Getting data AI-ready: The year ahead with Nadia Ahmad, chief data officer at Global Affairs Canada
In this ‘Five Minutes With’ series, we interview senior civil servants about their achievements in 2024 and goals for the year ahead. This interview features Nadia Ahmad, director general, chief data officer and head of evaluation at Global Affairs Canada.
What was your organisation’s top achievement in 2024?
Our top achievement was renewing the departmental data strategy and launching the department’s first-ever data policy. The former brings all employees together under a unified roadmap, no matter their programme lines, functions or contributions, and the latter serves as the foundational policy instrument setting the stage for robust, adaptable data governance.
What was the biggest challenge you faced in 2024?
Our biggest challenge was fostering culture change around data. While there was a lot of enthusiasm about AI, we focused on helping people understand that solid data foundations are essential to using AI responsibly. This meant encouraging teams to value data quality, embrace data-driven decision-making and see data as a shared asset, not just a technical resource. Changing this mindset is key to building trust in data across the organisation; however, this will require long-term, consistent effort.
Read more: Final call as deadline approaches to enter the Canadian Public Service Data and AI Challenge
What are your priorities for the year ahead?
Our priorities include strengthening data-sharing practices with an inventory of our data, refining data governance and fostering a “one-enterprise” mindset. We’re also working to make our data more AI-ready to support advanced, data-driven capabilities.
What change would you most like to make to how government uses digital, data and technology in 2025?
I’d like to see a stronger adoption of design thinking, where we prioritise understanding challenges from multiple perspectives before arriving at solutions. This approach brings together multidisciplinary teams to reframe problems, allowing us to look beyond immediate fixes and uncover root causes. Tackling problems from a place of empathy enables us to create more effective, user-centred solutions that truly address the needs of those we serve.
What would your dream holiday destination be for a break in 2025?
My dream holiday – hopefully a reality in 2025! – is a family trip to Prince Edward Island. I’d love to share my love for Anne of Green Gables with my daughter, a budding reader, and spark her appreciation for the characters and stories from a young age. While a more exotic destination (let’s imagine the black sand beaches of Bali) might sound appealing, with two young kids, the red sands of Prince Edward Island feel far more achievable – and honestly, just as magical to me!
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