What separates analytics teams that get a seat at the table from those stuck in the reporting queue?

Anthony Jackel, Senior Director of Business Intelligence & Analytics at Ferrara, has spent his career answering that question, from Kraft to one of America's largest candy companies.

In this conversation, we explore:

• What "data-driven enterprise" actually means
• The shift from data providers to decision enablers
• Why user-centered design matters as much for dashboards as it does for iPhones
• How to build analytics products that drive action, not just curiosity
• The mindset shift that earns analytics a seat at the table

Connect with us:

Website: https://thedatastorytellers.com/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-data-storytellers

Apple Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-data-storytellers-podcast/id1493766476

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2N0vZtHZHgod4Tll2LX2xa

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCz9e56lhYUfORiOHMiLlPmA

Chapters:

00:00 – Introduction to Anthony Jackel and his role at Ferrara
03:35 – Building Ferrara’s analytics team from scratch
07:42 – The problem with dashboards and low-value data work
11:50 – Connecting analytics to business decisions and revenue
16:25 – The importance of commercial empathy for data leaders
20:18 – Getting out of the service provider mindset
25:04 – Translating technical insights for non-technical audiences
28:45 – Why building trust is more important than being right
33:29 – Lessons from finance that shaped his analytics approach
37:12 – Coaching and developing high-performing analytics talent
41:05 – The challenge of balancing curiosity with execution
45:18 – Internal marketing and the power of repeatable wins
49:56 – Final advice for future analytics leaders

📍 Chapter Timestamps (Finalized for 50:13 runtime)