Data Leadership · AI Readiness · Decision Systems

Juan Caravaca

Data leadership for companies that want to decide, not just report.

I align metrics, semantic models, platforms, teams and AI practices to produce measurable impact.

Head of Data at Northius · 13+ years turning data into decisions
Explore The Data-to-Decision Chain → Connect on LinkedIn ↗
Juan Caravaca
Experience across Northius CoverWallet → Aon IBM visualNAcert University of Valencia
01 —

The problem I solve

Most companies don't have a data problem. They have a decision problem: data everywhere, and still no reliable way to turn it into action — and now AI stacked on top of the same broken foundation.

I've repeatedly entered complex industries — research, enterprise software, agriculture, insurance and education — built the data foundations they needed, and moved teams from fragmented information to reliable decisions.

I partner with executive leadership to turn transformation strategy into operating models, platforms and measurable outcomes.

Read the manifesto →
02 —

The Data-to-Decision Chain

The chain I build to turn strategy into impact. Build it whole and in order, and the organization decides well. Miss a link, and everything below it wobbles.

01
Strategy
What the business is trying to win, stated clearly enough to build on.
Fails whenevery team optimizes its own patch and nobody knows what winning means.
02
Metrics
The few numbers that define winning, governed and shared.
Fails whenevery department calculates the same KPI differently.
03
Semantic models
One language for the business, so every question means the same thing.
Fails whenevery query is a negotiation over what "customer" means.
04
Data platform
Reliable, so people and AI agents alike can build on it.
Fails whennobody trusts the number, so decisions default to gut.
05
AI
Applied where it changes the decision, not where it looks good in a demo.
Fails whenpilots never reach production.
06
Impact
Decisions made, actions taken, results that show up in the business.
Fails whenthere are lots of reports and few decisions.

Technology enables it. People and the operating model create it.

Read the founding essay →
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Organizational outcomes

What becomes possible when the Data-to-Decision Chain works across the organization:

A shared data platform supporting multiple business units, brands and markets.
A multidisciplinary team with clearer ownership, stronger collaboration and less dependency on individual experts.
More reliable operations, fewer manual interventions and a more consistent deployment rhythm.
Product, Marketing, Sales and Finance make more consistent decisions using shared, governed metrics.
A shorter path from a business question to an informed decision.
Broader adoption of governed metrics and a more consistent source of truth across functions.
04 —

Experience

Northius
Oct 2024 – Present
Investindustrial portfolio
Head of Data
  • Lead the Data organization and have built the group's Data & AI capability from the operating model up — turning strategy into reliable decision systems.
  • Turned a traditional data lake into an AI-ready platform — governed models, semantic layer, standard business metrics — usable by analysts and AI agents, across 11 brands.
  • Shifted the operating model from reactive service to business co-creation with Product, Marketing, Sales & Finance.
  • Built and lead a multidisciplinary team of 10 people; established the Product Science Guild.
  • Introduced Analytics Engineering & BI-as-Code; operationalized AI across Data, Analytics & BI workflows.
  • Partnered with executive leadership to translate the value-creation strategy into data & AI execution.
CoverWallet, an Aon company
Sept 2021 – Oct 2024
Aon (NYSE) integration
Data Platform
  • Joined post-acquisition to help integrate CoverWallet's data platform into Aon (NYSE: AON).
  • Worked on unifying systems and reporting across the combined organization.
  • Data pipelines, modeling and analytics at global-enterprise scale.
visualNAcert
Big Data Analyst → CTO · 2015–2021
Data → agriculture. Impact beyond the dashboard.
IBM Software Group
2013–2014
Worked on data platforms and analytics during the early adoption of Big Data technologies within IBM Software Group.
iDAL — Intelligent Data Analysis Lab
Univ. de València
Applied machine learning and intelligent data analysis in academic research.
05 —

Ideas

The manifesto

Companies don't have a data problem. They have a decision problem.

Read the essay →
Coming

My blog will land here.

Publishing soon
06 —

Education & credentials

Education

University of Valencia
Master's degree · Electronics Engineering
2012
University of Valencia
Engineer's degree · Electronics Engineering
2009–2011
University of Valencia
B.Tech · Telecommunications Technology
2005–2009

Certifications & programs

LIDR.co — Ignite Program
Technical Leadership
2023–now
Anthropic Developer & Agentic AI Programs
Claude API, Claude Code, MCP and Agent Skills
2026

Building a data organization — or getting one ready for AI? That's my favorite kind of conversation.

LinkedIn ↗ Email ↗ Download CV ↗