Data Bytes

Overview Today we are chatting with Soledad Alvarez del Sel, who is Head of Data and Applied AI practice unit at Baufest, as well as a Forbes technology council member and chapter lead for Women in Data Buenos Aires.  In this episode, Soledad shares the importance of listening over talking, why it’s essential for leaders to find their why, and how leaders can overcome some of the top challenges when leading AI and analytics teams.  You’ll find this episode insightful for current analytics leaders and those looking to grow their leadership skills.  About Soledad Alvarez Del Sel  First and foremost, I’m a mum who loves to travel. I’ve been in the data field for more than 18 years. I am currently the Head of Data and Applied AI practice unit at Baufest, an international IT services company that is fast expanding. Among my responsibilities, I design the development strategy of my unit, and define how it needs to be organized in terms of structure, team profile, service offerings and economic indicators. Before that, I worked at IBM for almost 15 years, where I started as a SQL developer in a Data Warehouse project, and had an amazing journey through different industries and roles, working with and learning from teams from different countries around the world. I have a Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science from University of Buenos Aires, and I’m currently an Executive MBA candidate at IAE Business School. As of 2022, I’m an Official Member of Forbes Technology Council, where I have a great opportunity to connect and discuss challenges with other executives around the world in private forums, and also contribute with articles and participation in Expert Panels. Last but not least, I joined Women in Data as Buenos Aires Chapter lead. Social Handles LinkedIn              https://www.linkedin.com/in/soledad-alvarez-del-sel/ Learn more about our mission and become a member here: https://www.womenindata.org/

Overview In this episode you will learn how to optimize your analytics team, make a business case, and hire diverse individuals. Our guest is Kira Wetzel, Head of Data and Analytics Engineering, Architecture, and Governance for Reality Labs Operations at Meta. Kira is a true leader and has built an incredibly diverse team. In addition, Kira shares why it’s important to expose girls to working with data and how Girls + Data has provided this access to 700+ girls.   About Kira Wetzel Kira is the Head of Data and Analytics Engineering, Architecture, and Governance for Reality Labs Operations at Meta. Along with Meta, she has worked at Apple and been a consultant. Prior to starting in data she was a high school math teacher which is the reason she founded Girls + Data, a non-profit which provides middle school girls with learning opportunities in data and analytics.  Social Handles LinkedIn              http://www.linkedin.com/in/kirawetzel Learn more about our mission and become a member here: https://www.womenindata.org/

Overview Today, we sit down with Wendy Batchelder SVP of Global Data Governance & Chief Data Officer of Trust at Salesforce. In this episode, Wendy shares the pivotal experiences and risks she took along her career journey to be in the position to lead today. We also dive into how organizations can use data to make the right decisions at the right time, and she shares her advice for women to move into leadership positions.  Wendy is a thoughtful, strategic, and compassionate leader. We know you will be inspired by her journey and her insights on data.  About Wendy Batchelder Wendy Batchelder serves as the Senior Vice President of Global Data Governance and the Chief Data Officer of Trust at Salesforce. She is responsible for enabling the company with the right data, at the right time, with the right controls. Every day she gets to help the company make easier, faster, better, and more reliable decisions based on trusted insights. She is passionate about building inclusive spaces, continuous learning, and working to amplify others. Batchelder is based in West Des Moines, Iowa, with her husband, six kids (really!), her dog Coco, and two cats. She has the privilege of serving on the Board of Directors of the United Way of Central Iowa (including on the Finance & Audit Committee as well as being the Chair of the IT, Data, & Privacy Committee). In 2019, she was appointed to the Iowa Governor’s STEM Advisory Council, where she also co-chairs the Career Awareness subcommittee. Additionally, Wendy is a member of Iowa’s Computer Science Working Group for Education, established to design K-12 computer science education for the State of Iowa, and was recently appointed into Chief. In 2021, Batchelder received recognition for her contributions in Data Management and was awarded Chief Data Officer of the Year by Informatica. Prior to joining Salesforce, Batchelder served as Chief Data Officer at VMware, held various leadership positions in data at Wells Fargo, and spent 10 years in IT Audit at EY, KPMG, and Aviva USA. Batchelder holds an Executive Master of Business Administration degree from University of Iowa, a Master’s of Accountancy from Drake University, and a Bachelor of Science in Accounting from Miami University. She is also a Certified Information Systems Auditor. Social Handles LinkedIn              https://www.linkedin.com/in/wendybatchelder/ Learn more about our mission and become a member here: https://www.womenindata.org/

