Snowflake Launches ‘End Data Disparity’ Initiative to Promote Global Data Equality

Snowflake, the AI Data Cloud company, has launched its ‘End Data Disparity’ initiative to address global disparities in data quality, availability, and access. This initiative brings together global leaders, partners, and customers to leverage Snowflake’s ecosystem to reduce data inequality and enhance the quality of data across industries.

An expert panel, including professionals from both public and private sectors, has been formed to drive the initiative forward. This panel will offer strategic guidance, domain expertise, and action plans to help tackle global data disparities.

Snowflake’s initiative aligns with the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 17, which aims to foster stronger partnerships between organizations for sustainable global development. However, only 17% of the assessable targets, including access to education, zero hunger, and climate action, are on track to be met by 2030. The ‘End Data Disparity’ initiative is focused on accelerating progress towards these crucial goals, particularly in addressing climate, health, and social issues.

Benoit Dageville, Co-Founder of Snowflake, emphasized the importance of using data to tackle these global challenges. “Now is the time to use the power of data to accelerate progress in addressing social, health, and climate issues,” he said. “Working with experts in various sectors will help end data disparity and create real change.”

The expert panel will address challenges and opportunities related to data access and quality, outlining actions needed for better representation and inclusivity in data. The group will also raise awareness of the program through hackathons, pro bono work, consultancy, panels, and policy advocacy.

The inaugural panel members include:

• Karen Beauné, VP EMEA Marketing, Snowflake
• Arndt Brinkmann, Senior Director, Associate General Counsel, Snowflake
• Dr. Tom Chatfield, Author and Tech Philosopher
• Stephen C. Daffron, Chairman at BetaNXT and Founding Partner, Motive Partners
• Benoit Dageville, Co-Founder and President of Products, Snowflake
• Lisa Lim Ah Ken, Senior Specialist, Climate Action, International Organisation for Migration, UN
• Mats Pellbäck Scharp, Chairman, We Don’t Have Time
• Denise Persson, Chief Marketing Officer, Snowflake
• Elena Philipova, Director, Sustainable Finance and Investment, Data and Analytics, LSEG
• Dr. Elisabetta Pietrostefani, Lecturer in Geographic Data Science, University of Liverpool
• Jennifer L. Wong, Former Global Head, Strategy and Business Transformation, Digital Data and AI, Sanofi

The program will be chaired by Karen Beauné, and the first panel meeting will take place ahead of the World Economic Forum in Davos in January 2025. Subsequent meetings will provide strategic advice and recommend actions to improve data access and representation worldwide.

“We want companies and individuals to understand how their actions contribute to the SDGs,” said panel member Stephen C. Daffron. “This work is vital, and we are committed to providing a platform for meaningful action.”

To support the initiative, Snowflake has launched an interactive hub, a dedicated LinkedIn group for professionals to collaborate, and a white paper titled “End Data Disparity: Defining the problem and what’s to be done about it,” which delves into the history of data disparity and outlines the program’s objectives.

For more information, visit Snowflake’s interactive hub or join the LinkedIn group to connect with industry professionals working to address data disparity.