#47 Transforming Government Organisations with Data Science with Marek Rucinski – Deputy Commissioner, Smarter Data Program
Marek Rucinski is the Deputy Commisioner leading the Smarter Data Program at the Australian Taxation Office (ATO). Marek has taken part and driven the evolution and transformation of Marketing, Analytics, Data and Digital capabilities for over 20 years. This has been done in both industry roles and consulting services capacity, across Australian, Asian and Global clients, across Retail, Telco, Consumer Goods, Financial Services, Mining & Utilities sectors. His passion centers on helping clients change the role of Marketing & Analytics capabilities in Digital and Data age, from activating the capability through acting on insights, to transforming customer experience and the whole business via delivering value across business functions. Prior to ATO & Accenture, Marek lead and created analytics functions and teams in a Retail industry, and developed global corporate strategy frameworks and analytics in a multinational organizations.
In this episode, Marek tells us about how he was always interested in the science behind marketing. Marketing as a discipline has been completely transformed due to the emergence of data as a driver for engagement with the customer. Marek is not a classically trained data scientist; he is a data strategist and can dive deep into the organization’s needs in order to drive value to the customer. Marek tells us how some businesses can struggle with how to handle the findings of research from data scientists. It is essential to translate the potential into targets to create the prize. Leave the ego at the door and find the ability to be critiqued.
Later, Marek tells us how educating businesses on analytics as a mechanical process is essential for them to perceive how the whole thing works. He then explains his transition from consulting to government and how his excitement lies in the play with analytics at an enormous scale. Then, Marek describes how to have each section of the value chain working with purpose and precision. Data has to be trusted, organized, and accessible for the company. A data strategist must consider how the data is being delivered to their client. You want to create products and interactive experiences for the business as opposed to simple spreadsheets. Finally, Marek answers the audience’s questions including what makes a good data scientist and current challenges in the data science industry.
Enjoy the show!
We speak about:
[02:10] How Marek started in the data space
[05:25] Activating the value from data
[08:30] POCs are essential
[09:45] Find people who can create the vision
[12:00] Educating businesses on analytics
[16:30] Artificial intelligence + automation
[18:50] Transition from consulting into government
[20:20] Motivations for government work
[22:00] Future of ATO
[26:15] Continuous production of insights
[29:30] Audience questions
Resources:
Marek’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rucinskimarek/
Quotes:
“Good results create more interest which in turn creates traction for new products.”
“If you engage the business regarding the value, but then you cannot deliver on the promise, it creates dissonance.”
“What separates great data scientists is their ability to communicate what the results actually mean.”
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Marek Rucinski is based in Sydney, Australia.
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