Raghava Krishna is the Group Digital Technology Director at The AA (Automobile Association), where he leads digital transformation initiatives and technology strategy. With over 20 years of experience in financial services and technology leadership, including significant tenure at Lloyds Banking Group, he brings extensive expertise in data strategy, legacy system modernization, and digital innovation. Raghava is also the founder of BioSustain and has held leadership positions at organisations including Blupace Limited and Tata Consultancy Services.
How are you approaching data innovation at the AA while working with legacy systems?
I believe we are in the early stages of an exciting transformation toward becoming a truly data-driven organisation. Personally, I see great potential in leveraging extensive datasets that span 10-15 years, covering everything from breakdown services and customer interactions to vehicle issues and resolutions. On the technical side, we're utilising Databricks for data warehousing, and on the digital front, we're employing GA4 and BigQuery for analytics. One area I find especially interesting is consolidating tagging-related data, as it offers valuable insights into customer behaviours and identifies potential service improvements. Rather than adopting immediate wholesale transformation, I think it's more pragmatic to build on existing data assets through middleware technologies and APIs. This approach, in my view, strikes the right balance between extracting meaningful insights and maintaining system stability. Looking ahead, I am personally keen on opportunities to incorporate more application data and customer journey analytics, building a comprehensive insights platform. Such a platform, I believe, could provide a more holistic view of our operations and enable better informed decision-making across the organisation.


Could you share an example of how you're using data to enhance customer service?
One example I find particularly exciting is an initiative we are piloting. This involves providing customers with dongles that monitor key vehicle health metrics, including battery condition. Its a significant shift from the traditional reactive model, where customer interactions primarily occur during breakdown situations, which isn't ideal for relationship building or service expansion. When someone's stranded, they're understandably focused on getting back on the road - it's not the right moment for broader conversations. With this, the approach is more proactive, focussing on moving toward proactive customer engagement and value delivery. Looking ahead, I see enormous potential as vehicles become more connected and as regulations around smart vehicle data evolve. we'll likely have access to detailed health metrics - like engine performance, battery status, tyre health - well in advance of potential failures. This opens the door to truly predictive servicing and enabling us to prevent breakdowns before they occur and fundamentally transform how we serve our customers.
How are you approaching data integration and governance across the organisation?
In my view, a federated governance model. Is the most effective way to manage integration and governance. The rationale is simple but powerful: business areas understand their data intimately, knowing both its origins and applications. There's limited value in having a central team trying to transform data when they're disconnected from both its source and ultimate use. Instead of pushing large-scale data consolidation, I advocate starting with clearly defined specific use cases and start with targeted integration of two or three relevant data sources. This approach allows us to validate hypotheses quickly while building toward more comprehensive improvements in our data management capabilities. The key is to pilot these proof-of-concept initiatives to validate our hypotheses and expected outcomes before scaling up. This approach extends to our AI and generative AI initiatives as well. I believe in starting small, demonstrating value but with an eye on longer term target state. proving value, and then scaling based on demonstrated success. This allows us to be more agile - if we need to accommodate larger data volumes or expand our integration points, we can do so based on proven business needs.

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Instead of pushing large-scale data consolidation, I advocate starting with clearly defined specific use cases and start with targeted integration of two or three relevant data sources.

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This approach, in my view, strikes the right balance between extracting meaningful insights and maintaining system stability.
How are you leveraging location-based data to differentiate your services?
From an operational perspective, accurate location intelligence plays a critical role in optimising the service delivery. For example, guiding vehicles along the most efficient routes based on real-time conditions can significantly improve response times, which is especially crucial in time-sensitive situations. In areas where customer positioning is more challenging, such as rural locations, we’re also exploring ways to enhance location accuracy beyond the capabilities of public APIs. These efforts are designed to improve precision, ensuring better outcomes and a more seamless experience for customers.
What's your vision for the future of data utilisation in your organisation?
I believe true data democratisation is about empowering all parts of an organisation to access and utilise the data effectively. By creating a self service platform enriched with advanced analytics and AI, particularly Gen AI, we can enable business function can develop their own AI models as per their needs. Whether it’s improving risk assessments, refining pricing strategies, or optimizing operational processes, the potential to innovate through these tools is vast. As we progress, it’s essential to ensure that data remains accessible yet well-governed. Embracing a "data as a product" mindset can help foster a strong data culture, where teams not only use data but also share accountability for its quality and usage. At the same time, ethical and responsible AI practices must be a cornerstone of this strategy. Regular reviews of AI models across the organization are vital to ensure fairness, address potential biases, safeguard privacy, and maintain transparency.
The ultimate goal is to create an environment where data and AI are both empowering and responsible. This balance enables more informed decision-making, transitions the organization from reactive to proactive customer engagement, and drives greater value through personalized and predictive services.

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I believe true data democratisation is about empowering all parts of an organisation to access and utilise the data effectively.
The AA (Automobile Association) is the UK's largest motoring organisation, providing comprehensive roadside assistance, insurance, and automotive services to over 14 million members. Founded in 1905, the company has evolved from its origins in roadside support to become a digital-first organisation offering innovative solutions in route planning, vehicle diagnostics, and connected car services. The AA is recognized as Britain's most trusted breakdown service provider.

We are the global market leader in geographic information system (GIS) software, location intelligence, and mapping.
Esri UK is the exclusive provider of Esri solutions in the UK. We take a geographic approach to problem-solving, brought to life by modern GIS technology. We are committed to using science and technology to build a sustainable world.

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