What does it look like to walk into a new Insight leadership role with a clear vision, a structured playbook, and the determination to shift a team from tactical to truly strategic? In this episode, we find out - as Joanne (Jo) Dealtry, Head of Customer Insight at Admiral, shares the thinking and approach she's bringing to one of the UK's most recognisable brands.
With over 15 years of experience spanning Insight, research, market intelligence, and voice of the customer, Jo arrives at Admiral fresh from a significant tenure at TalkTalk, where she helped build something that every Insight leader will recognise as the holy grail: a value log that quantified the real monetary impact of Insight on the business. It's the kind of initiative that doesn't just demonstrate worth; it changes the conversation entirely.
Jo talks candidly about what she's learned from that experience and how it's shaped the Insight Leaders Playbook she's brought with her to Admiral, a practical framework for setting vision, building momentum, and embedding Insight where it matters most. Her approach is deliberate and structured, but what comes through just as strongly is her belief in the power of relationships. Stakeholder trust, she argues, isn't a nice-to-have; it's the foundation on which everything else is built.
This is an episode full of honest, grounded advice for anyone stepping into a new Insight leadership role or looking to reposition an existing team. Jo's energy and clarity of purpose are infectious, and her journey at Admiral is only just beginning.
Please listen to find out more!
Topics Discussed
This is episode 90 of the Transforming Insight podcast.
If you have the ambition to transform your Insight team and the role it plays in your organisation, please tune in to future episodes. Not only will we explore the 42 secrets of successful corporate Insight teams as outlined in the Transforming Insight book, and the 9Ps of The Insight Leader’s Playbook, we will also talk to senior corporate Insight leaders, delve into books that have inspired us, and discuss new best practice research carried out with the IMA’s corporate members.
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About James Wycherley, the author of Transforming Insight
James Wycherley was Director of Customer Insight and Analytics at Barclays Bank from 2005 to 2015 when he became Chief Executive of the Insight Management Academy (IMA).
He published his first book, Transforming Insight, in 2020, and his second, The Insight Leader’s Playbook, in 2025, and he hosts the Insight forums and the Transforming Insight podcast.
An entertaining keynote speaker, he has presented over 50 times at Quirk’s events, a global record, and has provided thought leadership in the UK, USA, Europe, Canada, Australia, India and the Middle East.
The Insight Management Academy is the world’s leading authority on transforming corporate Insight teams, and its vision is to inspire and support every Insight leader to transform the impact of Insight in their organisation.
Resources:
If you would like more information on any of the ideas discussed in this episode of the Transforming Insight podcast, please visit www.insight-management.org
Disclaimer
The Transforming Insight podcast is published by the Insight Management Academy and produced by Zorbiant.