Stacked Data Podcast

Most data orgs scale their AE team as they grow. Wise didn't. Moritz Kerstan runs a lean team of 17 supporting over 300 data practitioners — and he's got a clear thesis on why that's the right call. In this episode, we dig into how Wise structures their analytics engineering function, how the team operates without hierarchical authority, what good prioritisation actually looks like, and the honest...

Ed Mancey has a take that a lot of data leaders won't like — and he's got two years of results to back it up. As the data team lead at Synthesia, Ed has built his function around a single idea: the data team's job is to be a multiplier for the business, not a bottleneck. That means owning platforms and tools, not seats in strategy meetings. It means drawing hard lines on responsibility. And it mea...

Most AI projects in financial services stay in a pilot. Moneybox actually shipped one. In this episode, we sit down with Marko Katavic, Director of AI and Decision Intelligence at Moneybox, to get the real story behind Aurora — the in-house AI guidance engine Moneybox built to help their 1.5 million customers better understand and act on their finances. We go deep on what it actually takes to buil...

Stuart Fenton holds arguably the most unique job in UK data and AI — Head of AI at Reading FC, and the first person to hold that title in English football. His path here wasn't exactly conventional. Telecoms. Applied research at the University of Surrey's 5G Innovation Centre. Government AI advisory. And then — a completely faceless tweet to the club's owner. In this episode, we get into: • Why mo...

In this episode of the Stacked Data Podcast, we explore how modern data teams can drive real business impact by combining commercial thinking with a product mindset. I’m joined by Ryan, a data leader at Viasat, who has built the company’s only commercially-driven data roadmap across six data teams. With experience spanning analytics engineering, data product management, and team leadership, Ryan b...

In this episode of the Stacked Data Podcast , Harry sits down with Adam Sorka  from Hyper Cubed to tackle one of the biggest gaps in the industry right now: Why so many AI projects never make it past experimentation — and what it actually takes to deliver real value. Adam has built a reputation as a pragmatic (and often sceptical) voice in the AI space. In this conversation, he breaks down wh...

The Data Science Identity Crisis | Anurag Gangal (Spotify) on Data Roles, Analytics Engineering & AI What does a data scientist actually do anymore? In this episode of the Stacked Data Podcast , Harry sits down with Anurag Gangal from Spotify to unpack one of the biggest challenges in modern data: the growing confusion around data role titles . From data scientists and analytics engineers to p...

What does it take to run over 1,500 experiments a year — and still maintain speed, quality, and impact? In this episode, Harry sits down with Dmitry Zolotukhin , VP of Analytics at Flo , to unpack how one of the world’s leading health and wellness apps built a truly data-driven culture of experimentation. They explore Flo’s journey from early-stage testing to a mature experimentation framework, th...

On this episode of the Stacked Data Podcast , Harry Gollop sits down with Hugo Lu, co-founder of Orchestra , to tackle one of the most common debates in modern data teams: should you build your own tools or buy off-the-shelf solutions? Hugo shares his experiences on both sides of the decision, practical frameworks for evaluating cost, opportunity, and long-term value, and real-world examples of wh...

This week, I’m joined by Timothy Chan, Head of Data at Statsig . Tim has a fascinating background — he started his career as a scientist developing life-saving drugs before pivoting into data. He went on to become a Staff Data Scientist at Meta and now leads the data function at Statsig , one of the world’s leading experimentation platforms, recently acquired by OpenAI . In this episode, we dive i...

Welcome back to the Stacked Data Podcast — where we explore what it really takes to build impactful data teams in the modern world. This week’s episode is all about stepping out of the ticket queue and into the strategic driver seat . I sat down with Adam Cassar , Director of Analytics at Wise , to explore how analytics teams can break free from the reactive reporting cycle and become genuine busi...

𝐁𝐞𝐲𝐨𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐏𝐢𝐩𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐞 – 𝐓𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐓𝐫𝐮𝐞 𝐈𝐦𝐩𝐚𝐜𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐀𝐧𝐚𝐥𝐲𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐬 𝐄𝐧𝐠𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 Analytics Engineering has become one of the most in-demand roles for modern data teams in recent years.  The role goes far beyond just building clean data pipelines and data models, but how do we actually measure that impact? In today’s episode of the Stacked Data Podcast, we're joined by Ross Helenius, Director of Analyt...

