- The ODI and Sopra Steria will bring their unique, combined expertise to drive digital and data ethics up organisations’ agendas
- They are creating a new course; training business and public sector professionals in the ODI’s data ethics methodologies and tools
- The ODI’s Data Ethics Professionals and Facilitators course is the first-of-its-kind and Sopra Steria’s digital ethics consultants will be the first to be formally trained in this syllabus
Sopra Steria and the Open Data Institute (ODI) today announce a first-of-its-kind partnership to help more UK organisations make better use of data, and to do so ethically.
With the global pandemic accelerating the use of digital and data-driven technologies in many parts of the world, the companies share a belief that data can unlock positive social benefits and drive digital transformation.
The adoption of technology increasingly requires careful consideration of how data is collected, used, and shared within and between organisations. The new course, developed by the ODI, will focus on core data ethics principles, and look at how these
can be applied to machine learning and artificial intelligence. Participants will also learn how to critically evaluate and critique the ethics of data practices within organisations, and the business world and society more generally.
Sopra Steria is the first professional services company in the UK to partner on the ODI’s new approach to developing data ethics skills.
Through the partnership, the two organisations are bringing their unique, combined capabilities to market for the first time, particularly to the benefit of the public and financial services sectors. The new partnership enables Sopra Steria to combine
the ODI’s world-leading data sharing and data ethics expertise with its own comprehensive digital ethics capability, creating a best practice approach to forging ethical data strategies.
Sopra Steria consultants are being formally trained using the ODI’s new, certified data ethics tools and methodologies, which will see them become qualified ‘ODI Data Ethics Facilitators’ and embed best practice into their delivery work.
Together, Sopra Steria and the ODI will offer a more comprehensive service to clients, with market-leading data strategy, data policy, and data sharing capability, combined with digital ethics and digital transformation services. This builds on the
innovative work from Sopra Steria’s Digital Ethics & Tech for Good practice, which launched in January 2020 in response to increased demand from customers for digital ethics consultancy.
Jen Rodvold, Head of Digital Ethics & Tech for Good at Sopra Steria, said: “As organisations seek to accelerate their digital transformation plans and use data to drive new business strategies, they will need digital ethics
to build and maintain trust with users, employees, regulators and other stakeholders.
“Now is the time to turn digital ethics theory into action, and our partnership with the ODI means we are best placed to help customers access the value of their data while establishing digital ethics best practice in their governance, culture and ways of working.”
Stuart Coleman, Director of Business Development at the ODI, commented: “The essential need for robust data infrastructure across society and the economy has never been more evident. But the transformation has to happen consistently and ethically. In this first-of-a-kind partnership, the ODI is delighted to be working with Sopra Steria to embed data ethics skills in its government and financial services practices.
“Enabling Sopra Steria’s consultants to encourage more ethical and responsible use of data in these sectors is aligned with ODI’s mission to make data work better for everyone. It will anchor data ethics in digital transformation programmes
across more of society; and contribute to creating ethical data infrastructure at scale and pace.”