Overview In this episode, we chat with Archana Deshpande  VP, Enterprise Architecture and Data Services for Business Technology at Workday. Take a deep dive into enterprise architecture and how she solves complex business problems. Archana also explains why communication is so important in data roles. You will be inspired by her strategic and genuine approach to data. About Archana Deshpande Archana Deshpande is VP, Enterprise Architecture and Data Services for Business Technology at Workday. She oversees the strategy and data platforms that drive trusted insights for business partners in addition to architecture and technology governance.  Prior to joining Workday, Archana was responsible for Data Management and Enterprise Planning at Symantec. She was also the Distinguished Enterprise Architect leading key strategic initiatives for CRM and ERP consolidation, Quote to Cash Optimization and M&A. Prior to Symantec, she held several leadership roles at Franklin Templeton managing technology portfolios across Sales, Marketing and Support.  Archana holds a Bachelor’s degree in Electronics Engineering from Pune University, India. Learn more about our mission and become a member here: https://www.womenindata.org/

Overview In this episode we discuss how AI has moved from narrow to general, and the safety implications of this from malicious use to accident. We speak  with Jeremie Harris, co-founded of an  A.I. safety company  Mercurius, and previous co-founder of Sharpestminds.  Jeremie has advised senior political and policy leaders around the world on long-term risks from A.I. and provides insightful recommendations on how we can all shape the future of AI in positive direction.   About Jeremie Harris Jeremie is a startup founder whose last company pioneered a new funding mechanism for mentorship-based education, and was backed by top Silicon Valley investors, including Y Combinator. In 2020, he left the company to work on rapidly emerging problems in AI safety. He's briefed senior cabinet members in the Canadian government, and senior U.S. defense and national security officials on AI risk-related issues.  Social Handles LinkedIn              https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeremieharris/ Twitter                https://twitter.com/jeremiecharris Website               https://www.mercurius.ai  Resources https://www.aitracker.org  https://medium.com/@edouard_harris/moving-on-3cd0fd455aab  Learn more about our mission and become a member here: https://www.womenindata.org/

Overview Learn how to apply your creativity from Tiankai Feng, Head of Product Data Governance at Adidas. He is also a  Musician and LinkedIn Creator. We discuss how following your passion always pays off even if the career isn’t readily available, the intersection of music and data, and how data professionals can apply creativity to their work.  About Tiankai Feng  Tiankai is a data leader by day and a passionate musician by night, who loves to combine his left and right brain to approach data topics creatively. He has worked in Data Analytics jobs with various industries and is currently leading the Product Data Governance team at adidas, and has built up a reputation of posting funny and thought-provoking music videos on LinkedIn and YouTube about work, life and everything in between. Social Handles LinkedIn              https://www.linkedin.com/in/tiankaifeng/ YouTube               https://www.youtube.com/kaifeng Spotify                  https://open.spotify.com/artist/6U3ui1iBbNEbqPGjGJLuvq?si=HqfMZLyZQ1O7g5-CcZmUfQ Learn more about our mission and become a member here: https://www.womenindata.org/

