If there’s been one constant throughout my career, it’s the power of mentorship. From my first job to my current role at Actian, mentors have helped me grow, see new possibilities, and make smart career decisions. As I’ve moved through different roles and companies, I’ve also made it a point to be a mentor for others, which has been a rewarding experience.

At Actian, I’m thrilled to see how much our leadership team values mentorships. This goes beyond a formal program. It covers how we work together, support our peers, and help each other succeed. Mentorships are a core part of Actian’s culture, which is one of the reasons we have an award-winning workplace. 

How Mentorships Shaped My Career

I can trace some of my biggest career growth moments back to the mentors who invested their time and expertise in me. One of my first managers, going all the way back to 2003, made a lasting impact. We worked together early in my career, but we stayed in touch. Even though it’s been more than two decades since we worked together, I consider her a trusted friend and still call her for advice and perspective.

What helped make that relationship so impactful was how intentional her advice was. She helped me map out my three-, five-, and 10-year career goals and encouraged me to think about where I wanted to be in my future, not just what I had to get done that day. This mindset helped shape how I approach my career and how I support others.

I’ve been lucky to have several mentors along the way, including a manager at AWS who I followed through multiple roles. Even today, I regularly call her to get advice on everything from job decisions to how to handle challenging situations. Those relationships have helped me at every stage along my career path, and they’ve inspired me to be just as intentional about mentoring others.

Paying it Forward by Supporting Mentees

No matter where I’ve worked, I’ve always made mentorships a priority. At IBM, AWS, and now Actian, I’ve had mentees whether I was in management or an individual contributor role.

I support having career conversations that go beyond the next task we need to accomplish and instead focus on long-term personal growth. That’s why when one of my mentees from AWS who is based in Sweden took a job at Google, we still continue to connect and share experiences.

I like to map growth and goals on a 2×2 chart. This includes asking questions such as:

• What are you working on now?
• What are your short-term goals?
• Where do you want to be long-term?
• What skills or experiences will help you get there?

These conversations help people see beyond the daily workload and emphasize building a career they’re excited about.

Mentorship in Action at Actian

One of the things I really appreciate at Actian is how the mentorship program is woven into our culture. Every new hire gets an onboarding buddy, which I view as a really smart approach to accelerating how quickly we learn about Actian processes and priorities, and also solve any potential workplace challenges.

That ongoing buddy is the new employee’s go-to resource for all those early questions and, more importantly, someone who can offer guidance from day one in a safe environment. When I joined Actian, Ron Weber was my onboarding buddy. It was very beneficial to have a seasoned marketing professional and colleague to lean on for insights.

The engagement doesn’t end as employees become acclimated to the organization. Mentorships happen naturally at Actian through everyday interactions, career conversations, and ongoing collaboration. I always encourage people to build relationships outside of their immediate teams.

For instance, some of the best advice I’ve received came from people in sales because hearing different perspectives helps me better understand the impact of our work. Hearing other departments’ viewpoints also enables me to think about aspects of our projects that I might have missed or not fully considered. 

Why I Fully Support the Actian Internship and Mentoring Programs

Our internship program is another way I see Actian’s commitment to developing employees and preparing them for the next stage of their careers. Throughout the year and especially in the summer, we engage interns across various departments. They work on everything from creating marketing campaigns to elevating customer experiences to developing innovative technology.

We pair interns with managers and onboarding buddies, giving them meaningful projects with opportunities to drive business outcomes. This isn’t busy work. We offer hands-on projects that directly contribute to our business, platforms, and customer experiences.

For example, this summer I have an intern on my team. She’s leading an account-based marketing project that will be sent directly to customers. It’s rewarding to see her grow, take ownership of the project, and gain experience that she can use both in the classroom and throughout her career. As a manager, having an intern helps me move forward on strategic projects that I might not otherwise have time to tackle.

That’s why our internship program is a win for everyone. Our interns gain valuable real-world experience, and Actian benefits from fresh perspectives, new ideas, and brand awareness in places we may not normally reach. When interns return to campus and talk about working at Actian, they introduce our company to other students—future business leaders—and their professors. I love that Actian gets this exposure on campuses and reaches an audience we don’t otherwise engage with.

 Why Mentorship Will Always Be Important

Career growth doesn’t happen in isolation. It happens through connections, conversations, and continuous learning. One of the most rewarding ways we bring this belief to life at Actian is through our mentoring culture.

Even after years in the field, I still seek advice from my mentors. I want to continue to learn, grow, and avoid blind spots. Mentorship has been a huge part of my success, and it’s something I’m deeply passionate about for others, regardless of where they are in their career.

At Actian, I see mentorships in action every day, from onboarding new employees to internships with university students to the everyday career conversations we have across the business. It’s part of who we are. It’s also a big reason why Actian is such a great place for people to grow their skill sets and advance their careers.

About Author

About Liz Brown

Liz Brown is a high-energy, results-driven marketing professional with a proven track record of driving business growth and inspiring, mentoring, and enabling colleagues and peers. Known for her strategic thinking and collaborative leadership, Liz excels at building impactful marketing strategies, ABM programs, and enablement initiatives tailored to top accounts and industries. She has extensive experience in brand positioning, integrated campaigns, and customer engagement, from large-scale events to targeted digital initiatives.

What 600 enterprise data leaders revealed about maturity gaps, AI readiness, and what to do next

This article highlights key insights from Actian’s global data governance study and introduces the Actian Confidata Index, a free assessment for benchmarking your organization’s data and AI maturity.

