Meet the person behind Define Data

Senior-led from day one. The same person from strategy through to hands-on delivery — with trusted specialists brought in when your project needs it.

David Kernan — Founder of Define Data

David Kernan

Founder, Define Data

LinkedIn

I started Define Data because I saw the same problem everywhere: growing businesses that had invested in tools but couldn't trust their data. They didn't need another software purchase — they needed someone who'd done this before, understood their business context, and could actually get it right. That's what I do — and for engagements that need more hands, I bring in trusted specialists and consultants I've worked with over the years.

I've spent over a decade building data teams, fixing broken reporting, and helping leadership actually trust the numbers they're looking at. I've done it as a Head of Data in high-growth SaaS, in regulated banking, and in e-commerce businesses operating across 14 markets.

At a Series C fintech, I built the entire Data & Analytics function from scratch — hiring the team, standing up the data platform, and delivering the dashboards and reporting that sales, finance, and product leadership relied on daily. When the CRM and business systems needed attention, I took that on too — redesigning Salesforce reporting and deploying/integrating Hubspot Marketing, improving pipeline data quality by 80%, and turning monthly Excel reports into daily self-serve analytics used by every manager in the business.

Before that, I led digital analytics for a €50 million banking initiative, analysing 1.5 billion events a year from 1m+ customers and presenting insights directly to the steering committee. And in e-commerce, I grew from Data Analyst to leading a team of analysts and data scientists across a €500 million revenue business operating in 14 markets.

Most recently, I led Data & AI, Product and Engineering at a funded AI startup — building a multi-tenant data platform handling 20+ enterprise customer workloads and shipping agentic AI workflows with a 15-person team.

Salesforce Certified Administrator Salesforce Certified Administrator
Salesforce Certified Data Architect Salesforce Certified Data Architect
CIPP/E — Certified Information Privacy Professional/Europe CIPP/E — Certified Information Privacy Professional/Europe
HubSpot Certified HubSpot Certified
10+

Years leading data teams and strategy

15

Largest team built and managed

4

Industries: SaaS, Fintech, E-commerce, Banking

MSc

Strategic Management (Innovation)

What I Bring to the Table

I've been on your side of the table. I know what it takes to get data right — because I've done it, in-house, at scale.

Built Data Functions From Scratch

Hired teams, stood up platforms, established governance, and delivered the reporting that leadership relied on — from greenfield to operating at scale.

Transformed CRM & Revenue Reporting

Took Salesforce from unreliable pipeline data to trusted daily reporting. Reduced pipeline hygiene issues by 80% and moved teams from monthly Excel to self-serve dashboards.

Delivered at Board & Exec Level

Presented to steering committees, built executive dashboards, and defined KPI frameworks used by C-suite across fintech, banking, and e-commerce.

Hands-On With Modern Data & AI

Not just strategy — I build. From data platforms and Power BI semantic models to agentic AI workflows and multi-tenant architectures handling 60+ data sources.

How I Work

The principles behind every engagement

Senior-Led, Every Engagement

No bait and switch. David leads every engagement personally — from discovery call through delivery. For larger projects, I bring in specialists I've worked with for years, but I'm always the one accountable for your outcomes.

Business Outcomes Over Technology

I've sat in the leadership meetings where data decisions get made. I start with the problem you're trying to solve, not the tool I want to implement. The best solution is the one that gets you results.

We Think Long-Term

I'm not here for a quick project and a handoff. I invest in understanding your business so I can be a genuine strategic partner — whether that's a focused engagement or an ongoing relationship.

Radical Honesty

I'll tell you if something isn't worth doing. I'll push back if the scope is wrong. And I'll be upfront if I'm not the right fit for what you need. You deserve straight answers.

Expertise & Tools

Deep experience across the platforms, technologies, and disciplines that matter

CRM & Revenue Systems

HubSpot Salesforce (Sales Cloud/CPQ)

Data & Automation

Python SQL dbt Snowflake Zapier n8n

AI

Generative AI & LLMs Agentic AI RAG

Analytics & BI

Google Tag Manager GA4 Power BI Data Warehousing KPI Frameworks

Cloud & Infrastructure

GCP AWS BigQuery

Strategy & Leadership

Data Strategy Data Governance Team Building Stakeholder Management

Let's Talk About Your Data

Book a free discovery call. We'll learn about your challenges, share what we've seen work, and give you an honest view of where the biggest opportunities are.

Book a Free Discovery Call

Currently taking on new engagements for Q2 2026