Four career lessons from our Lifetime Achievement Award winner, Edwina Dunn OBE

Edwina Dunn OBE is one of the most successful leaders in the data industry and a true pioneer. Career milestones range from founding dunnhumby and kickstarting the concept of customer loyalty programmes, to launching The Female Lead, an educational foundation that uses data to understand and overcome the challenges facing women at work.

“Edwina fundamentally rewired how businesses understand customer data with the Tesco Clubcard,” said Ann Francke OBE CMgr CCMI, CMI’s chief executive, in her welcome address at our President’s Dinner, where Edwina was named as the recipient of the CMI Lifetime Achievement Award. 

“She’s now using that same rigorous approach to expose and dismantle barriers women face in the workplace, amassing an amazing nine million followers.”

Fiona Dawson, CMI’s President, echoed Ann’s sentiments, saying that Edwina’s leadership story “exemplifies innovation, strategic vision and a steadfast commitment to driving positive change, making her a truly deserving recipient of this prestigious award.”

In a speech at the President’s Dinner, Edwina shared the key lessons she’s picked up through her working life. Here are four that stood out: 

1. Your first job really matters

Edwina recalled the lessons from her first role, at a software consultancy. These included entrepreneurial skills, understanding the depth of her own ambition, and the importance of having people around you for inspiration and instruction. 

“I joined back in the eighties when I was unformed, a completely empty vessel, excited for the world of business,” she said. “The skills I learned were quickly embedded and have stayed with me ever since.”

Edwina was eventually fired by that company, because her husband had resigned and their employers feared him launching a competitor and her becoming a corporate spy. Yet even this inauspicious exit carried lasting value. 

“I gained a new energy and a drive to show them just what they missed when they cut me loose,” she said.

2. You can have it all but not all at the same time

Edwina had to decide what to prioritise at different stages of her career, often in the face of challenging societal norms. Her desire for a family, for example, arrived when she and her husband had just launched dunnhumby. 

“We had zero income, big dreams and absolutely no guarantees,” she said. “It was all risk.”