Leaders of Analytics – Details, episodes & analysis

Brian Ferris is a seasoned expert with over two decades of experience in technology and advanced analytics.

Brian has an impressive track record, having worked in IT consulting for 9 years and client-side roles for 13 years with major organisations like the European Central Bank, BAT, Heineken, Nike and Loyalty New Zealand.

In this episode, we dive into Brian's journey from supply chain operations to becoming Chief Data, Analytics and Technology Officer at Loyalty New Zealand. We explore the pivotal moments that shaped his approach to analytics and the leadership qualities essential for fostering a culture that embraces advanced analytics.

We also discuss his new book, "Transition to Advanced Analytics: Get a Return on Your Analytics Investment," co-authored with Jason Tan. Brian shares what inspired him to write the book, provides a synopsis, and highlights key takeaways for organisations looking to transition to advanced analytics.

Topics covered:

• Brian's analytics leadership journey: Discover the key factors that contributed to Brian's successful career progression and the pivotal moments that shaped his approach to analytics.
• Leadership in analytics: Learn about the essential leadership qualities needed to drive analytics initiatives and foster a culture that embraces advanced analytics.
• Evolution of analytics roles: Understand how the role of data scientists and analysts has evolved and which skills are now more critical than ever.
• Underrated tips and tricks: Brian shares practical tips and tricks that all data and analytics teams should use to increase their impact.
• About the book: Hear what inspired Brian to write "Transition to Advanced Analytics" and get a detailed synopsis of the book, including who it’s for and why it's essential reading.
• Common pitfalls and key takeaways: Find out the most common pitfalls organisations face when transitioning to advanced analytics and the key lesson Brian hopes readers will take away from the book.

Brian on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brian-ferris-a053532/

Brian's book, "Transition to Advanced Analytics: Get a Return on Your Analytics Investment".

In this episode, I’m joined by the remarkably versatile Akshay Swaminathan, a polyglot who speaks 11 languages and has carved a unique path from medicine to data science.

Currently an MD-PhD candidate at Stanford, Akshay's work has taken him from building clinics in Bolivia to pushing the boundaries of healthcare through data science.

Akshay's journey is not just about his professional achievements but also his personal commitment to continuous learning and making a global impact.

His transition from medicine to data science was driven by his desire to leverage technology for social good, particularly in healthcare.

We also explore Akshay's book "Winning with Data Science" aimed at business professionals seeking to integrate data science into their operations.

In short, Akshay might just be the most interesting person you’ll come across this year.

Previous episode: Ultralearning: How to Master Hard Skills and Accelerate Your Career with Scott Young

Akshay's website: https://www.akshayswaminathan.com/

Akshay on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/akshay-swaminathan-68286b51/

This episode of Leaders of Analytics features Dhiraj Rajaram, the Founder of global decision sciences company Mu Sigma. Mu Sigma serves more than 140 of the Fortune 500 and the company’s mission is to simplify complex problems through the science of decisions.

Dhiraj shares his views on problem-solving in business, and how Mu Sigma's three core beliefs have been instrumental in the company's success.

At Mu Sigma, they believe in "Learning over Knowing", "Extreme Experimentation", and "The New IP". Their data-driven decision-making approach has helped solve some of the toughest business challenges and has set them apart from the competition.

As an entrepreneur or business leader, you'll gain valuable insights into using data to solve complex issues, as well as an insider's perspective on Dhiraj's entrepreneurial journey.

In this episode we discuss:

• Dhiraj’s entrepreneurial journey from a one-man band to leading thousands of employees
• The critical moments that led Dhiraj to become a founder and the key elements of entrepreneurial success
• Mu Sigma’s unique recruitment and training strategy
• What you can learn from Mu Sigma’s three core beliefs
• How to make better decisions for your organisation, and much more.

Mu Sigma's website

Connect with Dhiraj on Linkedin.

In this episode of Leaders of Analytics, I am joined by Ada Guan who is one of the most innovative minds in the field of credit decisioning.

Ada is CEO and co-founder of Rich Data Co, a company that helps lenders make informed and accurate credit decisions by leveraging AI and machine learning.

