Witad Awards 2020: EDM Professional of the Year (End-User)—Donna Rudnicki, RBC Capital Markets

Donna Rudnicki, chief data officer (CDO) for RBC Capital Markets and winner of the enterprise data management (EDM) professional of the year (end-user) category in this year’s Women in Technology and Data Awards, credits her life-long career in technology and data to serendipity—at least a little.
After completing a degree in psychology, she entered into what she calls a one-person IT role for one of the provincial Canadian governments, which paved the way for further tech opportunities, such as teaching computer classes to general audiences at a time when computers hadn’t yet been made widely available in classrooms. Rudnicki first made the transition to heading up a data organization when she joined the Canada Pension Plan Investment Board in 2007, prior to joining RBC. Through the years, she says, the most important quality she’s learned is resilience.
“It gets very easy to try and be something that you’re not—tougher, meaner, more aggressive. It’s just very easy not to be yourself or trying to be something else,” Rudnicki says.
A newly appointed member to the board of the Salvation Army, a wife and a mother of two boys (the older of the two also works in data, while the younger is studying for a degree in commerce), Rudnicki is also a director and active member of the EDM Council, a global, non-profit dedicated to advancing data management best practices, standards, training and research with more than 200 member firms and more than 10,000 members. In 2019, she helped launch the Canadian Chapter of the EDM Council’s Women in Data (WID) group, where she has recruited several female Canadian CDOs to the WID Global Advisory Board.
“Slightly different from technology, if you look at the data space, I would say there are more women—but [they] have historically worked more in data operations roles,” Rudnicki says. “And I think it’s important to be encouraging the same women who thought of themselves as maybe data analysts to push into data science roles, and to feel like they can move into the more technical side of data.”
—RN
Only users who have a paid subscription or are part of a corporate subscription are able to print or copy content.
To access these options, along with all other subscription benefits, please contact [email protected] or view our subscription options here: http://subscriptions.waterstechnology.com/subscribe
You are currently unable to print this content. Please contact [email protected] to find out more.
You are currently unable to copy this content. Please contact [email protected] to find out more.
Copyright Infopro Digital Limited. All rights reserved.
You may share this content using our article tools. Printing this content is for the sole use of the Authorised User (named subscriber), as outlined in our terms and conditions - https://www.infopro-insight.com/terms-conditions/insight-subscriptions/
If you would like to purchase additional rights please email [email protected]
Copyright Infopro Digital Limited. All rights reserved.
You may share this content using our article tools. Copying this content is for the sole use of the Authorised User (named subscriber), as outlined in our terms and conditions - https://www.infopro-insight.com/terms-conditions/insight-subscriptions/
If you would like to purchase additional rights please email [email protected]
More on Awards & Rankings
Waters Wavelength
Waters Wavelength Podcast: Episode 224
Wei-Shen and Tony are trying a different format this year with the podcast, and they start by discussing mental health and ways to help and support coworkers and friends.
Subscribe to Weekly Wrap emails
Most read
- A Fireside Chat with Marion Leslie (SIX)
- S&P/IHS Markit: OPIS Faces Spin-Off; Cappitech Beefs Up Regtech Frontline
- Covid Re-Exposed Bond Market’s Liquidity Problems—Is Change Finally Here?
- Goldman taps alt data for economic forecasts during pandemic
- Vendors Continue to Move Products, Services to the Cloud: Some Examples