Digestible. Defensible. Actionable. What does it really take to drive impact with data? Too often, analysts are left wondering: “Why didn’t anyone do anything with that insight?” This week on the Stacked Data Podcast , I’m joined by Sam Marks , Director of Analytics & Business Strategy at the Boston Bruins , to explore the gap between finding insights and driving action — and how to close it....

Building High-Value Data Teams and the Future of BI with Oliver Hughes, CEO of Count In this episode of the Stacked Data Podcast, we're joined by Oliver Hughes, CEO of Count — a business intelligence platform reinventing how teams collaborate through a flexible, canvas-style interface. Together, we explore: The key principles that make data teams truly impactful Why operational clarity, effective...

In this episode of the Stacked Data Podcast , we're joined by Zach from Advancing Analytics to dive deep into the world of modern data platforms. Zach walks us through his career in data and his current role at one of the UK's leading data consultancies. We explore what a modern data platform really is, why companies are investing in them, and what it takes to build one that’s scalable, reliable,...

In this episode of Stacked Data Podcast , I’m joined by Manou , Head of Data & X at Medik8 , to dive into the unique challenges of leading a small data team —and more importantly, how to overcome them. ✅ How do you prioritize when resources are tight? ✅ How can small data teams drive real business impact ? ✅ What strategies help in building a strong team culture ? Manou shares practical str...

🚀 𝐖𝐡𝐲 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐒𝐞𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐜 𝐋𝐚𝐲𝐞𝐫 𝐢𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐌𝐢𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐏𝐢𝐞𝐜𝐞 𝐢𝐧 𝐃𝐚𝐭𝐚 & 𝐀𝐈 🎙️ Data teams are investing more than ever in AI and analytics, yet many still struggle to make their data truly accessible, consistent, and reliable. One major reason? The semantic layer. Without a curated Semantic Layer, self-serve AI is a pipedream! In the latest episode of the Stacked Data Podcast, I sit down with Sarah Levy , CEO...

In the world of app-based products, event tracking is the backbone of understanding user behaviour, engagement, and product success. But with so much data available, how do you decide what to track? How do you avoid over-tracking while ensuring your insights drive real business impact? In this episode of the Stacked Data Podcast, I sit down with Matt R, Head of Data at Paired, to break down the ar...

In today's fast-moving, data-driven world, embedding analytics from the start... rather than as an afterthought, is becoming essential. But what does it really mean to design analytics into the DNA of a business process? Have you ever had a stakholder launch a new product and then come to see you as a data team to see how its performing and what the key metrics are? I bet you have, Analytics by de...

We’re back, and we’re kicking off with a BANG! 💥 Monzo is home to one of the most respected data teams in the UK—true trailblazers in Analytics Engineering , regularly sharing insights into how they scale data. This episode is no different! I had the pleasure of sitting down with John Azzopardi, Senior Analytics Engineering Manager at Monzo , who’s been with the company for over 6 years . We dive...

The Rise of the Data Product Manager… How often have you joined a data team where data is poorly understood by the business, siloed, and churning out tickets with little impact? Or found that the Analytics team doesn’t communicate with Data Engineering, leading to project delays due to missing data? These common challenges underscore the need for a new role that’s gaining traction: the Data Produc...

Is AI coming for data jobs? Gaurav Tiwari , an Engineering Manager at Spotify , joining me on The Stacked Data Podcast . I first encountered Gaurav's insightful perspectives on AI at The London Analytics Engineering Meet-up, I had to get him on the show! With a deep-seated passion for AI, Gaurav brings a critical eye to this rapidly evolving field. We dived deep into the implications of Generative...

The Semantic Layer, what cand it do? The modern data stack has transformed the way businesses store, prepare, and consume data. Yet, amidst this data revolution, organisations are continuing to encounter challenges such as data quality, inconsistency, and escalating costs. One solution gaining traction is the semantic layer. Excited to announce the latest episode of the Stacked Data Podcast, featu...

The data industry is evolving at an exponential rate; what is possible today was a dream just 10 years ago. As data teams become more complex and roles increasingly specialised, the risk of losing a holistic view of the systems and elements that make up a successful data team grows. This week, I’m joined by data strategist Dylan Anderson from Rekite to discuss the importance of understanding the e...

Data Contracts have gained a huge amount of traction over recent years as Data teams strive to increase the quality of their offering. This week on Stacked Data podcast I had the pleasure of taking a deep dive into the world of data contracts with none other than Andrew Jones, the Principal Engineer at GoCardless and the pioneer behind this transformative concept. If you haven’t heard of Data Cont...