Listen in as Ada sheds light on the role that AI and machine learning can play in transforming the lending industry and what the future may hold for credit decisioning.

In this episode, we'll discuss:

• Ada’s entrepreneurial journey
• The typical pain points lenders face and how RDC’s unique AI solution solves these problems
• What makes RDC’s solution unique and why banks should buy rather than build themselves
• How to find product-market fit or an AI product
• The additional benefits an AI solution brings over traditional credit scorecards or rules-based decisioning engines, and much more.

Learn more about Rich Data Co here: https://www.richdataco.com/

Connect with Ada Guan on LinkedIn.

Data is revolutionising our world, yet many companies fail to harness its value. What needs to be done for CEOs to see the value of having analytics as part of the executive inner circle?

Unfortunately, many analytics teams struggle to move past the common challenges of fostering analytics literacy, getting executive buy-in for more investment in data and analytics and showcasing the value delivered into the business.

How can analytics leaders make their discipline an indispensable superpower in their organisation? In this episode of Leaders of Analytics, long-time analytics C-suite executive Murli Buluswar gives us the formula for success.

Murli is Head of Analytics, US Consumer Bank at Citi, and leads a team of almost 600 analytics professionals. He reports directly to the CEO and his team is responsible for supplying the rest of the organisation with insights and data-driven solutions that lead to better customer experience and engagement.

In this episode of Leaders of Analytics, Murli explains:

• How to position an analytics function as a key strategic enabler
• How Citi’s analytics department picks and validates the most valuable use cases to work on
• How to foster the skills and organisational discipline to push analytics into the rest of the organisation
• How to measure and communicate an analytics team’s impact on the company and its customers
• What’s required of analytics leaders to elevate their function to the C-suite, and much more.

Murli Buluswar on LinkedIn

Previous episode: Why Sport is Leading the Analytics Revolution with Ari Kaplan

“Being an entrepreneur is basically like going from one crisis to the next”. Those are the words of Michael Kingston, co-founder and CEO of Seeda.

At a point in his career when Michael was thriving, he took the daunting plunge from successful executive to entrepreneur and start-up founder. Most people would be too scared to take such an enormous risk; however, this step has been Michael's key toward work-life satisfaction.

Three years later, Michael and his co-founders have built Seeda, an AI-assisted marketing analytics product, purpose-built for Shopify-based eCommerce platforms. Seeda helps marketers make sense of the enormous amount of data coming at them from numerous sources and use it to optimise their marketing activities.

Whether it’s SEO, email marketing or digital advertising, marketers are often stuck with a heavy burden of technical9 implementation and optimisation. Seeda’s product is the “AI analyst” that helps the world’s 5 million Shopify stores figure it all out, without needing to be a technology or analytics expert.

If you’re curious about start-up life or are thinking about starting your own business, then this episode is for you!

In this episode we discuss:

• How Michael gradually but surely made the shift from employee to entrepreneur
• How Michael figured out what he wanted to work on as an entrepreneur
• How Seeda’s “AI analyst” is a potential game-changer for Shopify-based businesses wanting more out of their marketing efforts
• The scaled data architecture that allows small businesses to take advantage of data practices normally reserved for large corporates
• Michael’s advice for anyone wanting to start their own business, and much more.

Michael on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-kingston-35707217/

Check out Seeda: https://www.seeda.io/

Digital transformation is rapidly changing the way we live and work, and governments should be leading the way forward, according to Victor Dominello MP.

As the Minister for Digital and Minister for Customer Service in the State Government of New South Wales in Australia, Victor believes government should be playing a central role in fostering a digitally-enabled economy across government, private enterprise and individual consumers.

Victor is a true servant leader and an inspirational figure in Australian politics, having served almost 15 years in the State Parliament of New South Wales, and 12 of those as a Minister. He has spent this time turning his vision for data and digital enablement into reality across a large number of ministries and government agencies.

In this episode we discuss:

• How Victor went from reluctant politician to long-serving minister and the sign from above that made him enter politics
• What the Digital Government is and how it will help change our lives for the better
• Government’s role in digitising small businesses
• Imminent initiatives to protect consumers against identity theft and cyber attacks
• What true servant leadership and customer service looks like
• How to provide leadership and collaboration across a complex web of government entities
• The biggest leadership lessons Victor has learned as a top politician and executive leader, and much more.

