Venturi's Voice: Technology | Leadership | Staffing | Career | Innovation

In this episode Andy Davis talks to Bruce Pannaman, a Data Scientist at Busuu. On the show they discuss the links between Business Intelligence and Data Science. They also chat about the direction Data Science is heading and where it’s taking society. Show Notes: 1.06 When do you need to start building a data science team. 3.41 Moving from business intelligence into Data Science. 6.02 Proving out your concept to make business sense. 7.59 Did you have to collaborate with a lot of other teams when building your data team. 9.30 Finding talent for the Data Science role. 12.22 Founding a Data Science community outside of work. 13.54 Bruce’s background and career progression. 15.11 The creative aspect of Data. 18.33 Looking to the future where do you see Data heading? 20.01 Silicon roundabout. 23.25 Discussing office culture and remote working. 24.15 How is Data going to evolve?

In this episode Andy Davis talks to Carl Austin, the UK CTO at BJSS. On the show they discuss the new industrial revolution being brought about by Artificial Intelligence. They chat about how society can embrace this change and what it could mean for people whose jobs may be taken over by machines. Carl and Andy also speak about how technology is now been driven more by consumer demand. Show Notes: 1.12 How close do you think you can to predicting the future 10 years ago? 3.40 Is the gap between the creation of a new technology and it being available to the public shrinking? 5.55 Technology is being more tailored for public demand and it’s being built with more of a purpose. 8.15 Carl’s background and career progression. 10.43 What aspects of technology do you find most compelling? 13.37 Cryptocurrency and bursting bubbles. 16.43 What are some of the common things people ask you? 19.29 Is there a slight panic around machine learning and AI. 21.46 The move to AI should be celebrated. 23.03 Entire job families being destroyed with the advent of new AI technologies. 27.34 Tying Data into AI. 29.15 How do you align your future thoughts with your companies goals?

In this episode Andy Davis talks Paul Pop, Senior Data Scientist and team lead at huddle. On the show they discuss creating a collaborative environment for your data team and talk about how a varied team can provide better insight for your business. They also chat about the best practices for onboarding Data professionals. Andy asks Paul how he determines the ROI of his Data teams and whether that’s actually possible. Show Notes: 1.53 Is it a necessity to have an analytical and mathematical mind to be good at data? 4.04 The creative side of Data. 5.57 Is it more typical for Data Scientists to come from an engineering background. 7.48 Do you feel that from a business perspective you’re more pressured in a data role than a software role. 9.21 Is it a collaborative environment in your data science team. It there a lot of different perspectives and what’s it like working in an environment like that? 12.01 Do you think people would be surprised when they see how a Data Science team works. 15.02 The hiring process for onboarding Data professionals. 18.41 Paul’s background and career progression. 19.55 What do you hope to gain from Data from a macro perspective. 21.20 Is there still potential for innovation in the data space. 24.18 Articulating the precise business value of the Data teams output. 27.07 Why you shouldn’t expect a silver bullet from your Data Science team. 30.02 Justifying your ROI.

In this episode Andy Davis talks to Graeme McDermott, Chief Data Officer at Addison Lee. On the show they discuss how the CDO fits into the C-suite. Andy asks Graeme how a Chief Data Officer can collaborate with a Chief Finance Officer. They also chat about how best to align Data with the goals of your business. Graeme tells Andy how he manages the different personalities in his Data team Show Notes: 1.06 How do we determine whether a company needs a CDO. 4.34 Defining the role of a CDO more closely and the evolution of a CDO. 7.29 The goals of your business have a significant impact on the role of a CDO. 10.38 Is there a skill in being able to align the capabilities of data with the goals of your business. 12.31 There’s not enough time in the day be the both technical and a manager. 13.47 What were the team dynamics like when you were progressing through your career. 19.07 Having the ability to get things done. 20.05 Managing the different motivations of your team. 23.51 It’s important for people to work on things they’re passionate about. 25.25 How the CDO role aligns with the C-suite. 30.20 The CDO collaborating with the CFO. 33.09 From your experiences what advice would you give new people entering the CDO role.

In this episode Andy Davis talks to Joel Burgess, the Founder & CEO at Nutrifix UK. On the show they discuss the advantages of working in a corporate environment. Joel tells Andy about founding Nutrifix UK and some of the challenges he encountered when starting his own venture. Andy asks Joel about the startup scene in London and how the city is fueling young entrepreneurs and creativity. Show Notes: 1.06 The advantages of working in a corporate organisation. 3.33 The startup mentality boils down to a numbers driven approach. 5.50 Why we shouldn’t glorify being busy and transparency in business. 8.08 Are you protective about your company culture? 9.34 What skills have you started to acquire in your startup journey? 11.43 An exciting time to be building a startup in London. 12.43 What’s the next phase for Nutrifix?

