Raising Billions Of Dollars With Data | The Hottest Cloud Startups | Six Steps That Will Make You A Better Coach

Plus: New U.S. Government Rules Mean Rethinking Supply Chain Risk For Public And Private Decision Makers

Hello, and welcome to this week’s newsletter,

Airlines have been doing everything they can to tempt flyers back into the skies, from slashing ticket change fees to offering free Covid-19 insurance that will pay for your funeral if you catch it in transit and subsequently die. (Personally speaking, being offered underwriting in case I need permanent undergrounding doesn’t fill me with an urge to get back on board a plane.)

None of this has been enough to reverse a catastrophic decline in airlines’ fortunes that has led to thousands of their workers being furloughed. More employees could soon find themselves in the same situation. U.S. airlines are facing a difficult choice: They have until September 30 to decide whether to tap emergency aid from the government that would impose restrictions on things such as executive pay and dividends, or to try and raise money in other ways and secure as many jobs as they can.

That’s where data comes in. This week, Delta became the latest airline to raise big money—$6.5 billion in bonds and loans—backed by the value of the data from its frequent flyer program, SkyMiles. Other airlines, such as American and United, have also announced plans to draw down new loans backed by their loyalty programs and the valuable data held by them.

There are a couple of key lessons from this for the CIO community. First, it’s hard to underestimate just how valuable customer data can be, both as a source of intelligence and, potentially, emergency cash. Second, it’s more important than ever to help C-suite peers think creatively about how data can be monetized, from licensing information to third parties to swapping it for other things in barter deals. At the same time, tech leaders need to help ensure that any strategies for data monetization don’t violate privacy regulations and laws.

It’s a delicate balancing act and one that the pandemic’s economic impact has made even more urgent to manage. But tech leaders who rise to the challenge have a unique opportunity to show just how valuable their mastery of data can be to their organizations.

Thanks for reading and do please send me your tips, thoughts, questions and ideas for future issues at mgiles@forbes.com. You can also follow me on Twitter and on LinkedIn. And if you enjoy reading this newsletter please recommend it to others who may find it useful.

Technology & Innovation

Cloud computing: Forbes just published its latest Cloud 100 list, our annual ranking of the world’s top private cloud computing businesses. Covid-19 hasn’t slowed this group down. Indeed, with a record combined value of some $270 billion—and at least 87 companies valued at $1 billion or more, up from 65 just a year ago—it is flourishing.

AI: One of the earliest places where AI has been widely used is in helping to guide pricing and revenue-management strategies. Here are 10 ways in which algorithms can be deployed to make decision-making more effective in these areas.

Leadership & Strategy

Competitive intelligence: Keeping an eye on what the competition is up to is a critical part of business strategy, but it’s also a time-consuming task. New technology solutions are aiming to make it easier.

Coaching: Being a great coach of others is essential to leadership success. Here’s a helpful six-step guide on how to become even more effective at this crucial art.

Talent & Careers

Remote work: To reopen offices or not to reopen offices? That is a question that’s taxing many companies and the pros and cons of bringing people back are still being hotly debated. As JPMorgan Chase just discovered, sometimes Covid-19 can trigger swift reversals.

Diversity and inclusion: What’s the best way to introduce systems to make diversity and inclusion work? An insightful post addresses this critical question and provides some great pointers, such as asking yourself whether training—the immediate go-to for many companies—really is the best first step.

"The fashion industry is facing great changes, new opportunities and experiences for customers and societies."

Alan Boehme

CTO, H&M Group

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