Victor Dominello on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/victordominello/

As the digital landscape evolves, privacy concerns and regulations are becoming increasingly important for advertisers. With the decline of third-party cookies and the rise of individual data usage consent, measuring advertising attention is more crucial than ever.

One of the biggest challenges for advertisers in a cookie-less world is being able to accurately measure the effectiveness of their campaigns. Without cookies, it's harder to track user behaviour and understand how their ads are performing.

However, measuring advertising attention through alternative methods such as viewability, brand lift studies, and surveys can be helpful, but they provide vague and delayed signals about advertising effectiveness.

How can advertisers measure the attention and effectiveness of their advertising in real-time?

To answer this question, I recently spoke to John Hawkins, Chief Scientist at Playground XYZ. Playground XYZ provides a machine learning-based platform for measuring and maximising attention on digital ads.

The company’s Attention Intelligence Platform is a unique technology that uses over 40 different signals to track user attention as it happens.

In this episode of Leaders of Analytics, we discuss:

• How Playground’s attention measurement platform works in practice
• The importance of attention time in a world without cookies, where privacy and consent are increasingly of mandated importance
• Dealing with the complexities of multi-layered machine learning pipelines and convincing stakeholders of their value
• How data science professionals can foster the right non-data science skills that will make them true unicorns, and much more.

John on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/hawkinsjohnc/

John's book, Getting Data Science Done.

Inflation is rising, interest rates are up across the globe and cash is king again. How will this impact the flow of venture investments in start-ups and emerging technologies?

While traditional investments may suffer during a recession, the venture capital industry has historically been able to weather the storm and even thrive. One reason for this is that venture capital firms typically invest in early-stage companies that are not yet generating significant revenue.

In fact, some of the most successful companies in recent history, such as Uber, Airbnb and Snapchat, were founded during economic downturns. The downturns created opportunities for entrepreneurs to innovate and create new solutions to problems caused by the economic conditions.

Mendoza Ventures is one such investor, but with a unique approach. Mendoza’s investment strategy is focused on the verticals of AI, fintech and cybersecurity and 80% of their investments go to founders from diverse and minority groups.

I recently caught up with Scott Heyes, CFO at Mendoza Ventures to understand how a venture capital firm works in practice and how he and his colleagues think about investing in the current economic climate and beyond.

In this episode of Leaders of Analytics, we discuss:

• How Scott became the CFO at Mendoza Ventures and what a week in venture investing looks like
• How the firm decides which companies to invest in
• Why Mendoza Ventures specifically back founders from diverse and minority backgrounds.
• Which segments within AI, fintech and cybersecurity will win or lose during a period of uncertainty, inflation, reduced access to funding and higher borrowing costs.
• The trends in AI, cybersecurity and fintech worth watching in the next 2-5 years, and much more.

Scott on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/scottheyes/

Mendoza Ventures: https://mendoza-ventures.com

Learn more about Annual Recurring Revenue in this episode.

30 years of “corporate social responsibility” has left our planet in dire straits.

Biodiversity loss, climate change, water pollution, micro-plastic pollution, air pollution, species collapse, ecosystem collapse…the list goes on.

What can we all do individually and collectively as business leaders and responsible humans to turn the situation around?

According to Simon Schillebeeckx from Handprint.tech it is possible to create incremental financial value while regenerating the ecosystems we rely on.

Simon and his colleagues at Handprint have written a manifesto for saving the planet, called Regeneration First, that tells us exactly how this can be done.

In this episode of Leaders of Analytics, we discuss:

• The current state of the many environmental issues facing us.
• The “Regeneration First” manifesto and the 7 action shifts needed in our approach to sustainability.
• Whose role it is to deal with climate change
• Promising climate technologies that will help us solve the negative impacts we’re having on the planet
• How we create more short-term environmental incentives to deliver long-term impact
• What we can do individually to contribute to environmental regeneration, and much more.

Links:

Simon on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/simonschillebeeckx/

Some promising carbon removal solutions discussed on the A16Z podcast.

The Road to 100 Percent Renewables in Australia via Energy Insiders.