Noreen Ahmed-Ullah is the director of the Office of the Vice-President, Communications at U of T. I. She acts as the CAO for her unit, helping senior leaders set strategic and financial goals for a tri-campus staff of 75+ employees . One of those goals has been to make U of T Communications a more data-driven department in which all the metrics gathered across various teams was better aligned and could help inform decision making.
Day 1: Oct 14, 2025
Day 2: Oct 22, 2025
4:00 pm
CLOSING CASE STUDY: DATA STRATEGY
From Intuition to Insight: Building a Communications Data Strategy from the Ground Up
As higher education institutions face increasing pressure to demonstrate impact and alignment with institutional priorities, the University of Toronto Communications team recognized a critical gap: the absence of consistent data practices. Move from anecdotal success stories to evidence-based decision making — beginning with a call to measure value, track performance, and unify data across channels. Enhance your strategy by:
- Breaking down silos and unify disparate data streams
- Aligning storytelling with institutional goals using data insights
- Building the case for new roles and resourcing in support of data maturity
Develop a value adding data strategy that supports storytelling, strategic alignment, and organizational visibility.
