Zach is the Senior Director, Head of AI, Data Science and Analytics at Fortune Brands, a portfolio of brands that includes names like Yale, Master Lock, SentrySafe, Moen faucets, House of Rohl and Therma‑Tru, among others.

In this episode, Zach describes his journey from a PhD in Mathematics with an MBA, to the head of AI at Fortune Brands. One project he describes is a solution that detects residential water leaks and that automatically shuts off the water to protect the house. Another project involves sentiment analysis of customer reviews, implemented in a way that’s tailored to the specific needs of product managers. The conversation also covers enabling technologies, including multi-modal language models, causal inference, and digital twins. Zach also describes the road from feasibility testing to full deployment.