Six steps to data strategy transformation

This blog was kindly authored by Melissa Bowden, Senior Content Writer & Editor at Kortext.

Aston University saw its highest-ever level of admissions for 2025 / 26, with over a 20 per cent increase in admissions over the past two academic years.

How? Through a multi-faceted plan anchored through the development of laser-sharp insights to be able to make more informed decisions quicker.

Helen Blaikie, Chief Data & Analytics Officer at Aston, explained her approach to transforming the university’s data strategy in a recent interview.

1. Create a data culture

When Helen joined Aston in 2020, data was largely seen as a compliance requirement necessary for regulatory reporting. It was being used to tick boxes, not drive decision-making.

Like many institutions, data was held in silos throughout the university with no single source of truth, which made it hard for people to access – or trust – the information they needed.

For Helen, it was essential to tackle the way data was managed, shared and governed in order to build the foundations of a real, trusted data culture across the institution.

For many universities, their data strategy is defensive. At Aston, we’ve taken the view that data requires an offensive strategy.

2. Build a case for change

To begin a real shift, there had to be a strong reason for change. The appointment of a new Vice-Chancellor, Professor Aleks Subic, in 2022 was a catalyst.

By setting out the university’s 2030 strategy, he established clear, measurable goals. Helen says that universities often create ‘warm and fluffy’ strategies, but without tangible outcomes, they’re hard to act on. Defining Aston’s 54 measures of success changed this.

The new strategy became a ‘North Star’ and completely reframed conversations. Now, leaders were actively asking for data to understand their performance against targets.

3. Secure buy-in from senior leadership

For Helen, getting the support of senior leadership was non-negotiable. She worked closely with the executive team to establish exactly what they needed to achieve the measures of success.

Developing the 2030 data dashboard was a key project – big in size and scale. It was high priority, highly visible and every executive had a part to play in making it work.

But the effort paid off. Every quarter, Aston’s leaders sit down together to review progress, challenges and next steps with data driving the conversation. The dashboard has enabled the right environment for data to make a real impact.

I think senior leadership binds everything. That’s one of the key pillars for creating a data culture. If you don’t have senior leadership buy-in, it just won’t work.

4. Put people at the centre

The shift spread across the university. Helen spoke about data at numerous town halls and leadership meetings – then something changed. Leaders started actively championing data themselves, sharing how solutions developed by Helen’s team had made a difference.

Two factors were crucial in effecting this wider change: communication and training.

Helen set up coffee and cake meetings with people across the university to understand the problems they were trying to solve and the solutions she could put in place to support them. Aston has also invested in staff training. Nearly 30 per cent of staff have now completed a ‘data for business’ course, facilitating cross-team conversations about using data to improve outcomes and developing confidence in using that data. [HB1] 

5. Think big, but start small

Aston’s admissions team were natural data champions, so working with them early on was an obvious choice. By collaborating closely, Helen’s team were able to develop data solutions that helped admissions tackle long‑standing challenges around confirmation and clearing.

For courses with restricted places, having fast, accurate data meant better decisions and smarter targeting of applicants most likely to enrol. By adding governance, training and clear guidance, Helen’s team showed what was possible, earning real credibility.

This success opened the door to doing even more. However, rather than implementing an institution-wide data quality programme, Helen saw the importance of ‘eating the elephant one chunk at a time’. As each solution is built, issues are surfaced in context and tackled alongside data stewards from the relevant team to build data quality and trust one step at a time.

Start with one use case, prove out the value, and then rinse and repeat.

6. Select the right technology partners

Finally, Helen’s strategy involved selecting external technology partners to provide tools that support in-house solutions. Aston staff needed quick, easy access to trustworthy data – not a system where the planning team were inundated with endless requests for reports.  

The university focused on finding the right partners: those who understood Aston’s context, spoke the same language and weren’t just trying to sell software for software’s sake.

For Helen, it was all about collaboration and capability. By choosing technology partners with deep sector experience, Aston can build on existing expertise – rather than reinventing the wheel – and achieve its aspiration to be a sector leader in teaching, research and enterprise.

Delivering data transformation

The transformation of Aston’s data strategy was not a simple, straightforward process. There’s no such thing as a one-size-fits-all solution either; every university is different.

But Helen’s final message on delivering data transformation is clear: start with real problems, deliver value quickly, and bring people along with you.

Kortext is a HEPI Partner. Helen Blaikie is speaking at Kortext LIVE on 11 February 2026 in London. Join Helen at this free event to discover how Microsoft and Kortext are helping Aston to deliver data-driven strategic change. Find out more and secure your seat here.