Data Futurology - Leadership And Strategy in Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, Data Science

By Felipe FloresTechnology

Data Futurology - Leadership And Strategy in Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, Data Science episodes

October 15, 2019#73 Powering Change using AI with Alex Ermolaev – AI Leader
Alex Ermolaev has been involved in the software industry for 20 years, including AI-specific experience at Bell Labs, Microsoft, several startups and now Nvidia. He is currently a leading AI software developer and works with groundbreaking companies that are implementing incredible AI solutions across several domains.
In this episode, Alex describes how he started in the data space. Early in his career, he got a chance to work on a lot of data and software products.

Enjoy the show!

We speak about:
[01:50] How Alex started in the data space

[04:55] Alex’s professional background

[10:30] Working for the finance team at Microsoft

[14:55] Business development skills

[18:50] Challenges working with startups

[22:10] Working at Nvidia

[26:20] Successful and unsuccessful AI patterns

[30:00] AI and collecting data

[35:15] How to tackle data problems using AI

[40:30] Exciting uses for AI

[43:15] The execution of new AI programs

[49:00] What Alex is most proud of

[50:20] Be patient and invest in your knowledge

Resources:
Alex’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexermolaev

Quotes:
“The best way to develop knowledge in any area is to experience it.”

“It is easier to sit in an office and assume the world works in a certain way.”

“Don’t be in startups because it’s cool, try and find a path that meets your own needs.”

“Working with startups is a lot of broader outreach and helping the community understand what is possible.”

Thank you to our sponsors:
Fyrebox - Make Your Own Quiz!
RMIT Online Master of Data Science Strategy and Leadership
Gain the advanced strategic, leadership and data science capabilities required to influence executive leadership teams and deliver organisation-wide solutions.

Visit online.rmit.edu.au for more information

And as always, we appreciate your Reviews, Follows, Likes, Shares and Ratings. Thank you so much for listening. Enjoy the show!
54 min
October 08, 2019#72 Focusing on Simplification to Solve Data Science Roadblocks with Evan Shellshear – Head of Analytics
Evan Shellshear has been an entrepreneur for more than a decade, and throughout that time he has always loved getting his hands dirty with building products from scratch and then commercializing them. Evan has a passion for innovation and not just from a managerial perspective but also from a doing perspective. He has a Ph.D. in Game Theory, is published in fields computer graphics to politics, mathematics to manufacturing, and much more. Evan has founded or co-founded over half a dozen companies to commercialize different technologies.
Enjoy the show!

We speak about:
[01:15] How Evan started in the world of data

[09:45] Zoom out to solve technical roadblocks

[12:10] Examples of how Evan zoomed out

[14:25] Why is zooming out a challenge for data scientists?

[18:00] Focus on simplification

[22:45] Taking opportunities that present themselves

[27:00] Measures of success during a project

[31:00] The process of a case study

[36:05] Getting users to adopt new technologies

[40:00] Innovation Tools

[47:20] Evan’s proudest moment

[49:40] Challenges for the future of machine learning

[51:30] Get soft skills
Resources:
Evan’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/eshellshear/
Innovation Tools: https://amzn.to/2OrrAsj

Quotes:
“Take a step up and over to look at the problem in a new direction.”

“It is in our human nature to overcomplicate things.”

“I need to help the company understand what the true problem is.”

“Take a low-risk approach to solve your client’s problem.”

Thank you to our sponsors:
Fyrebox - Make Your Own Quiz!
RMIT Online Master of Data Science Strategy and Leadership
Gain the advanced strategic, leadership and data science capabilities required to influence executive leadership teams and deliver organisation-wide solutions.
Visit online.rmit.edu.au for more information

And as always, we appreciate your Reviews, Follows, Likes, Shares and Ratings. Thank you so much for listening. Enjoy the show!
54 min
October 01, 2019#71 Creating Effective Data Science Presentations with Rachel Fojtik – Director of Analytics and Performance
Rachel Fojtik is an Experienced Senior leader in Analytics, influencing change in behaviour, company culture, and improvement with analytics. Managing high performing teams that deliver across a myriad of knowledge areas. She is passionate about delivering information that sees results, using collaborative design and development. A demonstrated history of setting up teams that deliver end to end business intelligence implementations. Cross-industry experience in healthcare, telecommunications, the financial services industry, travel and tourism, and energy.
Enjoy the show!
We speak about:
[01:15] How Rachel started in the data space

[08:40] The motivation behind Rachel’s trailblazing

[11:30] The metrics Rachel was helping optimize

[14:10] Working with the management director vs. operational work

[16:45] Data matching at Diner’s Club

[22:15] Using a minimalist view

[24:45] Find the best way – don’t just stick with what you know

[28:45] If something is well presented, it is more likely to be trusted

[35:00] What is a product manager?

