Celebrating Giselle
By Tariq Khokhar, Chair of DataKind UK’s Board of Trustees, and Head of Data for Science and Health at Wellcome Trust.
Giselle (right) at their first DataDive weekend with Global Witness in 2016, talking to Brian, another volunteer. Photo @brionycampbell
We reflect on the incredible achievements of our outgoing CEO, Giselle Cory, as we look to the future.
From their role as the lead analyst on Downing Street’s 2010 review of government spending, to their work in national charities and think tanks, Giselle has always been passionate about what data can do to improve society.
Before stepping into the role of Director — and then CEO — with DataKind UK, Giselle was a long-term volunteer providing analytic expertise on several projects. In this time, they were Project Manager on a DataCorps project with anti-corruption campaigner Global Witness, which eventually lead to changes in Government law. Once they were at the helm of DataKind UK in 2018, they quickly became a leading voice on responsible data use for the social sector, responding to changing trends and sharing the message of the power of data for social good at workshops and conferences across the UK.
Throughout their time here, Giselle worked very closely with DataKind UK’s Ethics Committee. Responsible and ethical data use is one of the cornerstones of our work, which we aim to make accessible to everyone. Giselle and ‘Ethics Com’ ran data ethics book clubs that continue today, tackling topics from race in AI to social media addiction. Together, they also held an ethics DataDive project to create The Practitioner’s Guide to Data Ethics, an expert summary of tools that support using data responsibly at every point in a data project.
After the 2018 Data4Good Conference, Giselle secured the chance to run the Data4Good Festival in 2021. Engaging with a huge variety of partner organisations, they programmed and created a vibrant, three-day online event with more than 100 speakers hosting over 70 different data-related workshops, talks, and discussions. It was hugely well-received by attendees, and Giselle was there to welcome all of the virtual viewers every morning, and lead fascinating ‘fireside’ chats at the close of each day.
Always looking for further wonderful ways to engage people with data, Giselle was also a driving force behind the creation and launch of the Data Collective, a network for data practitioners in the charity and social sector. The pilot began in 2021, run by a team of contributors with research and charitable backgrounds and supported by Catalyst. It generated loads of early interest, excellent insights on the sector, and even some new data tools. The Collective now continues under DataKind UK with a Community Manager, Nish Doshi, and its own Slack network of more than 300 members. There is also a concurrent Data About the Sector project including several of the pilot’s contributors, working to improve data about the social sector.
Giselle has now spent over a decade working in the social sector, pushing for data-informed change and improvement. A career highlight for them was contributing to changes in policy that opened up access to childcare for those on low incomes. They also sit on the board of trustees for Research Data Scotland, a charity that aims to improve economic, social, and environmental well-being in Scotland by enabling research.
Giselle adventuring
Giselle’s time at DataKind affirms the massive generosity of their spirit, as well as their adaptability and expertise. In their role leading a very small charity staff team through the pandemic, they saw the team grow from three to seven people. Last year, they launched our 2022–26 Strategy, leaving us in good stead for the future.
On a personal note, I’ve found Giselle to be an inspiring colleague to work with. Their integrity, drive and kindness is something to behold, and they should to be very proud of the contribution they’ve made to DataKind UK and the broader data for social impact community in the UK.
Their next step is a work in progress as they reflect on their projects and spend time exploring their other passion, the remote outdoors. The staff and board at DataKind UK wish them many happy trails!
