Data Governance Australia – what is our purpose?

Data Governance Australia (DGA) is a member of the Australian Alliance for Data Leadership (AADL) network which comprises three associations including the Association of Data-driven Marketing and Advertising (ADMA) and the Institute of Analytics Professionals of Australia (IAPA).

DGA appeals to all organisations that hold and use data – and, in particular, Chief Data Officers, Chief Privacy Officers, Chief Risk Officers, General Counsel, Compliance Officers, Cybersecurity leaders and the like.  It is also equally important that Non-Executive Directors, CEOs and other C-suite executives are across data issues, as these increasingly impact every facet of business.

In his recent book, The Fourth Industrial Revolution, Professor Klaus Schwab, Founder and Executive Chairman of the World Economic Forum notes that, “previous industrial revolutions liberated humankind from animal power, made mass production possible and brought digital capabilities to billions of people. This Fourth Industrial Revolution is, however, fundamentally different. It is characterized by a range of new technologies that are fusing the physical, digital and biological worlds, impacting all disciplines, economies and industries, and even challenging ideas about what it means to be human.

The resulting shifts and disruptions mean that we live in a time of great promise and great peril.  The world has the potential to connect billions more people to digital networks, dramatically improve the efficiency of organizations and even manage assets in ways that can help regenerate the natural environment, potentially undoing the damage of previous industrial revolutions.

However, Schwab also has grave concerns: that organizations might be unable to adapt; governments could fail to employ and regulate new technologies to capture their benefits; shifting power will create important new security concerns; inequality may grow; and societies fragment.  In particular, Schwab calls for leaders and citizens to “together shape a future that works for all by putting people first, empowering them and constantly reminding ourselves that all of these new technologies are first and foremost tools made by people for people”.

At the centre of this Fourth Industrial Revolution is DATA – how to collect, manage and use it and, in particular, how to ensure privacy and protection.

DGA’s raison d’etre is to assist its members to safely plan and navigate their paths through the data landscape by providing the following opportunities:

ADVOCACY to represent to government and regulators industry concerns and proposals around privacy, cybersecurity, ecommerce, data handling, use and risk.

EDUCATION PROGRAMS to assist the development of your organisation’s competency in data literacy, governance, security & compliance, and how best to use data to your advantage. This includes a comprehensive series of online and face-to-face courses aimed at various levels within each organisation.

INDUSTRY STANDARDS and guidelines providing access to principles of leading practice and benchmarks to ensure regulatory and ethical compliance for the collection, use and management of data promoting consumer trust.

EVENTS – Access to exclusive thought leadership events from private, C-suite boardroom lunches, to larger events and conferences for your whole organisation – either on a complimentary basis or at member rates.

RESEARCH and RESOURCES – Opportunity to access and contribute to the latest research, white-papers, trend reports, news and thought pieces concerning data.

CONNECTIONS and NETWORKING by providing fora for you and key staff to meet with influential industry professionals and thought leaders.

Data Governance Australia is committed to improving productivity and innovation, while ensuring that consumers reap the benefits of this Fourth Industrial Revolution, to enable Australia to be internationally competitive, and to use data for good to assist those less fortunate.