[42:50] An organic governance in the workplace

[46:15] Rachel’s role as Director of Analytics and Performance

[53:00] Building and working on a network

[54:10] Do what you’re passionate about
Resources:
Rachel’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rachel-fojtik-78321199/

Quotes:
“I created an input tool where a user could design the layout of their input form.”

“I’ve always tried to go with a minimalist view.”

“If your presentation is way too busy, it is difficult to take a story from that information.”

“Consider where the eye goes first when creating a presentation.”

Thank you to our sponsors:
Fyrebox - Make Your Own Quiz!
RMIT Online Master of Data Science Strategy and Leadership
Gain the advanced strategic, leadership and data science capabilities required to influence executive leadership teams and deliver organisation-wide solutions.
Visit online.rmit.edu.au for more information

And as always, we appreciate your Reviews, Follows, Likes, Shares and Ratings. Thank you so much for listening. Enjoy the show!
57 min
September 24, 2019#70 Making Black Box Models Explainable with Christoph Molnar – Interpretable Machine Learning Researcher
Christoph Molnar is a data scientist and Ph.D. candidate in interpretable machine learning. He is interested in making the decisions from algorithms more understandable for humans. Christoph is passionate about using statistics and machine learning on data to make humans and machines smarter.
Enjoy the show!

We speak about:
[02:10] How Christoph started in the data space

[09:25] Understanding what a researcher needs

[15:15] Skills learned from software engineers

[16:00] Statistical consulting

[19:50] Labeling data

[23:00] Christoph is pursuing his Ph.D.

[29:00] Why is interpretable machine learning needed now?

[31:00] Learning interpretability

[33:50] Accumulated local effects (ALE)

[37:00] Example-based explanations

[39:15] Deep learning

[43:35] The illustrations in Interpretable Machine Learning.

[49:50] How Christoph maximizes the impact of his time
Resources:
Christoph’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/christoph-molnar-63777189/
Christoph’s Website: https://christophm.github.io
Interpretable Machine Learning: https://christophm.github.io/interpretable-ml-book/

Quotes:
“Always look at the process when labeling data.”

“After each chapter of my book, I publish it and get feedback.”

“I randomly read a lot of papers and structure the knowledge to fit them together.”

“I express what I want easier with illustrations in my book.”

Thank you to our sponsors:
Fyrebox - Make Your Own Quiz!
RMIT Online Master of Data Science Strategy and Leadership
Gain the advanced strategic, leadership and data science capabilities required to influence executive leadership teams and deliver organisation-wide solutions.
Visit online.rmit.edu.au for more information

And as always, we appreciate your Reviews, Follows, Likes, Shares and Ratings. Thank you so much for listening. Enjoy the show!
56 min
September 17, 2019#69 Creating Cultural Transformations Using Data Science Leaders with Bülent Kiziltan – Head of Data Science & Analytics and Chief Data Scientist
Dr. Bülent Kiziltan is an AI executive and an accomplished scientist who uses artificial intelligence to create value in many business verticals and tackles diverse problems in disciplines ranging from the financial industry, healthcare, astrophysics, operations research, marketing, biology, engineering, hardware design, digital platforms, to art. He has worked at Harvard, NASA, and MIT in close collaboration with pioneers of their respective fields. In the past 15+ years, he has led data-driven efforts in R&D and built multifaceted strategies for the industry. He has been a data science leader at Harvard and the Head of Deep Learning at Aetna leading and mentoring more than 200 scientists.

Enjoy the show!

We speak about:
[02:00] Bülent’s background

[05:50] The transition from astrophysics to business

[08:45] Data leaders need technical experience

[12:45] Academics still need soft skills

[19:20] What data science can offer organizations

[23:50] Addressing causal inferences

[25:30] Recommendations for implementing culture in the workplace

[30:00] How a leader should balance priorities

[36:10] Challenges Bülent currently faces in the industry

[38:15] Hierarchy in the startup space

[40:45] What Bülent loves about data science

[42:45] Future data challenges

Resources:
Bülent’s Website: http://www.kiziltan.org/
Bülent’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bulentkiziltan/

Quotes:
“Culturally, I was surprised by the mindset of business leaders.”

