The Data Strategy Show

I’ve known Dan for a few years now and we have been engaged on LinkedIn getting to know each other. When Dan expressed interest on coming onto the show, I was delighted. He calls himself the Techno Optimist and as humanity faces countless challenges in its continuing evolution, he believes that data and tech can be used to make the world a better place.

Here is a little more about Dan. He’s currently Vice President Product and Solution Marketing - MDM, Data Quality, Governance, & Privacy at Informatica.

I loved our discussion and his thought process, he is heavily into Neuroscience and philosophy thinking about some of the difficult subjects in the data and tech world such as bias attempting to bring them to life in human form.

As you can tell I had a lot of fun with Dan and loved his positive and fun-loving approach to life. I hope you enjoy this episode please do like, share, and comment and I hope you enjoy listening to Dan. Behind every data leader there is a person and here is Dan unplugged.

The pre-discussion with Vijay was fantastic and we instantly hit it off! We talked about his passion for cooking fusion food, his trips to the Napa valley, his family and the various trips they take to new destinations.

I’m sure you will notice that these and plenty other themes come up in this fantastic episode. Here is a little more about Vijay. He’s currently Director of Quantitative Science, and Head of Data Science at the centre for mathematical sciences for Merck.

What I loved about our discussion was his passion for data strategy and how he loved to drive business value and outcomes solving complex problems, collaborating through data science and advanced analytics.

A few accolades that I can mention he won the 2021 manufacturing leadership award for the best AI/ML driven data product, he led the AI enabled HawkAVI data product that automated vision inspections to reduce drug product false rejects by 25% and he previously won the AstraZeneca innovation award.

As you can tell Vijay loves to succeed and talks about the many times he has and also the many times he’s failed. But dedicated to his craft these are all learning experiences and he’s persistent to get over hurdles and never stops.

I hope you enjoy this episode please do like, share, and comment and I hope you enjoy listening to Vijay. Behind every data leader there is a person and here is Vijay unplugged.

Gaurav was brilliant to speak to – a big Bollywood and cricket fan with a photographic memory! He’s current the Global Data Governance Lead at The Boston Consulting Group responsible for conceptualizing and driving data management processes within BCG's global data tribe.

Please do like, share, comment and I hope you enjoy listening to Gaurav. Behind every data leader there is a person and here is Gaurav unplugged.

Every leader has a different view of the world and how exciting it is for me to understand what makes different data leaders tick!  It was great to speak to Alexander and he was an open soul, not inhibited at all about his true self and what drives him to do the things he does.  Here is a little bit about Alexander:

Alexander is a data science leader who builds and develops world class teams and who delivers scalable data pipelines and data products for companies with a no-nonsense attitude, realistic expectations and practical approach towards data, insight, machine learning and AI.

He currently works as the Head of Data at MindGym.

I really loved this conversation and speaking to data leaders I always pick up some good nuggets about what drives them to be who they are. Pete is foremost a data evangelist – he’s always had this monicker and sticks to his guns on it! Dedicated to the cause of data he is deeply passionate about how it is used to drive better, faster decisions. A coffee lover at heart and a trained barista, Pete gives us insights into his life from having the fortune of growing up in different countries, being able to embrace different cultures and ferociously read anything he could get his hands on as a child.

He currently works at the Penguin Random House UK as their Director of Data and Online – building and leading a brilliant data team to make a difference.

Itoro is an absolute star and I loved our conversation and learning about Itoro and her journey to data and data science. Her journsy has been an amazing one to where she is now.  She started out as an engineer and through her curiosity embarked on changing her career and getting into data and specifically becoming a data scientist!

She currently works at the Principality Building Society and leads a team of data scientists and data analysts.

Please do like, share, comment and I hope you enjoy listening to Itoro. Behind every data leader there is a person and here is Itoro unplugged.

Kat is an executive data leader and is passionate about all things people, culture and business. I met Kat about a year ago, over a coffee waxing about data, culture, the world and our post-pandemic hopes.  One thing that stands out with Kat is her passion and heartfelt approach to people and transformation. She wears her heart on her sleeve and what you see is what you get! My kind of person!

When she’s not doing her day job, she’s busy with MenopuaseX providing data insights and recommendations to improve the well-being of all individuals affected by the menopause. which she founded about a year ago.

As always and I'm not biased, I think you will love this episode.  As we get to know more about data leaders we see a vast array of personalities and what motivates them to do what they do.  So, without giving too much away, behind every data leader there is a person and here is Kat unplugged!

Andy and I met back in 2014 on a large transformation programme we were both working on.  We are also Accenture Alumni and one thing that I love about him is that while he's passionate about data, he's super passionate about the business.  I would say we hit it off as we were both thinking about how we could speak in the purist of business languages, while delivering excellence in what we did!  Even though I've known him for so long there are things that I only found out about him on 66 question and one of those is that he's a musician!  A drummer in fact and those genes have been passed down to his son!  Must be a super noisy place! 

I think you will love this episode as I did and I won't give any more information away! Here is Andy, with insights into who he is and what makes him tick! As always, behind every data leader there is a person and here is Andy unplugged!

About Andy:

Data, analytics and commercially focused senior manager and product manager. I have built and led teams to deliver high impact data products for a wide range of business stakeholders. My key focus is to partner with business leaders to identify and unlock value through data, taking ideas from concept to business case and delivery to realise commercial value and data transformation.

About Samir:

Samir is the CEO and Founder of datazuum, a data strategy and analytics consulting firm. Advising businesses on how to prioritise data activities, identify growth possibilities, and use data to boost revenue and profit. His clients span the UK, Europe, and North America, and range from medium sized firms to major multinational corporations.

Samir lives in London with his wife and daughter.

Drew and I met in August 2020 through the popular platform that is LinkedIn.  What struck me is the depth of thought almost philosophical that Drew engages in around the topics of business in particular - people, process, data and technology.  

A business minded individual with a flair for driving business goals and outcomes through data, he and I have had many discussions about the industry, how businesses are dealing with this thing called data and what leadership is required.

Well, in today's episode Drew lets us into his own beliefs and values, who he really is and how he sees himself and the world.  I loved this episode as there is a certain ease with which words roll off Drew's tongue.  It's been wonderful to know and learn more from Drew as our conversations are always collaborative learning experiences.

Here are his personal insights and of course, behind every data leader, there is a person.  Here is Drew unplugged!

I first met Kate in 2019 and interviewed her for my data leaders series way back when, which is on YouTube.  Zip to 2022 and Kate has launched her own brand DATAcated.  She's got a great philosophy to life, is an avid reader, watches very little TV and gets up at 5am to get all of the things that she wants to do before the rest of the family awake.  I've watched Kate from a distance since 2019, going from corporate employee to data influencer and her relentless drive to achieve all she can is an absolute inspiration to me and to others.  She is extremely personable and I believe that comes through in the interview.  

We had a lot of laughs and of course behind every data leader, there is a person and here is Kate unplugged!

About Kate:

Founder & Community Manager at the DATAcated Circle - a community for data professionals to network, learn, and have fun! Author of four books: