Data Goddess

The Data Goddess

Who I am

I’m Martha Horler – founder of Sparkline Advisory and, for the last several years, The Data Goddess.

I spent over twenty years working in higher education data. For most of that time I watched the same problems play out over and over again: institutions that are genuinely brilliant at research, at teaching, at changing students’ lives – but chronically bad at the organisational and data fundamentals that would make all of that work so much better.

Simple things, done badly. Repeatedly. Expensively.

At some point I stopped being frustrated and started thinking about what I could actually do about it. That thinking turned into Sparkline.

I work with higher and further education providers on data governance, AI literacy, data fluency, and the regulatory compliance that never quite goes away. I’m particularly interested in smaller and specialist providers who don’t have large data teams but still carry all the same obligations and pressures as the big institutions.

I care about practical change over theoretical frameworks. Small improvements, implemented properly, make a bigger difference than grand strategies that never get off the ground.

I’m a Fellow of AHEP, a regular contributor to sector websites such as WONKHE, and I present regularly at sector events on data, AI literacy, and data fluency. I’m currently studying for an MSc in Systems Thinking in Practice, which is doing interesting things to how I think about all of the above.

Martha Horler

Let’s connect on LinkedIn

LinkedIn is where I share most of my thinking – a mix of practical guidance, honest observations about the sector, and the occasional dry comment about the state of HE data governance. If you work in HE or FE and care about any of the following, it’s probably worth a follow:

  • data governance and compliance
  • AI literacy and responsible AI adoption
  • data fluency across professional services teams
  • HESA and statutory data returns
  • the organisational realities of working with data in education

I post about three times a week and reply to comments. You can find me at linkedin.com/in/marthahorler.

Connect on LinkedIn

The Sparkline company page is at linkedin.com/company/sparkline-advisory – follow that too if you want to stay across what Sparkline is working on.

Speaking and training

I speak at conferences, sector events, and webinars across higher and further education. My sessions are practical and grounded in real experience – whether that’s navigating statutory data requirements, building AI literacy across a professional services team, or making sense of what data governance actually means day to day.

I’m equally comfortable as a keynote speaker, a panel contributor, or running a workshop. If you’re looking for someone who knows the sector from the inside and can make a complex topic accessible without dumbing it down, get in touch.

Topics I speak on

  • AI literacy and responsible AI adoption in education
  • Data governance, data quality, and regulatory compliance (HESA, OfS, ILR, Ofsted, ESFA)
  • Data fluency and building organisational data capability
  • The ICE/BERG Framework – a structured approach to using AI responsibly
  • Strategic data thinking for smaller and specialist providers
  • Learning analytics governance

Organisations I’ve worked with

I’ve presented for and worked with a range of sector bodies and membership organisations, including:

  • AHEP (Association for Higher Education Professionals) – ongoing paid webinar series on AI literacy
  • QAA (Quality Assurance Agency) – webinar on AI in quality processes
  • WONKHE – conference breakout session on data capability in HE
  • Academic Registrars Council (ARC) – on AI and data storytelling
  • Independent HE (IHE) – on a range of topics about data in small providers
  • SROC (Student Records Officer Conference) – breakout sessions on AI for professional services
  • Advance HE – webinar on harnessing AI for efficiency in HE
  • The Bold Collective – webinar on data fluency

Interested in having me speak?

I’m available for conference sessions, panel discussions, webinars, and bespoke training. I work with conference organisers, sector bodies, membership groups, and individual institutions.

Get in touch at martha@sparklineadvisory.com to start a conversation about what might work for your event or organisation.

Frameworks and resources

If you’ve come across The Data Goddess name through my frameworks or resources, here’s where they live:

All of these sit under Sparkline Data Labs, the research and IP arm of Sparkline.

Stay in the loop

I write a regular newsletter covering what’s happening in HE and FE data, AI developments that actually matter for the sector, and the occasional behind-the-scenes from Sparkline.

It’s free and you can unsubscribe any time. Sign up here.

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