“We asked individual members of the data science group to come up with their own ideas that can be implemented in the day-to-day business operations.”

“A diverse team is critically important for the business.”

“All companies will become AI companies in one way or another.”

Thank you to our sponsors:
Fyrebox - Make Your Own Quiz!
RMIT Online Master of Data Science Strategy and Leadership
Gain the advanced strategic, leadership and data science capabilities required to influence executive leadership teams and deliver organisation-wide solutions.
Visit online.rmit.edu.au for more information

And as always, we appreciate your Reviews, Follows, Likes, Shares and Ratings. Thank you so much for listening. Enjoy the show!
49 min
September 10, 2019#68 How To Build Award Winning Data Products with Nick Blewden – Head of Data Product Development
Nick loves playing with, analyzing and visualising data and gets a massive kick out of the change it can bring to people, businesses, and the world. At Lloyd's of London, Nick leads a team of great designers and developers helping people automate processes and get more insight from their data. He gets a buzz from saving others time and surprising them with what surprising insights lie in their data. Out of the office, Nick is keen to mentor or share his experiences and enjoys speaking at events or conferences.
In this episode, Nick discusses some of his favorite projects and describes issues he has faced being part of various teams. When overcoming team obstacles, he listens to every person in the group. If you do not listen to people, then you cannot persuade someone that you are a good guy. Transparency is also essential; explain what knowledge you bring and the processes that you do. People can pick up on integrity, but they can also pick up on suspicion.
Currently, Nick works at Lloyd's of London, the world's leading insurance market providing specialist insurance services to businesses in over 200 countries and territories. He has helped establish a vision and strategy for Business Intelligence within Lloyd's of London and external market published insight. He delivers automated online MI apps to a range of business functions through a roadmap of strategic change while creating a training structure to develop BI analysts across the business.
Nick's data product development team has to work with other teams at Lloyd's of London to create the best products for their customers. They communicate with the innovation team to understand the research. They also work with all the different modelling teams to access their expertise and bounce ideas around with each other. Before working at Lloyd's of London, Nick was self-employed; it taught Nick a lot about customer service, collaboration, and teamwork. Later, Nick explains common mistakes in developing data products, winning global hackathons, and what excites him most about the future of data.
Enjoy the show!

We speak about:
[01:10] How Nick started in the data space

[07:00] The evolution of data warehousing

[11:45] Nick’s favorite projects

[14:45] Navigating team issues

[15:30] Solving problems at Lloyd’s of London

[20:00] Lloyd’s of London customers

[25:40] Interaction with other teams

[30:30] Working for yourself

[35:45] Common mistakes in developing data products

[38:50] Winning global hackathons

[40:20] What excites Nick most about the future of data

[45:45] Nick’s proudest moments
Resources:
Nick’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nicholasblewden

Thank you to our sponsors:
Fyrebox - Make Your Own Quiz!
RMIT Online Master of Data Science Strategy and Leadership
Gain the advanced strategic, leadership and data science capabilities required to influence executive leadership teams and deliver organisation-wide solutions.
Visit online.rmit.edu.au for more information

