Data Debrief: FOMO isn't a Strategy! Culture, Context & The Black Box Problem

Welcome to another episode of Data Debrief, the companion show to Driven by Data: The Podcast, hosted by Catherine Dowden-King and Kyle Winterbottom.

This week, Catherine reports back from the Marketing Showcase in Bristol, her first event as a pure attendee in a long time. The talk was all data, analytics and AI. She and Kyle explore why marketing and data share the same struggle to show their impact. They also cover how B2B brands can stand out: know exactly who you’re speaking to, be authentic, and don’t jump on every bandwagon.

They then turn to a viral LinkedIn post from a Meta software engineer who says he has never felt more uncomfortable in his job. He is shipping AI-generated code he doesn’t fully understand. Is this whistleblowing turning into red-flag waving, and where should the line sit?

The conversation moves to Lee Fulmer’s recent Driven by Data episode. He is Head of Data at Canadian Life Reinsurance. They cover:

• Why clean data alone isn’t enough for AI, and why context is what separates winners from losers.
• What businesses lose when people leave, and the cultural “lore” that will never make it into a prompt.
• Why FOMO is not a strategy.
• Servant leadership, and why “everything else is waste” is a useful way to frame your role.
• Why businesses that hire for outcomes get outcomes, and what that means for your CV.

They also share news of the final Orbition community event of the year in mid-November, and mentorship activity in late November.

Listen to Lee’s full episode on Driven by Data: The Podcast.