In this episode Andy Davis talks to Paul Laughlin, Founder and managing director at Laughlin Consultancy. On the show they discuss the creative side of data analytics. They also chat about the way companies are now creating alternative career ladders for people who don’t want to be in management. Andy asks Paul about his career progression and how he got into the data space. Finally the chat about the concept of deep and shallow learning. Paul help companies make money from customer insight. He helps them maximise the value they can drive from using data, analysis & research to intelligently interact with customers. Paul also enables them to sustain their own value generation, through coaching customer insight leaders. Customer Insight has the potential to grow the bottom line, increase sales, improve retention and sustain better customer satisfaction or advocacy. He has led teams that have added over £10m to the bottom line of their companies each year by removing common barriers to realising that value. Show Notes: 1.07 The human aspect of data and insights. 2.36 The creative element to Data. 3.41 What are the general misconceptions around Data and Insights. 6.30 The hype around the applications of Data. 10.00 The diversity of leadership and creating alternative career paths for those who don’t want to be leaders. 13.44 Paul’s background and career progression. 16.39 Do you feel you’ve always though in Data terms? 18.22 How did you navigate your way through your career? 21.25 How we value peoples experiences. 25.39 Honing in and focusing on one problem and mastering one skill. 28.26 Ask yourself are you always learning?

In this episode Andy Davis talks to Rahul Rao, Director of engineering at yieldmo. On the show Rahul explains why many people have a negative opinion of AdTech and what he’s trying to do to change that. They also discuss how to keep up with the rate of change of technology. Andy asks Rahul about how he made the transition to management. Show Notes: 1.10 The negative perceptions of AdTech. 2.56 Does the ethical objections to AdTech come from a tech culture standpoint? 6.07 Monetising platforms with adverts. 8.08 Improving the AdTech space, educating the end user and putting the control in their hands. 10.21 Building a great customer experience into AdTech. 12.45 Managing the rate of change in technology. 16.05 Being proactive in the technical world even if you’re in a management position. 16.57 Being able to figure things out and always be constantly learning. 21.53 Creating an environment where you can “Give people a go” and learn from their mistakes. 24.20 How your goals change when you step into management. 29.15 Being able to adapt to whichever coding language you need use.

In this episode Andy Davis talks to Steve Coulson, the CFO at JustPark. On the show they discuss balancing culture and bureaucracy in business. Andy asks Steve how he quantifies the ROI of a positive company culture. They also chat about the fears startup founders get when their companies start growing rapidly. Show Notes: 1.31 Steves Background in startups and SME’s. 6.09 The misconceptions around culture and bureaucracy in business. 8.12 Investing money back into your staff. 10.40 Quantifying culture. 12.14 Do you find people are more concerned with ROI than culture. 14.07 Having a high level vision so everything you do makes sense. 18.14 Do you ever worry about your startup getting too big? 21.34 Having the maturity to let go of some aspects of your role as you move up in your career. 23.19 Was it an easy decision for you to be based in London?

In this episode Andy Davis talks to Lachlan Ratjens, Head of Data Science and Engineering at Collinson Group. On the show they discuss managing the expectations around data. Andy asks Lachlan if there is such thing as a typical data scientist. They also chat about the growing importance of the CDO in the C-suite. At the end of the podcast Lachlan details how he sees data evolving in the coming years. Show Notes: 1.06 All the different backgrounds present in data science. 2.57 Creating more consistency in developing Data Science talent. 4.04 Lachlan’s background and career progression. 5.50 Problem solving with data. 7.20 Are we still in the data science hype. 9.16 Managing expectations around data. 11.58 The classic archetype of a Data Scientist doesn’t exist yet. 14.01 When you scope out a project what do you find exciting and what do you like working on? 15.47 The cultural shift that needs to take place to fully utalise data. 19.13 Should the responsibility for cultural fit be down to individuals or the organisation? 20.48 Is the role of a CDO sufficient to manage all aspects of the data process? 23.28 Is the evolution of data science going to continue? 24.51 What’s the most exciting part of data at the moment?

In this episode Andy Davis talks to Ryan Den Rooijen, Head of Data at Dyson. On the show they discuss the new wave of talent entering the data space. Andy asks Ryan about how he goes about instigating a cultural change in a company. They also discuss why it’s important for technical people to be able to articulate their work. Ryan has spent years at the forefront of big data analytics. He is currently working with a team of 30+ talented data experts to develop the analytical capabilities of one of the world's most exciting companies. He frequently deliver keynotes on topics such as building data-driven organisations, managing change, and uncovering insights at scale. Conferences he has spoke at include the Data Insight Leaders Summit, the Chief Data Officer Summit, and Big Data LDN. Show Notes: 1.10 The youthful energy that is prolific in the tech space and the importance of an individual's approach to their job. 7.14 Having humility and transparency in business. 10.01 How to instigate a cultural change in your company. 15.40 Determining the value add of a data team. 21.47 The necessity of technical people to be able to articulate their work. 23.43 Developing your teams talents. 27.13 How do you ensure people are the right fit for your company. 31.07 Being open about your weaknesses in a job interview. 33.02 What are you excited about in the data space at the moment.