In today’s AI-driven economy, data maturity is no longer optional. It’s foundational. Yet, according to the Actian State of Data Governance Maturity 2025 research, most enterprise organizations significantly overestimate the maturity of their governance practices. And that overconfidence is putting AI investments at risk.

To better understand where enterprises truly stand, Actian surveyed over 600 senior data, IT, and business leaders from organizations earning more than $1 billion in annual revenue, spanning:

• 7 countries (U.S., U.K., Germany, France, India, Sweden, and Australia).
• 12 industries (including financial services, manufacturing, technology, healthcare, retail, and energy/utilities).
• 4 seniority levels (C-suite, VPs, directors, and managers).
• 3 business functions (Data/Analytics, IT/Technology, and Line-of-Business).

What we uncovered is both revealing and urgent: while most enterprises believe their data governance maturity is high, the reality paints a more fragmented, fragile picture, especially as pressure mounts to scale AI.

A Confidence Gap With Consequences

At a glance, the results seem promising. Respondents gave themselves a high maturity rating, averaging 4.13 out of 5. But dig deeper, and a troubling disconnect emerges:

• 83% of organizations admit to facing governance and compliance challenges.
• C-suite leaders rate maturity 12% higher than frontline managers, who experience the issues daily.
• Data governance ranks as the least mature of eight foundational data dimensions.

This gap has consequences. When governance is overestimated, organizations may launch AI initiatives based on incomplete, untrusted, or non-compliant data, increasing the risk of failure, legal exposure, and reputational harm.

Why Data Governance is the Differentiator for AI

The research highlights the truth that governance isn’t just about compliance: it’s the critical link between enterprise data and AI success. 

Respondents said strengthening governance would directly lead to:

Top 5 expected outcomes of better data governance – Actian Global Research 2025

The message is clear: AI adoption is a key catalyst for governance improvements, but organizations understand that AI success is impossible without a strong data foundation. Respondents ranked data quality and trust as equally critical to AI enablement, underscoring that governance maturity is the differentiator between AI-driven growth and AI failure.

Additionally, governance improvements are seen as a pathway to faster market execution and better business insights, proving that governance is not just a compliance necessity—it’s a competitive advantage.

Beyond Tech: Strategy, Skills, and Culture Remain the Real Barriers

The research also reveals that data management challenges go beyond technical barriers. The top five challenges holding organizations back are deeply organizational and cultural in nature:

Top 5 data management obstacles – Actian Global Research 2025

The fact that AI and data strategy rank as top challenges reveals that organizations lack clear roadmaps to integrate governance with innovation. Meanwhile, the shortage of skilled staff and weak data literacy hinder adoption and impact. 

Without a holistic, integrated approach that combines people, processes, and technology, governance efforts risk fragmentation and inability to support AI-driven transformation.

Who’s Governing the Data?

While highly centralized governance remains dominant, over half of organizations are exploring center-led and decentralized models to strike a balance between consistency and agility. 

Enterprise approaches to data governance – Actian Global Research 2025

However, successful governance isn’t just about structure, but also about execution. Organizations transitioning to more federated models must invest in training, standardized processes, and stronger cross-functional collaboration to ensure scalable and impactful governance.

Introducing the Actian Confidata Index

To help organizations bridge the gap between perception (overconfidence) and reality, we launched the Actian Confidata Index—a free, research-backed self-assessment tool.

The five data & AI maturity categories – Actian Confidata Index

Built on the same eight-dimensional framework used in our global research, the Actian Confidata Index enables enterprises to:

• Benchmark Data & AI Maturity against 600+ industry professionals.
• Identify strengths and gaps across eight core dimensions.
• Receive a personalized report with recommendations to accelerate AI adoption and business value.

Those eight dimensions include:

• Data Strategy – Alignment with business and AI goals.
• Data Governance – Accountability, compliance, and risk frameworks.
• Data Culture & Organizational Readiness – Literacy and adoption.
• Data Management – Structuring, securing, and governing assets.
• Data Architecture & Integration – Interoperability and scalability.
• Data Quality & AI Governance – Ensuring AI-ready data.
• Data Operations – Lifecycle efficiency and agility.
• Value Realization – Turning data into measurable business outcomes.

Benchmark against data leaders on the eight dimensions – Actian Confidata Index

Whether your team is just getting started or already operating at scale, the Actian Confidata Index gives you a clear view of where you stand—and what to do next.

“Our global survey reveals a compelling paradox: AI acts as both a critical driver and a primary challenge for data governance. The Actian Confidata Index helps organizations find a starting point with an assessment and clear next steps to build strong data foundations and governance frameworks that enable AI success.” 

Emma McGrattan, CTO of Actian

Take the Free Confidata Index Assessment

The bottom line? You can’t succeed at AI without strong governance, and you can’t improve governance without first understanding where you are today.

Benchmark your data and AI maturity. Get personalized recommendations.

About Author

About Actian Corporation

Actian empowers enterprises to confidently manage and govern data at scale. Organizations trust Actian data management and data intelligence solutions to streamline complex data environments and accelerate the delivery of AI-ready data. Designed to be flexible, Actian solutions integrate seamlessly and perform reliably across on-premises, cloud, and hybrid environments. Learn more about Actian, the data and AI division of HCLSoftware, at actian.com.