This episode features an interview with Anahita Tafvizi, VP and Head of Data Science & Business Operations at Instacart. Instacart is the leading grocery technology company in North America

As a senior executive at Instacart, Anahita drives key operations and strategic decisions across all company product pillars and ensures data investments are aligned with the long-term business strategy. She leads a team of over 150+ Data Science and Strategy individuals across all company product lines including consumers, shoppers, advertisers, and retailer products. Previously, Anahita was the Director of Finance for Google Commerce, Retail & Travel, as well as the Head of Finance for YouTube Ads and Head of Analytics & Data Science for eBay Ads. She is passionate about building high-performance data and strategy organizations with a focus on agility and impact. Anahita earned a Ph.D in Physics from Harvard University.

In this episode, Anahita talks about structuring her data science team to reveal opportunities for new efficiencies that guide Instacart’s 4-sided marketplace, her approach to hiring the leadership team and overseeing 150+ employees, and reveals recent data science initiatives fueling product-led growth.

Bio:

Anahita Tafvizi is currently the Vice President and Head of Data Science & Business Operations at Instacart. As a senior executive of the company, she drives key operations and strategic decisions across all Instacart product pillars and ensures data investments are aligned with the company’s long-term business strategy. She is passionate about building high-performance data and strategy organizations with a focus on agility and impact.

Key Quotes:

“How can we make the experience of buying groceries on Instacart not just more convenient but also more efficient and delightful? To inspire product strategy, we spend a lot of time trying to understand patterns of shopping so we can build personalized experiences.” - Anahita Tafvizi