And as always, we appreciate your Reviews, Follows, Likes, Shares and Ratings. Thank you so much for listening. Enjoy the show!
52 min
September 03, 2019 #67 12 Questions to Ask in Mentoring Sessions with Felipe Flores – Founder & Podcast Host
In this episode, Felipe talks about an aspect of leadership, the one-on-one mentorship and feedback session with people on your team. To start, ask your team member what is on their mind and in general, how have things been going? If they do not have anything pressing they want to discuss in the sessions, Felipe turns to set of twelve questions. The first question is what you are most proud of that you have done since we last caught up? These questions are designed as tools for the team member to recognize the need for self-assessment. What they say is not essential; really, the follow-up questions are more necessary to help them uncover themselves. Next, ask what the team member could have done better since the last time you talked. By allowing them to evaluate and think of improving continually, they can learn faster and become more efficient in their work.
The next few questions require a broader perspective and ask about the team as a whole. It should be clear that everything is a team effort, and all member’s ideas are respected and heard by others on the team. After the team questions, head back to questions about the person and ask what they would like to work on or improve? Then, the next issue will take a lot of trust and rapport with your team member, ask what is one thing that is true that you think I do not want to hear? Question nine is how I can help you to do better? This question has taught Felipe that he is good at the big picture but needs to focus on the details and how the team might achieve the big picture. Finally, the last three questions are asking what they like best and least about the organization and if they are happy at the moment.
Enjoy the show!
We speak about:
[01:35] Open-ended questions
[02:15] What are you most proud of that you have done since we last caught up?
[03:45] What could you have done better?
[05:30] Questions about the team
[10:00] What would you like to work on or improve?
[11:40] What is one thing that is true that you think I do not want to hear?
[13:10] How can I help you to do better?
[15:00] What do you like the least about the team?
[16:00] What do you like best about the team?
[16:35] Are you happy at the moment?
Resources:
Saturday Night Live
Quotes:
“One of the best and quickest ways to learn is to evaluate your efforts continually.”
“Understand the human behind the data scientist.”
“You don’t need to be fixing every person’s problem, but everyone needs help every now and again.”
Thank you to our sponsors:
Fyrebox - Make Your Own Quiz!
RMIT Online Master of Data Science Strategy and Leadership
Gain the advanced strategic, leadership and data science capabilities required to influence executive leadership teams and deliver organisation-wide solutions.
Visit online.rmit.edu.au for more information
And as always, we appreciate your Reviews, Follows, Likes, Shares and Ratings. Thank you so much for listening. Enjoy the show!
24 min
August 27, 2019#66 How to Structure a Data Analytics Team with June Dershewitz – Director of Analytics
June Dershewitz has spent her career driving analytics strategies for major businesses. She's currently Director of Analytics at Twitch, the world's leading video platform and community for gamers (a subsidiary of Amazon). As an analytics practitioner, she builds and leads teams that focus on marketing analytics, product analytics, business intelligence, and data governance. In her prior life as a consultant, she was a member of the leadership team at Semphonic, a prominent analytics consultancy (now part of Ernst & Young). As a long-standing advocate of the analytics community, she was the co-founder of Web Analytics Wednesdays; she's also a Director Emeritus of the Digital Analytics Association and a current Advisory Board Member at Golden Gate University. She holds a BA in Mathematics from Reed College in Portland, Oregon.

Enjoy the show!

We speak about:
[01:40] How June started in the data space

[08:20] Solving problems in startups

[09:45] Getting a holistic view in the workplace

[11:20] Feeling unsure about owning a piece of work

[15:30] Business intelligence skillsets for data scientists

[19:35] Clear understanding of data roles in the workplace

[20:55] An overview of June’s teams’ structures

[27:10] Managing career transitions with the hub and spoke model

[29:25] Assigning each person a technical buddy

[32:10] The data quality journey

[41:40] Evolution of data quality at Twitch

[48:00] Becoming involved in the data science community

[53:10] Other ways June stays involved in her communities

[55:20] Advice for breaking into the data science field
Resources:
June’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jdersh
Non-Invasive Data Governance: The Path of Least Resistance and Greatest Success
Data Governance: How to Design, Deploy and Sustain an Effective Data Governance Program

Quotes:
“The thing about being a data person at that time was we just had to figure it out.”

“I was the vice president of everything that needed to get done.”

“At Twitch, we don’t have a clear definition of what a data engineer means.”

“We chose to move to an organization model that is hub and spoke.”

“Data governance can mean lots of things to lots of people.”

Thank you to our sponsors:
UNSW Master of Data Science Online: studyonline.unsw.edu.au
Datasource Services: datasourceservices.com.au or email Will Howard on [email protected]
Fyrebox - Make Your Own Quiz!

And as always, we appreciate your Reviews, Follows, Likes, Shares and Ratings. Thank you so much for listening. Enjoy the show!
58 min
August 20, 2019#65 Using the Love@Work Method to Improve Workplace Culture with Olivia Parr-Rud – Speaker, Award-Winning Author, and Data Scientist
Olivia is an internationally known thought-leader, speaker, best-selling and award-winning author, and a data scientist who focuses on the interplay between technology, corporate leadership, and personal growth and happiness. Throughout her career, she has blended analytic tools and holistic organizational practices to deliver successful solutions for her clients. As a lifelong spiritual seeker, Olivia began to see patterns that revealed the importance of love as a driver of business success.
In this episode, Olivia explains why she changed her major to statistics in grad school. Once she completed her degree, she joined a bank in San Francisco. Olivia built a model using logistic regression for the bank. It saved the company 17 million dollars a year in mail expense, making her an instant hero. Her desktop computer had a 500-megabyte hard drive when she was running SAS she couldn’t get into any other programs. Financial services had a vibrant climate for modelling because the behavioral data was so reliable. Behavioral data is so powerful because if a person has done something before, they are more likely to do it again.
Enjoy the show!

