Written by A successful data governance program is impossible without the right people in the right roles. Among these, the roles of Data Stewards and Data Owners stand out as the most critical. Despite their importance, these roles are often misunderstood or conflated, leading to gaps in accountability and governance effectiveness. Let’s break them down.
The Role of the Data Owner
A Data Owner is the strategic decision-maker for specific data assets. They determine who can access data, how it should be used, and when it’s time to archive or delete it. Typically, Data Owners are senior managers or department heads with a deep understanding of the data’s purpose within business operations. They ensure the data aligns with organisational goals and compliance standards.
The Role of the Data Steward
Where the Data Owner operates at a strategic level, the Data Steward works hands-on. Stewards are responsible for maintaining the integrity, accuracy, and consistency of data. They resolve data quality issues, document metadata, and ensure adherence to governance policies. Think of them as the custodians who keep data usable and trustworthy.
The Role of the System Custodian
Depending on the size of your organisation, you may have a centralised IT capability. These people usually take up the bulk of the responsibility of giving access to the systems. However, in projects or smaller organisations, this person tends to be the one developing the system and it’s important that they remain in control (as directed by the Data Owner/Data Steward) to provision access to the data assets.
Why Are These Roles Essential?
Without clear ownership, data assets often become neglected, outdated, or misused. Data Owners ensure strategic alignment, while Data Stewards keep the data clean and accessible through the System Custodian. Together, they prevent costly errors, enable accurate reporting, and maintain compliance.
How to Establish These Roles in Your Organisation
Start by identifying data assets critical to operations or compliance. Assign Data Owners with authority over these datasets and empower Stewards with the tools and training to manage them. Provide clarity in job descriptions and integrate these roles into your governance framework. Utilising the Non-Invasive Data Governance approach, you should look for the people that are already doing this work and empower them. These are the people; most turn to in an organisation for “X” work – a clear tell of a Data Steward in action. Once you have a list of Owners and Stewards, you want to form a working group to help each other identify best practices and share similar pains. This helps with prioritising fixes that will help get those quick wins and demonstrate to senior leadership that more investment is needed in this area.
The TLDR Version
Data governance isn’t just about policies or technology—it’s about people. By clearly defining and empowering Data Owners and Stewards and System Custodians, organisations can ensure their governance efforts are both effective and sustainable.
As I have always maintained, you must ensure that roles you pick fit to the context of the organisation. Sometimes, the size dictates that all 3 roles fall to one person. Whilst not ideal, this is the reality of the situation. However, it is recommended that the Steward and System Custodian be 2 separate people, so you can divide approving access from the provisioning of such access. Often, in some industries, the need to have their data asset publicly available and used, there can be an internal conflict of interest/bias that could be hidden, which good Data Governance can help solve.
If you need help with implementing your Data Governance program and where to start, first check out the blueprint I have outlined – The Definitive Guide To Implementing Data Governance. If you need a hand, then drop me an email and I will do my best to help you with your query!
Nigel D'Souza 
8 comments