Data Leaders Who’s Who: Michelle Bauman
Head of Data Science & Analytics Transformation, Woolworths Group
Drawing on a wealth of experience in leadership roles within the retail and FMCG industries, Michelle provides invaluable guidance on how to effectively leverage data and AI. In this insightful article, Michelle emphasises the significance of establishing an ambitious data vision as the organisation's guiding principle. She stresses that value generation should be the central focus of every data and AI project. From the crucial aspect of defining metrics for measuring data projects to the establishment of robust data teams, Michelle offers practical advice that can be readily implemented. Furthermore, she delves into broader strategic insights regarding leadership, providing actionable recommendations for success
Data Leaders Who’s Who: Su Jella
Director Data & Insights, Tennis Australia
Su is the Director of Data and Insights at Tennis Australia, an established leader with over 12 years experience in the field of Data and Analytics. She’s lead various teams and corporates at the departmental, practice and organisational level to help them tackle data challenges and build solutions that transform and mature data practices by analysing and retiring legacy systems and establishing forward thinking processes and frameworks based on real time information. These processes and frameworks align with business strategies to deliver insights that clearly define customers by directing communications, customer experience, organisational structure and enabling organisations to build relationships, teams and systems for the future. Su leads organisations on an evolution with their customers and the market utilising transformational techniques and solutions that help to achieve current and future data demands. She’s delivered end-to-end solutions in analytics for corporates and teams by delivering insights and strategies aligned with business goals for greater profit and customer experience. Su was recognised as Australia’s Top 25 Analytics Leaders in 2022 by IAPA.
Data Leaders Who’s Who: Iman Behzadian
General Manager Data Science Products, WooliesX
With over 12 years of experience in the field of data science, Iman Behzadian has established himself as a leading expert in translating business needs to models and developing and maintaining data science products for retail and digital marketing applications. Currently serving as the General Manager of Data Science Products at WooliesX, he leads a team of 110 cross-disciplinary data practitioners to drive innovative data- driven solutions that cater to a range of applications, including multi-touch attribution, personalised offers and content targeting. In this article he shares a wealth of insights on all things leadership and strategy in the data and analytics realm.
Data Leaders Who’s Who: JoAnn C. Stonier
Chief Data Officer, Mastercard
JoAnn C. Stonier serves as Chief Data Officer for Mastercard, leading the organization’s data innovation efforts while navigating current and future data risks. She oversees the curation, quality, governance and management of the company’s extensive data assets. JoAnn and her team design and operationalize Mastercard’s global data strategy, guiding enterprise deployment of cutting-edge data solutions, including advanced analytics and AI, and the development of enterprise data platforms. Her leadership is integral to Mastercard’s push to deepen the strategic value it can provide its merchant, banking and government customers and cardholders through its expanding data-driven products and capabilities.
Data Leaders Who’s Who: Meggy Chung
Former General Manager Data Platforms, Westpac
Meggy Chung is a C-suite executive leader with over 20 years international experience driving strategic and cultural change across financial services. For the past three years, Meggy has been based in Sydney leading the creation and execution of the data strategy at Westpac.
Previously, Meggy spent more than a decade in senior data and technology infrastructure roles at Citibank in Singapore and Barclays Bank in the UK and, prior to that, in senior roles at British Sky Broadcasting, Accenture and Marsh McLennan. Meggy is passionate about inclusion and diversity and has played an active role in driving this agenda throughout her career.
Data Leaders Who’s Who: Kathryn Gulifa
Head of Data & Analytics, Catch
A true analytics champion, Kathryn has spent more than a decade in financial services, government and retail industries, combining analytics, innovation and customer-first thinking in a variety of analytics leadership roles. Specialising in transformation, new builds and growth agendas, Kathryn has experience setting a data strategy, modernising analytics architecture, building and leading teams, engaging broad stakeholder bases, and delivering on analytics programmes to create business value.
Kathryn is Vice-Chair of the IAPA Advisory Committee and brings to IAPA the same drive, enthusiasm and uber-cool nerdiness she has injected into industry roles for the past 15 years. In this edition she shares on the key pillars for great data strategy and leadership and the key ingredients to deliver on the promise of data and AI.
