Like many organisations across the utilities sector, they are navigating increasing pressure to modernise their data estate balancing operational efficiency, regulatory reporting, and customer experience. At the heart of this transformation is data governance: ensuring data is trusted, well-managed, and fit for purpose across complex asset networks and service operations.
The Challenge
Data governance wasn’t new.
When Oakland started working with the client, it had already been attempted multiple times. Strategies had been written. Roles had been assigned. But nothing impactful had truly landed in the day-to-day. Governance existed in theory, not in practice.
Over time, this created fatigue across the organisation. For many teams, governance felt abstract something talked about but not experienced in a meaningful way.
At the same time, the client was entering a critical phase. A new investment cycle was underway, alongside a broader shift towards becoming more data-driven. In a highly regulated environment, the ability to trust and act on data is essential not just for performance, but for compliance and customer outcomes.
Without clear ownership, consistent processes, and confidence in the data, those ambitions were at risk.
The challenge wasn’t to introduce governance. It was to make it stick.
The Solution
We took a different approach. Instead of starting with frameworks, we started with the business.
We worked directly with teams to understand where data was already impacting outcomes where it was working, where it was falling short, and where it was creating friction. This grounded governance in real operational challenges rather than theory.
Alongside this discovery, we built the foundations needed to make governance stick and deliver value:
- A data governance strategy
- Governance and quality frameworks
- A target operating model
- Core policies and processes
But we didn’t build these in isolation. Everything was shaped by what the business actually needed.
Ownership was critical.
We worked with senior stakeholders to define data owners aligned to business areas, and identified data stewards the subject matter experts closest to the data. Through structured training and hands-on support, these roles became active and accountable, not just assigned.
To drive momentum early, we focused on a small number of high-impact data issues. Through prioritisation workshops, root cause analysis, and improvement planning, we uncovered not just surface-level problems, but the underlying drivers affecting performance, customer experience, and operational efficiency.
Governance shifted from concept to capability embedded into how the business operates.
The Results
£85 million in identified value.
One priority use case, focused on customer data, revealed a significant opportunity. By improving the quality and management of this data, we identified solutions with the potential to unlock £85 million in value, enabling better collection and use of existing information. That was the turning point. Because governance was no longer theoretical. It was measurable.
“We are one team. It’s not Oakland versus us; we’re all working towards the same agenda.”
Data Governance Lead
Governance, embedded
We moved governance out of documents and into the business:
- Data governance implemented within a core business function
- Clear ownership across data owners and stewards
- Governance integrated into day-to-day operations
Capability, built
We built the capability to sustain and scale governance:
- 4 data owners, 5 lead data stewards, and 28 data stewards trained across the organisation
- Increased data literacy and understanding
- Internal team equipped to take ownership
Visibility, improved
We created transparency and structure around data:
- Governance dashboards and centralised platforms introduced
- Data issues identified, prioritised, and actively managed
- Greater visibility of data ownership and processes
Governance stopped being something we had to explain. It became something the business could see working.
Looking Ahead
With governance successfully embedded in one area, we’re now focused on scale.
We’re extending the same approach across additional business functions building consistency, improving data quality, and unlocking further value across the organisation.
At the same time, the client’s internal data governance team has taken ownership. They are now running governance forums, managing data issues, and continuing to build out their data assets independently. This marks the shift from implementation to sustainability. Because when governance works, it doesn’t sit alongside the business. It becomes part of how the business runs.
Want Results Like These?
Get in touch with our friendly team to see how much value the right data governance could unlock in your organisation.