What has been your path to power?
As a trained statistician and data scientist, my early career was all about fitting mathematical models to data to drive decision-making. However, I was always far more interested in the outcome than the analysis itself, which led to a move into consulting with Insightful. This allowed me to work across a range of industries and to understand how data could add value in a variety of situations.
Inspired by the potential for data to drive value and underpin more modern business models, I co-founded Mango Solutions in 2002, growing it into one of the most recognised data science consultancies in the UK. We became trusted partners to some of the largest organisations in the world (such as HSBC, GSK, Shell, Lloyds and S&P Global), delivering professional data science solutions across a variety of sectors. My business partner and I built Mango to 75 people, winning the DataIQ data and analytics team of the year award in 2020.
In November 2020, Mango was acquired by Ascent, an established data and software engineering company. At Ascent, I have built and now lead the data consulting practice which focuses on helping organisations better understand their data opportunity (through data strategy, ideation and data literacy).
What impact has the pandemic had on demand from your clients?
Following an initial knee-jerk reaction, where a number of our projects (mostly in retail or hospitality) were put on hold in 2020, demand during the pandemic grew and we achieved record results throughout 2020 and 2021. This was largely driven by financial and pharmaceutical clients, along with large projects in the public sector to model and understand the spread and implications of Covid-19.
Do you get a seat at your clients’ strategic discussions? If not, what will it take to get you there?
We’re in a very privileged position to be invited into leadership conversations with clients as they discuss the influence of data on their business strategy. I often see the conversation swing between the way in which data (and digital) can be seen as a threat (lowering the barriers for disruptors) and as an opportunity (enabling value creation and supporting new business models). We find that our role in these situations can switch rapidly between advisors and educators as we help leadership teams understand the potential and language of data, supporting them as they chart a course to data-driven success.
What are your key areas of focus for the business in 2022?
For us, 2022 is about growth, clarity and pace. In terms of growth, we’re looking at how we can increase headcount in line with growing demand. Aligned to this, we are increasingly creating clarity around our service offerings with a focus on strategy (creating a data strategy for clients), ideation (surfacing high-impact initiatives) and education (literacy training for leadership and management). For our clients, we’re starting to realise that our offerings need to be dynamic to reflect the client’s pace of change. To support this, we’re developing a new service that is more focused on positive disruption than transformation.
How do you apply your leadership skills a) within your own business and b) on behalf of your clients?
As a consultant, I rely heavily on my ability to empathise with internal and external stakeholders. Leaning on my experience of building and running a company, this allows me to ensure I can provide the right advice within the context of the relevant business ambitions, challenges, hopes and fears.
What key skills or attributes do you consider have contributed to your success in this role?
My grounding as a data scientist, together with my experience of business (through running my company and working with clients), has enabled me to see quickly connections and identify opportunities for value creation. This has enabled me to surface, then critically evaluate, opportunities based on their feasibility and the realities of often complex commercial organisations. I am then well placed to advise customers effectively on their data opportunity, which is core to my role. But then I look around me and see my team doing incredible things on a daily basis, so I guess my key skills must be my ability to hire great people!
How did you develop – and continue to develop – these skills or attributes?
I’ve been fortunate to work with some amazing people throughout my career who have inspired me to continue to adapt and learn. This includes my current team of data consultants who amaze me on a daily basis with their knowledge and intuition.I also get to work with leadership teams across diverse clients. Each conversation I have I learn something new, perhaps about the way someone thinks about their business or the challenges they face. I often feel that my ability to advise clients is driven by the collective experience of the different clients I’ve worked with over the last 20 years.
How do you ensure that your proposition keeps pace with your clients’ goals and requirements so that you are leading rather than lagging behind their demands?
As a team we look to embody our corporate values of energy, empathy and audacity. As part of these, our team are encouraged to discuss and challenge everything from our team’s manifesto to our ways of working. In this way, our team is constantly looking to reflect conversations with customers and to challenge our range of services. This allows us to innovate quickly and ensure we are able to meet customers’ changing demands.
A great example of this is the disruptive service, which came from an idea within the team based on a discussion with a customer. This service looks to assess an organisation’s vulnerability from data and digital disruption as a way of driving conversations around a more fast-paced transformation.
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