Data Science Perspectives

A discussion with Chris Miller, VP, Biometrics - Respiratory & Immunology and Statistical Innovation at AstraZeneca. Impressively, he was one of the first non-PhD employees to break into senior roles on the clinical side of the business. Chris talks about why he tasked everyone on his team to have three examples of using AI in their daily jobs by end of year. He also talks about how AI agents are...

A discussion with Hatem Sellami, founder and CEO of both Cognira and RetSci. His career has been centered on software and modeling solutions in the retail forecasting and promotion space. He previously founded Predictix and sold it to Infor. He started his career with Retek, which was acquired by Oracle. Hatem talks about how, growing up, his family owned some retail stores, but that he didn’t pla...

A discussion with Divyes Patel, Director, Innovation, Research, & Development at a large Healthcare company based in Tennessee. During his current tenure, as well as past jobs at UnitedHealth Group and Cigna, he’s focused on using data to make healthcare more efficient and effective. Divyes talks about how he initially started programming in COBOL, but quickly moved to building reports, and th...

A discussion with Kira Barclay, CEO and founder of Black Antler Advisory & Consulting. Kira is also the past Chief Data & Analytics Executive at John Deere, where she spent nearly 20 years. Kira talks about how growing up on a farm gave her an innate understanding of John Deere’s business. She knew how customers used Deere’s equipment and even went to the John Deere store with her grandpa...

A discussion with Doug Hague, Executive Director, Corporate Engagement at UNC Charlotte. In recent years, he helped UNC Charlotte establish its School of Data Science. Prior to that, he spent many years with Bank of America ending with the role of Chief Analytics Officer of Bank of America Merchant Services. Doug discusses how the variety and growth in the financial industry kept him happy over th...

A discussion with Sasha Verbitsky, SVP - Data, Analytics, Digital at @Simon Property Group. Some people have gotten to work at a number of well-known companies throughout their career, and today’s guest is one of them! Sasha recently joined Simon after past roles at Nike, Panera Bread, Marriott, Abercrombie & Fitch, Lands’ End, and Victoria’s Secret Direct. Sasha discusses how his first job lu...

A discussion with Steve Butler, North America Leader - Analytics, Insights, and Automation at global healthcare technology company Philips. Steve has had a balance of consulting and client roles over his career, which enables him to provide unique insights into the field of data science and analytics. Steve talks about the pros and cons of client versus consulting roles. He also discusses why he b...

A discussion with Mabby Amouie, Assistant Vice President, Enterprise Data & Analytics, Norfolk Southern. He has advanced from his initial data scientist role to a senior leadership role in just over a decade. Mabby talks about how his industrial engineering background influences his approach to analytics. He then dives into how he always wants to know what’s happening under the hood and has to...

A discussion with Patrick Moore, AVP, Human Health Data Strategy & Governance at Merck. Not many people spend their whole career at the same company these days, but those who do are often happy to have done it. Patrick has spent 30 years at Merck rising through the ranks and seeing analytics evolve in breadth and impact. Patrick talks about how analytics has gone from “prove it works” to “I ne...

A discussion with Carole Piovesan, Founder of INQ Law and INQ IQ Consulting. She has held past roles with Global Affairs Canada and McCarthy Tétrault. Carole talks about how she got focused on the legal issues surrounding AI and data, as well as the complexity of the landscape with countries, states, and even cities passing their own laws. She discusses some of the most common issues her clients a...

A discussion with Beverly Wright, VP of Data Science and AI at Wavicle Data Solutions. She has held roles in a variety of business and academic settings including roles with Aspirent (now NTTData), Cox Communications, University of Georgia, Georgia Tech, and more. Beverly talks about why she thinks the rise of unstructured data has been one of the biggest analytical trends of the past few decades...

A discussion with Nathan Ghadirifard, Director, Chief Data & Analytics Office, WellStar Health System. He has held prior roles at Cleveland Clinic and healthcare consulting firms. Nathan talks about the rise of operationally focused analytics in healthcare. He also talks about the role that governance plays in the adoption of AI and analytics today. He then dives into the need for diplomacy an...

