Lior Barak is a data strategy leader with more than 12 years of experience building data teams and turning data into business growth. He is the founder of Tale About Data, a company focused on helping organizations get real value from their data, and the co-host of the WHAT the Data?! podcast, where he explores how data and business growth feed each other. His career has been shaped by hands-on lessons, and quite a few pains, from making analytics work inside real companies.

Lior is the author of Data Is Like a Plate of Hummus, a book that lays out how to set a data strategy for non-business functions. He advocates a mindful approach to data strategy, one that accepts imperfection, prioritizes data trust, and balances the maintenance of existing assets with investment in innovation. His work emphasizes realistic expectations, reduced technical debt, and aligning data work with measurable business outcomes.

A natural data translator, Lior specializes in bridging the gap between data teams and management. He champions product-minded delivery with prototypes, MVPs, and clear handovers, along with communication tactics that help technical teams explain effort and value to non-technical stakeholders. Through his writing, podcasting, and consulting, he helps companies move from data chaos to data-driven growth.