Data Leaders Who’s Who: Ian Oppermann
Chief Data Scientist, NSW Department of Customer Service
Dr. Ian Oppermann is a renowned expert in the digital economy and has extensive knowledge and experience in big data, broadband services, and technology's impact on society. In this article, he leverages his over 30 years of expertise to outline the key components of a successful data strategy. He believes that data can be difficult to harness because of its value and the lack of standardised methods for sharing and using it. A strong data strategy should embrace the limitless potential of data while establishing clear guidelines for data sharing and usage through a limited set of data handling protocols. Oppermann also shares on his contributions to two exciting government projects; the Out of Home Care reform and the creation of the NSW AI Assurance Framework.
Data Leaders Who’s Who: Ram Kumar
Chief Data & Analytics Officer, Cigna
Ram has 33+ years industry experience of which includes 28 years’ experience in the field of IT, 24+ years in the field of data and 20+ years in the field of AI.
He has successfully operated in different and dynamic market conditions in various industry verticals and government organisations in over 40 countries including Australia, New Zealand, Europe, Asia, Pacific, Latin America and North America regions. Ram has successfully established businesses through international M&As and, JVs and managed it’s IT and data functions.
Data Leaders Who’s Who: Pieter Vorster
Group Head of Data Strategy, Product & Analytics, Westpac
Pieter is a C-suite executive leader with 20 years international experience
driving strategic change to deliver sustainable commercial outcomes across
industries including retail, wealth, corporate and investment banking,
financial services, insurance and mining and resources
Data Leaders Who’s Who: Craig Napier
Chief Data Officer, University of Technology Sydney (UTS)
Craig is developing and collaboratively advancing a whole-of-institution approach to using data to drive evidence-based decisions. Craig has in excess of 20 years’ experience in data intensive environments both domestically and internationally and 15 years as a data and analytics executive in the higher education sector, and is well known for his collaborative approach. Craig was recognised by the Institute of Analytics Professionals of Australia (IAPA) as among the Top 3 Analytics Leaders in Australia in 2020.
Data Leaders Who’s Who: Elisa Koch
Head of Data & Analytics, Australian Football League (AFL)
In Elisa's three years at the AFL she has been busy moving the needle in the data analytics team. Elisa shares on all things strategy & leadership in this in-depth article around the AFL's journey raising data literacy, maturing their data capability and building an end-to-end data capability for the AFL and all 18 clubs.
She also shares on the team's agility during the pandemic and successful launch of the team's first operationalised ML model to reduce member churn.
First Edition
Check out the first edition of the Data Leaders Who's Who article series in collaboration with Talent Insights Group.
Data Leaders Who’s Who: Felipe Flores
Founder, Data Futurology
Felipe was recently asked a series of questions about data science, its role within the organisation, and how to better improve the organisation’s data practices. Here are some broad insights to help in uplifting the strategy, execution, and future of data science.
Data Leaders Who’s Who: Craig Turrell
Head of P2P Digital Centre of Excellence, Standard Chartered Bank
Financial services are a hotbed of innovation, focused on delivering better and more reliable customer experiences. Craig Turrell, Head of P2P Digital Centre of Excellence at Standard Chartered Bank, has turned data and AI into an award-winning point of competitive differentiation for the bank, by finding the right solutions (such as AIpowered data science platform, Dataiku), and focusing on leveraging the innovation to deliver all-new experiences to the bank and its customers.
Data Leaders Who’s Who: Christelle Young
Chief Strategy & Analytics Officer, L’Oréal ANZ
In the hyper-competitive and fast-moving beauty industry, having a compelling data and analytics platform is key to agility across the organisation. L’Oréal ANZ Chief Strategy & Analytics Officer, Christelle Young, shares her story about hitting the ground running and driving analytics across the entire organisation. She also shares on the work L’Oréal are doing to leverage data for a sustainable future.
Data Leaders Who’s Who: Silvio Giorgio
GM Data Science, Australia Post
Australia Post's developments in data and AI have received much acclaim of late. Most recently "Happy Post" was awarded the winner for customer excellence in the 2021 World Post & Parcel Awards. Meeting with Silvio, it quickly becomes clear his ability to share his vision for making magic with data at Australia Post is key to affecting change.
Data Leaders Who’s Who: Marek Rucinski
Deputy Commissioner Smarter Data, Australian Taxation Office (ATO)
The ATO has established a careful approach to where and when AI projects should be implemented in order to deliver quantifiable value. Marek shares AI/ML use cases at the ATO and strategic advice on how to scale projects in order to avoid what he calls "proof of concept hell!" This rich interview also features insights on structuring teams, as well as really practical steps to make sure your AI ethics principles aren't just a poster on the wall, but actually implemented in day-to-day operations.