We speak about:
[01:40] How Olivia started in the data space

[07:50] Data in the financial services industry

[08:50] Oliva’s career history

[13:35] Starting a consulting business

[17:10] Tips for explaining data science to non-technical people

[18:30] Becoming a published author

[24:45] Learning about Holacracy

[29:00] Balancing Holacracy and teamwork

[31:40] Combing data and human skills

[40:20] The Love@Work Method

[47:15] One of Oliva’s professional fails

[51:10] Using LEAP (love, energy, audacity, and proof)

[54:30] Following our intuitions

Resources:
Oliva’s Website: www.lovemakeityourbusiness.com
Data Science Consulting: www.oliviagroup.com
My Big ‘Why’ - https://tinyurl.com/LOVENEWCOMPETITIVEEDGE
LOVE@WORK now available at https://tinyurl.com/OLIVIAPRLOVEATWORK - A Silver Nautilus Book Award-Winner
The LOVE@WORK MethodTM now available at https://tinyurl.com/TheLOVE-WORKMethod
What is your Corporate Love Quotient? Find out here www.corporatelovequotient.com

Oliva’s Social Media:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LoveMakeItYourBusiness/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/oliviagroup/
Twitter handle: #OliviaParrRud
YouTube: www.OliviaOnYouTube.com
Instagram: Love.MakeItYourBusiness

Now you can support Data Futurology on Patreon!
https://www.patreon.com/datafuturology
57 min
August 13, 2019#64 Intersections of Analytics, AI, Linguistics and Culture with Prashant Natarajan – Principal, AI & Analytics
Prashant Natarajan has 18+ years’ experience in building EMRs, ERP, big data platforms, actionable analytics, and machine/deep learning applications. Before joining Deloitte, he served in hands-on global consulting and product leadership roles at H2O.ai, Oracle, McKesson Payer Solutions, Healthways, and Siemens. Prashant is Co-Faculty Instructor of Data Science and AI at Stanford University School of Medicine, Palo Alto, CA, USA. He volunteers as an industry expert and guest lecturer at leading Australian universities. Prashant serves as an industry advisor at the CIAPM computer vision project in University of California San Francisco, Council for Affordable Health Coverage, and Pistoia Alliance Center for Excellence in Artificial Intelligence.
In this episode, Prashant describes how essential human interaction is for success. In a technology-heavy space, human interaction and linguistics were not very common. Instead of complaining about it, Prashant went and got his masters to focus on English in the technology space. To have success, we need a clear understanding of culture. Culture is language, and language at its core is mathematics. How do we interact with people to figure out what their strengths are? Prashant considers himself the luckiest person on earth to have the experiences he has had in his career.

Enjoy the show!

We speak about:
[01:25] How Prashant started in the data space

[03:45] Studying communications and linguistics

[08:45] Mentoring young professionals

[11:45] Work with people who are smarter than you

[15:00] Merging business problems with data science

[19:45] The value business leaders see in data

[25:00] Advice for companies who are moving into data-driven products

[29:45] What excites Prashant about the future of data

[34:05] Horizontal capabilities

[37:20] The use of machine learning in healthcare

[44:20] Improving product development

[48:40] Prashant’s proudest moment

[50:15] The manufacturing industry

[52:20] We learn more from our failures than our successes

Resources:
Prashant’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/natarpr/
Demystifying Big Data and Machine Learning for Healthcare (Himss Book)

Quotes:
“Human interaction is the most key determiner of success or not.”

“Today, we have the technology that has caught up with the human need.”

“Data science is increasingly a horizontal capability that will impact all of us.”

“I celebrate relationships because they allow me to learn.”

Now you can support Data Futurology on Patreon!
https://www.patreon.com/datafuturology

Thank you to our sponsors:
UNSW Master of Data Science Online: studyonline.unsw.edu.au
Datasource Services: datasourceservices.com.au or email Will Howard on [email protected]
Fyrebox - Make Your Own Quiz!

And as always, we appreciate your Reviews, Follows, Likes, Shares and Ratings. Thank you so much for listening. Enjoy the show!
57 min

About Data Futurology - Leadership And Strategy in Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, Data Science

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Artificial intelligence is a tremendously beneficial technology that's advancing at an incredibly rapid pace.

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Data Futurology - Leadership And Strategy in Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, Data Science

Data Futurology - Leadership And Strategy in Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, Data Science episodes

About Data Futurology - Leadership And Strategy in Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, Data Science