Mark Webster, Manager of Enterprise Data Management at Loyens & Loeff

"Connected Data Academy gives plenty of room to bring in use cases"

Mark Webster is Enterprise Architect and Data Management Manager at Loyens & Loeff, one of Europe's leading law and tax firms. Because he saw the value of data early on, he became the driver of data management within his firm. The DAMA CDMP Specialist trainings at Connected Data Academy give him a solid foundation to build on.

What is the role of data in the legal profession?

"For a long time, the role of data in our field was very small compared to other sectors. Only a few years ago did more people start to see that there is enormous value in all the historical data we have stored. There was also the awareness that you have to be very careful in our field; that security, ethics and compliance must always be central. As a result, our sector was slower to move to data-driven working. With the rise of generative AI, everyone realises: the opportunities are so big, we really have to get going. But, as I said, safely, ethically and with the right data."

Why did you take the CDMP Specialist trainings Data Governance and Metadata Management?

"I have worked in IT for a long time. In the past I have been a database administrator and a data warehouse architect. Later I became IT Director, where I led large, globally operating teams of application administrators, mainly on Dynamics. That gave me a lot of experience, especially in architecture. When I joined Loyens & Loeff, the organisation was just starting to use the TOGAF framework. I then became responsible for enterprise data management in addition to my architecture role. For that field I was looking for a similar framework I could use to organise my own thinking. A framework I could also use to explain to others in our organisation what data management is and what preconditions you must meet to extract value from historical data safely and ethically. I came across the DAMA DMBoK and took the Fundamentals course online. After that I wanted to go deeper. I picked data governance first because that is the backbone of everything. Then I took on metadata management because I had little experience with it and it is a subfield where you can easily make mistakes. I want to tackle it thoroughly from the start. In future I also want to take the Data Quality specialist training, because the value you extract from data stands or falls on data quality."

Why did you choose Connected Data Academy?

"There are not that many DAMA training providers in the Netherlands, and even fewer who offer classroom learning. You can take an online training in more places, but such a training has a very different value. You are mainly trained to pass the exam, not to become good at your profession. At Connected Data Academy the classes for the DAMA CDMP Specialist trainings are a maximum of five people, so there is plenty of personal attention and you have all the room to bring in your own use cases. What I found special was that they offered the training in English specifically for me, after asking the other participants whether they minded. You do not easily find that kind of tailoring elsewhere."

Do you have advice for other data management specialists?

"Yes: at the very least, take a CDMP Fundamentals training and do not assume too quickly that you already know it all. This field is so complex and has so many interrelated factors that it is hard to see it all clearly. DAMA DMBoK gives you a framework to hang things on. The framework shows where to focus before you start with analytics and AI. It also gives you a way to make clear to others what data management is. If you also want to relate all of this to your own organisation, then Connected Data Academy is the right place."

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