Continuing Education
Interview with Julien Divernois: understanding, structuring and adding value to data with the ISFB Data Management Certificate
November 13, 2025
Data has become an essential pillar of performance and compliance in the banking sector. On the occasion of the launch of the ISFB Data Management Certificate, Julien Divernois, Data Governance Manager at Swissquote and new lecturer at ISFB, shares his vision: that of data that is understood, structured and valorized to serve the business and decision-making.
Julien Divernois, you recently joined ISFB as a lecturer in the ISFB Data Management Certificate program. What are your expectations and what approach will you adopt?
My vision of the data professional's job is to act as a facilitator, empowering people to take ownership of data and make the most of it. I already run a similar training course in-house at Swissquote, where I discover new realities and challenges at every session. So it was only natural that I should extend this approach beyond my current context, by joining the ISFB team of lecturers. Meeting participants from different institutions is a great opportunity to exchange views on a variety of banking contexts. I'm looking forward to discovering this richness within the ISFB certificate.
I'm convinced that data-related skills will become as essential as the use of IT tools was in its day. Even if the subject may seem complex to some, I've often observed how surprised participants are at their own progress: in a short space of time, they realize that they can gain considerable autonomy in their activities.
My approach is above all interactive. I encourage participants to intervene throughout the course to adapt the content to their expectations. What I like about data is its unique position between the business and the technical, which highlights business dynamics to fuel decision-making. It's this interaction that I want to recreate in my training courses.
Can you tell us about your academic and professional background?
I obtained a Bachelor's degree in Business Informatics from the HE-Arc in Neuchâtel, before starting my career in Paris in Business Intelligence consulting. I then spent five years working in the insurance sector, where I developed my expertise in data analysis and visualization, notably with Tableau.
Just over four years ago, I joined Swissquote as a Data Analytics Engineer. At the same time, I took a Master's degree in Business Administration at the HES-SO to strengthen my skills in information systems management. More recently, I was promoted to Data Governance Manager, with the task of creating and developing a team dedicated to data governance. Our objective is to facilitate the appropriation of data by the business lines, in order to reinforce their autonomy and spread a genuine data culture within Swissquote.
Data is now at the heart of all banking decisions: what challenges do employees face on a daily basis in exploiting it effectively?
One of the main challenges facing employees today is understanding data itself: knowing what it represents, how it is structured and how to interpret it correctly in context. Many users are also faced with the question of identifying the information they need: knowing whether it exists, where it is and how to access it.
Added to this are more technical aspects: mastering tools, developing analytical skills and the ability to transform raw data into actionable insights. And that's what this training course is all about: giving participants the confidence and skills they need to manage data.
Another challenge is the lack of a common language around data. Each department may have its own vision of the same KPI, which complicates collaboration and the alignment of decision-support tools.
Data quality is also a major issue: without reliable, consistent data, analyses quickly lose their value.
Finally, a more global challenge concerns the data culture itself. Many companies, including those in the banking sector, are still in transition towards a truly data-driven approach. Developing this culture requires time, education and appropriate support.
The ISFB Data Management Certificate will start soon (December 2025). In what way does this program offer concrete solutions, and what do you see as its strengths and special features?
The ISFB Data Management Certificate gives participants a better understanding of how data is structured and used in a banking environment. This provides them with a solid foundation for tackling their own data challenges in a concrete way. The program also helps them to work more effectively with data specialists by sharing a common language and understanding of key concepts. Led by banking industry professionals, the program is based on real-world situations, far removed from purely theoretical approaches. What sets it apart is its practical orientation: the concepts covered can be directly applied in the participants' day-to-day lives. It's a short course with high added value, offering a very good ratio between the time invested and the skills acquired.
