Peter Denyer
CDO
Shell
Peter Denyer is the Chief Data Officer at Shell, a global energy company with around 87,000 employees in more than 70 countries. Peter has been with Shell in various roles for almost 20 years.
As a data leader, Peter has earned a reputation for developing data strategies that are closely aligned to the organisation’s goals and for delivering on those strategies. In addition, his extensive background as a Finance Manager taught him how to manage companies well and to operate efficiently. This combined experience has given him a unique perspective that blends deep financial knowledge with a strategic, data-driven approach to drive organisational excellence. A fun fact about Peter is that he has lived in 8 different countries throughout his career.
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Give us a brief overview of the path that led to your current role.
I am a management accountant by background, and I spent the first few years of my career learning my craft in London and Paris, before becoming the head of country finance in a series of different countries in Eastern Europe and Africa. Following an MBA at INSEAD, I joined Shell and had a number of finance-based roles, mainly revolving around Planning and Reporting.
I arrived in Data 10 years ago by chance really; an internal post for a role supporting data for our Retail sites that caught my eye, and haven't looked back since. After that role, I became the owner of Finance Data and Finance Data processes at Shell, then General Manager for Data Operations, before landing this role at the beginning of 2023.
What is one of your guiding leadership principles?
Lead as you would like to be led.
What is the greatest challenge CDAOs face today, and how are you addressing it?
Containing the focus on establishing strong data foundations in a world distracted by the promise of AI.
What is the key to success for someone just starting out as a CDAO?
Understand the business you support and how data can enable their strategy. And then, build those key relationships with the leaders you support.
How do you measure success as a leader?
Defining clear and ambitious goals - and then leading the organisation in achieving them.
What is the value of being a member of the Evanta community?
Learning from others on how they are solving things, and finding a sympathetic ear of others who are facing the same challenges.
Evanta 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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