Advantage Solutions supports many of the world’s largest consumer brands by connecting sales, retail execution, and marketing outcomes across complex retail environments. As organizations race to operationalize AI, the company’s ability to modernize legacy ecosystems, build data maturity, and embed new capabilities into everyday workflows depends on the same fundamentals Chief Data Officer Jo O’Hazo has emphasized throughout this series: a strong data foundation, cross-functional trust, and adoption that feels natural, not forced.

In part 1 of this three-part series, O’Hazo emphasized that data transformation is people-led, built through compounding “micro wins,” and grounded in trust that starts with listening. She also noted that AI is exposing gaps in data foundations, making governance, security, accuracy, and compliance essential to scaling reliable AI outcomes.

In the second installment, O’Hazo continued her conversation with Nathan Turajski of Informatica, focusing on how organizations define measurable success in data programs, why trust and shared language matter as much as KPIs, and how compliance and ethics become the backbone of speed.

In this third and final installment of the series, O’Hazo concludes her conversation with Turajski, sharing advice for emerging data leaders navigating legacy systems and cultural resistance, outlining the principles that make AI scalable, and reflecting on what being named Informatica’s “Data Strategy Guru” means to her and her organization.

“Don’t give up” is the job

When asked what guidance she would offer to emerging data leaders trying to drive transformation amid legacy systems, cultural resistance, and organizational immaturity, O’Hazo starts with a reality check: these challenges rarely arrive one at a time.

For her, the most important advice is direct and foundational: “Don’t give up. Invest in the data foundation that empowers all the products. From visualization to advanced analytics to AI investment, that foundation is really the unlock.” That “unlock,” she explains, is difficult precisely because it demands patience and sustained trust.

O’Hazo reiterates that the newest trends still depend on the fundamentals. “You know what’s interesting is all of the exciting technologies and the trends rely on that data foundation.” Without a shared foundation, AI doesn’t accelerate progress; it can halt it, she adds.

“Jo from the future” and the art of staying relatable

O’Hazo shares a memory from a previous role that shaped how she approaches change leadership. A peer business leader once told her she “comes from the future” — a comment that landed differently after the initial reaction.

“That means, I’m not relatable. You’re not able to understand why we’re trying to deliver this data strategy or how we need to deliver it.”

For O’Hazo, the moment becomes a reminder that strategy only works when it connects with the people expected to adopt it. She stresses the reality that not everyone will understand it initially, but that should not discourage anyone.

Instead, O’Hazo advises leaders to use resistance as a signal to adjust their approach, not abandon the mission.

“Use that as a challenge. Approach your craft in a modified way. Make sure you are connecting with your audience.” And then, she says, prove value through demonstrating the story in different ways.

She also acknowledges a leadership truth that can be hard to accept: “Identify where you are not going to influence. There are areas where you will not influence, and it’s a readiness point. It’s a point in time, really.”

That perspective shapes where to focus first. Time, she notes, is precious, and progress needs visible role models that can be replicated.

AI is obvious but adoption must be organic

Speaking of emerging technologies or trends she’s most excited about, O’Hazo mentions AI. “There’s the multi-agent AI; there’s so much capability that we ourselves are learning every day, and it’s changing so fast.”

But her focus returns quickly to ensuring that all these capabilities fit into a “well-designed business process.” She describes an adoption model where AI does not sit separately as a novelty but blends into daily operations.

For O’Hazo, “It’s about how we bring those worlds much closer together.”

The aim is to equip people without overwhelming them: “How we give people the space to be amazingly and wildly successful with all of these tools and these data components at their disposal.”

Recognition and grace

As the conversation closes, Turajski asks what winning Informatica’s CDO Award for “Data Strategy Guru” means to her personally and what message she hopes it sends to her organization and peers. O’Hazo returns to the phrase that anchors her leadership approach: “It comes right back to the ‘don’t give up.’ No matter what challenge you’re facing, don’t give up. You’ve got this.”

She says the phrase “data guru” resonates because it captures the nature of the CDO role: translating, guiding, and influencing across teams and business partners.

“You really are, as a CDO, acting as a data guru for your organization, team, and business partners.”

Two words stand out to her when she reflects on the award: recognition and grace.

For O’Hazo, recognition is not individual; it reflects the people and partnerships that make a vision or strategy real. She extends that gratitude to both her teams and the leaders who shaped her.

The second word, “grace,” reflects leadership judgment; knowing how to partner, where to focus, and how to engage in a way that builds trust rather than friction.

Concluding, O’Hazo emphasizes that data strategy is not a solo act. “When you’re championing things like data strategies and deliveries of those data strategies within organizations, it’s a partnership. It’s not any one person leading that.”

Read Part 1 here.

Read Part 2 here.

CDO Magazine appreciates Jo O’Hazo for sharing her insights with our global community.