Data Dialogs 2015: A CDO Conversation

Keynote Address
Friday, November 13, 2015 - 9:10 am to 9:40 am

Data is a 21st century commodity – but not everyone knows what to do with it once they have it. Analytics provides the insights and innovative thinking hidden inside mountains of data. Join Wells Fargo Chief Data Officer A. Charles Thomas for a discussion about the company’s transformational approach to data and analytics, the ways in which the CDO can drive business value, and what’s on the horizon for business analytics careers.

Chief Data Officer
Wells Fargo

A. Charles Thomas, a 16-year data and analytics professional, is an executive vice president of the Technology and Operations Group for Wells Fargo & Company.

As the company’s Chief Data Officer, he is responsible for developing Wells Fargo’s approach to managing data, including the development of Enterprise Data Governance, Foundational Data, and a common data architecture. Thomas’s team acts as a hub collaborating with line of business data teams to ensure commonality of data, methods, techniques, tools, and governance. This “hub and spoke” model allows Thomas to leverage his team’s data management and analytical skills to provide more consistent information, more effectively identify and manage risk, provide better customer experiences, and more efficiently develop and deliver technology solutions for the company.

Thomas is a member of the Wells Fargo Management Committee and the Enterprise Diversity & Inclusion Council and is based in San Francisco.

Prior to joining Wells Fargo in 2014, Thomas was the chief data and analytics officer for the United Services Automobile Association (USAA) in San Antonio. He also has held data analytics leadership positions at Harte-Hanks Direct Marketing, Hewlett Packard, and Reliant Energy.

Thomas has a bachelor’s degree in history from Baylor University, a master’s degree in sociology with a concentration in Applied Social Research from Baylor, and a doctorate in sociology with a concentration in Organizational Behavior and Quantitative Methods from Yale University.