Overview Today’s guest is Alexandra Ebert,  Chief Trust Officer at MOSTLY AI. Alexandra’s work  focused on public policy issues in the emerging field of synthetic data and Ethical AI. In this conversation we discuss the importance of communication skills for data professionals, what synthetic data is and how it can assist in privacy and fairness, and wrap up by discussing the importance of open data for research, education, and policy.  This episode is great for data leaders looking to increase the privacy practice of their data teams, and provides practitioners and consumers with insights on the current state of Ethical AI.  About Alexandra Ebert  Alexandra Ebert is a Responsible AI, synthetic data & privacy expert and serves as Chief Trust Officer at MOSTLY AI. As a member of the company's executive leadership team, she is engaged in public policy issues in the emerging field of synthetic data and Ethical AI and is responsible for engaging with the privacy community, with regulators, the media, and with customers. She regularly speaks at international conferences on AI, privacy, and digital banking and hosts The Data Democratization Podcast, where she discusses emerging digital policy trends as well as Responsible AI and privacy best practices with regulators, policy experts and senior executives. Apart from her work at MOSTLY AI, she serves as the chair of the IEEE Synthetic Data IC expert group and was pleased to be invited to join the group of AI experts for the #humanAIze initiative, which aims to make AI more inclusive and accessible to everyone. Before joining the company, she researched GDPR's impact on the deployment of artificial intelligence in Europe and its economic, societal, and technological consequences. Besides being an advocate for privacy protection, Alexandra is deeply passionate about Ethical AI and ensuring the fair and responsible use of machine learning algorithms. She is the co-author of an ICLR paper and a popular blog series on fairness in AI and fair synthetic data, which was featured in Forbes, IEEE Spectrum, and by distinguished AI expert Andrew Ng. About MOSTLY AI: MOSTLY AI developed the world's most accurate synthetic data platform: a game-changing new anonymization technology that empowers businesses to unlock their big data assets, without putting their customers' privacy at risk. Social Handles Linkedin               https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexandraebert/ Learn more about our mission and become a member here: https://www.womenindata.org/

Overview Khuyen Tran has written 150 data science articles and has over 100K views per month on Towards Data Science. She also wrote over 500 daily data science tips at Data Science Simplified. Khuyen's current mission is to make open-source more accessible to the data science community. In this episode, we discuss why it’s important to share your work. Python tips for individuals at all learning levels, and tips on how to set up your environment and stay consistent to meet your goals.  Be inspired by Khuyen's tenacity and discipline, and learned a lot in this episode. Enjoy! About Khuyen Tran Khuyen Tran is a data science intern at Ocelot Consulting. She wrote over 150 data science articles with over 100k views per month on Towards Data Science. She also wrote over 500 daily data science tips at Data Science Simplified. Her current mission is to make open-source more accessible to the data science community. Social Handles Linkedin               https://www.linkedin.com/in/khuyen-tran-1401/ Twitter                 @KhuyenTran16 Medium               https://khuyentran1476.medium.com/ Learn more about our mission and become a member here: https://www.womenindata.org/

Overview Today we are talking with May Chan, Co-Founder and CEO of Hashpack. May is a leader in the Hedera ecosystem and strives to foster a community that champions the projects and people who are contributing to the space.  Prior to Hashpack, she was an electrical engineer designing everything from sixty-storey high rises, to data centers, to airport radar infrastructure.  In this episode May shares her journey to starting and leading Hashpack, explains what Web3 means for data professionals, and dives into the importance of a wallet in the crypto space.  Get ready to dive into an inspirational interview that will get you excited about the future.  About May Chan May is the Chief Executive Officer of a cryptocurrency startup company called HashPack, which is a crypto wallet built on the Hedera Hashgraph platform. She is a community leader in the Hedera ecosystem and strives to foster a community that champions the projects and people who are contributing to the space. Aside from business development and relations with the other companies in the space, May also engages with the platform on a technical level, writing code and submitting proposals for platform standards. Prior to co-founding HashPack, May was a professional electrical engineer in the building consulting industry, designing everything from sixty-story high rises to data centers to airport radar infrastructure. The mix of technical expertise, project management and interpersonal relationship management provided a strong foundation for May's dive into the tech industry.  Social Handles Linkedin               https://www.linkedin.com/in/may-chan-301622206/ Twitter                 @may_hashpack Website               hashpack.app Learn more about our mission and become a member here: https://www.womenindata.org/

Overview Learn the impact of asking questions with Helena Merk. She was the co-founder and CEO of Glimpse, a video chat platform to help remote teams connect. Follow along her founders journey, and learn how you can better network by building meaningful relationships and asking the right questions. Finally, we discuss her process for starting her new company in climate crypto.  About Helena Merk Helena Merk previously built Glimpse (W20), a video chat platform to help remote teams connect. They just announced our acquisition and she’s now starting a new company in climate crypto. Before starting Glimpse she worked as a software engineer at a startup and studied Global Health and CS at Duke for a year before dropping out. Social Handles Twitter                @HelenaMerk Learn more about our mission and become a member here: https://www.womenindata.org/