Do you get a seat at your clients’ strategic discussions? If not, what will it take to get you there?
With topics such as automation and the future of work through to data sovereignty, the ethical uses of AI, and the opportunities and risks that AI brings to their sustainability ambition, I am involved in strategic discussions with many clients about the role that AI plays in both their business and societal missions.
What are your key areas of focus for the business in 2022?
To keep the momentum of the digital and data transformations brought to the fore by the pandemic, it is essential to transition many of the associated use cases and initiatives from being new ways of working to becoming an essential part of day-to-day business. This will be most impactful if the benefits from data and analytics projects are clearly linked to boardroom level business KPIs and metrics, as well as to the societal missions of organisations.
How do you apply your leadership skills a) within your own business and b) on behalf of your clients?
Both in my organisation and on behalf of my clients, I foster an environment where everyone is valued and empowered to have the impact that aligns with their skillsets and career aspirations. I also support people I work with to make data and analytics an integral part of their work through relevant training and the deployment of the appropriate tools, making it easier for all to leverage the plethora of analytics solutions and opportunities available.
What key skills or attributes do you consider have contributed to your success in this role?
I believe that my deep technical and operational expertise combined with my commercial acumen and my drive to impact business outcomes are at the heart of my success in this role. I can seamlessly go back and forth between business challenges, algorithmic design and technological requirements, throughout the stages of a data project from a business case formulation to its deployment as a data product working with executives, business owners, designers and technical experts and engineers.
How did you develop – and continue to develop – these skills or attributes?
I believe that we will experience more breakthroughs in the areas of advanced analytics in the next decade. My goal is to make these breakthroughs accessible to my clients to make the work of their people more fulfilling while delivering value. I also believe that these breakthroughs will come with many risks to our privacy, jobs and society.
My goal is to support academics, governments, regulators, international organisations and companies to define a pragmatic journey that fosters innovation and anticipate and address potential risks. This will enable me to further develop by business sense and technical expertise about where the use of AI is most impactful and anticipate the risk inherent to using AI without grounding it into the mission of the organisation.