A. Charles Thomas, a 17-year data and analytics professional, and recently joined General Motors as their Chief Data and Analytics Officer.
Before joining General Motors, Charles served as an executive vice president at Wells Fargo & Company and also served as the head of their Enterprise Data & Analytics organization.
As the Chief Data Officer at Wells Fargo, he was responsible for developing the company's approach to managing data, including the development of Enterprise Data Governance, Foundational Data, and a common data architecture. Thomas’s team acted as a hub collaborating with line of business data teams to ensure commonality of data, methods, techniques, tools, and governance. This “hub and spoke” model allowed Thomas to leverage his team’s data management and analytical skills to provide more consistent information, more effectively identify and manage risk, provide better customer experiences, and more efficiently develop and deliver technology solutions for the company.
Thomas was also a member of the Wells Fargo Management Committee and the Enterprise Diversity & Inclusion Council. He sits on the Board of Directors of the United Negro College Fund (UNCF). Prior to joining Wells Fargo in 2014, Thomas was the chief data and analytics officer for the United Services Automobile Association (USAA) in San Antonio. He also has held data analytics leadership positions at Harte-Hanks Direct Marketing, Hewlett Packard, and Reliant Energy. Thomas has a bachelor’s degree in history from Baylor University, a master’s degree in sociology with a concentration in Applied Social Research from Baylor, and a doctorate in sociology with a concentration in Organizational Behavior and Quantitative Methods from Yale University.