes, leaders hear about problems that are going on, but don't hear the full picture. It's important to understand the drivers; otherwise, you'll never get to the heart of the problem.
What is the greatest challenge facing CDAOs today, and how are you addressing it?
The world of AI and data is evolving rapidly. We've never seen such change. While this creates a great opportunity to leverage all of the benefits the new advancements offer, the speed of change required to keep pace diminishes the benefits realization. The challenge of successful change management isn't new, but the speed of potential change is like never before.
What is the key to success for someone just starting out as a data leader?
Understand the problems your stakeholders are facing and stay focused. It's very easy to chase new technology or chase the long list of opportunities presented to you one by one. The real success comes from thoughtful plans that are anchored in business value and aligned across the entire organization.
How do you measure success as a leader?
There are definitely mathematical ways to measure success such as profit and growth impacts. However, the real value is in seeing teams continue to evolve and progress. When you look back and realize your collective accomplishments and the ways in which you all drove value for the company, that's when you know you're headed in the right direction.
What is the value of being a member of Gartner C-level Communities?
Connecting with others from a variety of backgrounds and industries who are all working on similar challenges.
Gartner C-level Communities Governing Body members share their insights and leadership perspectives to shape the agendas and topics that address the top priorities impacting business leaders today.
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