Jessica Dowdall

Jessica Dowdall is a proud Welsh woman, originally from Caerleon in Wales, and currently Head of Data Operations at the BBC. She leads an agile, empowered delivery and operations team at the heart of the organisation’s data transformation.

Jessica is responsible for delivering the BBC’s enterprise data strategy, a programme that spans the entire data value chain. Her focus is on building strong data foundations, embedding data culture, and ensuring data is accessible, trusted, and meaningful across the BBC’s storytelling and decision-making landscape.

Jessica began her career as a SAP security consultant before moving into innovation roles exploring emerging technologies. She has since built deep expertise in data and cloud platforms including Microsoft Azure, Google Cloud, and AWS. Prior to joining the BBC, she worked at Amazon Web Services, where she helped leading media organisations modernise and scale their cloud and data capabilities.

With over a decade of experience across data, operations, cloud, and delivery, Jessica thrives in fast-moving, complex environments. She brings together technical depth, strategic thinking, and people-first leadership and is known for building high-performing, cross-functional teams grounded in trust, clarity, and emotional intelligence.A passionate advocate for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, Jessica leads internal programmes and mentors underrepresented talent in tech and data.

She currently serves as the BBC’s Women in STEM Co-Chair, is a proud member of the Technology Connected AI Council, and sits on the Board for Cardiff University’s Data Science Academy. She believes in creating inclusive, human-centred environments where teams and individuals can truly grow.You can learn more about her work and leadership philosophy at jessicadowdall.com.