Sarah Barr Miller, director of data and automation, British Airways

Describe your career to date
I have only ever worked in the data field - well before it was a specialism in its own right. When I studied for a BA in geography at Leeds University there was one module which loosely covered some basic programming and I knew then that I had found something I was good at and could create a career from. 

My career started really in data management roles, so learning my craft from the basics. Joining Dunnhumby was pivotal for me (I describe them as a finishing school for data professionals) as they live and breathe the ethos of customer engagement through data without trying. There I was able to eventually move into a managerial role, stepping away from the coding – so talking data rather than doing data – and I then joined their international expansion team working with retailers all over the world managing a virtual team across the globe. 

Since leaving and having a family, I have moved from retail into other industries and have broadened my skills through building an insight team from scratch. This taught me to be comfortable being a client of data as well as someone who runs the function. My role at British Airways has taken me back to leading data and is fascinating - we have such a rich asset and aviation is brand new to me, so I am learning fast.