We’ll finish this “best of” season of Data Science Perspectives with advice for students from a range of executives. You’ll hear about the importance of gaining a breadth of experience, not being afraid to try new things and take some risks, doing what’s right for you, the importance of soft skills and communication, the need to remember that a career is a long game, and more. #analytics #datascie...

What skills are companies looking for? Spoiler alert … the answers may surprise you! This episode features guests discussing what it takes to be a winning candidate for their data science and analytics job openings. The answers may not be what you expect! You’ll hear about why technical skills are table stakes, how soft skills and communication are critical, the importance of authenticity and inte...

Leadership is always a topic worthy of discussion, and this week’s “best of” episode of Data Science Perspectives features a variety of past guests discussing their viewpoints on leadership. You’ll hear about how to motivate teams, how to capitalize on leaders’ excitement, managing up and across, focusing on scale and execution, and more. #analytics #datascience #leadership #machinelearning #ai #a...

This week’s “best of” episode of Data Science Perspectives features a variety of past guests discussing the similarities and differences between different industries or business functions. You’ll hear about how scaling is a challenge across the board, why infrastructure is always a challenge, how different industries change at different paces, the universal need for change management, the importan...

This week’s “best of” episode of Data Science Perspectives features a variety of past guests discussing what they wish someone had told them before they started working. You’ll hear about the importance of relationships, the need to balance business considerations and constraints with analytical power, the need to manage up, how technical skills aren’t enough, and more. #analytics #datascience #le...

This Season of Data Science Perspectives will feature a “best of” approach where I’ve selected a sampling of past guests and their response to the same question. This will provide listeners with multiple viewpoints on one critical topic. This week’s episode of Data Science Perspectives features a variety of past guests discussing what traits they believe most contributed to their success over the...

A discussion with David Sommers, Senior VP of Analytics, Epsilon. He has held prior roles at Cox Automotive, Advance Auto Parts, Nationwide Insurance, Bank of America, Wells Fargo, Best Buy. He talks about how he transformed from a pre-dental undergrad into an analytics executive. He outlines how he watched customer analytics evolve to include digital channels and detailed customer journey analyti...

A discussion with Dwight Specht, Vice President, Digital Transformation & Strategy at Bridgestone Americas, the US division of the global tire and automotive corporation. He has held prior roles at North Highland, I.B.I.S., and ePartners. He talks about the types of analytical consulting and how they have evolved over the years, as well as how client engagements have changed. He discusses his...

A discussion with Keyur Desai, former Chief Data Officer, TD Ameritrade. He has held other roles at Teradata, MicroStrategy, Attensity, Informatica, and Herbalife Nutrition. He talks about the challenges in building the first enterprise reporting tool from a small start up to a global, publicly traded company – all without venture capital funding. He also outlines how he looks for the ability to c...

A discussion with Melanie Murphy, Chief Analytics Officer at Fluent. Fluent helps companies acquire and retain customers across the entire omnichannel marketing experience. She has held prior roles at Bed Bath & Beyond, Mindtree, and Experian. She talks about learning to manage 120 people while still in school and how she came to focus on scaling marketing analytics to an enterprise level. She out...

A discussion with Kathleen Maley, Vice President, Analytics, Experian. She has held prior roles at Bank of America, Key Bank, and her own consulting firm. Kathleen talks about her view of math versus statistics and how she became a math teacher to start her career. We discuss how great it is for analytics teams to have a seat at the table these days and she outlines her philosophy of helping busin...

A discussion with Chris Donovan, EVP, Chief Data and Information Officer at Medical Mutual. Medical Mutual is a multi-billion-dollar health insurer in Ohio. Previously, Chris spent several decades in various roles at the world-famous Cleveland Clinic. He talks about what he focused on as he advanced in his career and why he never lets himself worry more about his next job than his current one. He...

A discussion with Joe DeCosmo, Chief Analytics and Technology Officer, Enova International. Joe spent time in the direct marketing industry before starting and running his own company for 10 years. He then stayed with The Allant Group, who bought his company, for six years before his move to Enova. He talks about how he met his goal of starting his own business before he turned 30, how being in a...