A discussion with Chris Miller, VP, Biometrics - Respiratory & Immunology and Statistical Innovation at AstraZeneca. Impressively, he was one of the first non-PhD employees to break into senior roles on the clinical side of the business.Chris talks about why he tasked everyone on his team to have three examples of using AI in their daily jobs by end of year. He also talks about how AI agents are being used to explore complex drug data to identify new paths to explore. He explains why he is l...
Apr 17, 2025•30 min•Season 10Ep. 6
A discussion with Hatem Sellami, founder and CEO of both Cognira and RetSci. His career has been centered on software and modeling solutions in the retail forecasting and promotion space. He previously founded Predictix and sold it to Infor. He started his career with Retek, which was acquired by Oracle.Hatem talks about how, growing up, his family owned some retail stores, but that he didn’t plan to also get into the industry. He outlines some of the key data and analytics challenges faced in t...
Apr 03, 2025•26 min•Season 10Ep. 5
A discussion with Divyes Patel, Director, Innovation, Research, & Development at a large Healthcare company based in Tennessee. During his current tenure, as well as past jobs at UnitedHealth Group and Cigna, he’s focused on using data to make healthcare more efficient and effective. Divyes talks about how he initially started programming in COBOL, but quickly moved to building reports, and then to analytics. He dives into the complexity and inconsistency of Electronic Medical Records (EMR) ...
Mar 20, 2025•30 min•Season 10Ep. 4
A discussion with Kira Barclay, CEO and founder of Black Antler Advisory & Consulting. Kira is also the past Chief Data & Analytics Executive at John Deere, where she spent nearly 20 years.Kira talks about how growing up on a farm gave her an innate understanding of John Deere’s business. She knew how customers used Deere’s equipment and even went to the John Deere store with her grandpa for coffee when she was young. She dives into how sensors have transformed both factories and equipme...
Mar 06, 2025•30 min•Season 10Ep. 3
A discussion with Doug Hague, Executive Director, Corporate Engagement at UNC Charlotte. In recent years, he helped UNC Charlotte establish its School of Data Science. Prior to that, he spent many years with Bank of America ending with the role of Chief Analytics Officer of Bank of America Merchant Services. Doug discusses how the variety and growth in the financial industry kept him happy over the years. He also discusses his long-term plan and path to academia and how his management style has ...
Feb 20, 2025•29 min•Season 10Ep. 2
A discussion with Sasha Verbitsky, SVP - Data, Analytics, Digital at @Simon Property Group. Some people have gotten to work at a number of well-known companies throughout their career, and today’s guest is one of them! Sasha recently joined Simon after past roles at Nike, Panera Bread, Marriott, Abercrombie & Fitch, Lands’ End, and Victoria’s Secret Direct. Sasha discusses how his first job luckily – and unplanned! – put him in an analytics role and why he stuck with it from that point forwa...
Feb 06, 2025•27 min•Season 10Ep. 1
A discussion with Steve Butler, North America Leader - Analytics, Insights, and Automation at global healthcare technology company Philips. Steve has had a balance of consulting and client roles over his career, which enables him to provide unique insights into the field of data science and analytics. Steve talks about the pros and cons of client versus consulting roles. He also discusses why he believes the challenge in the data science space isn’t finding a job (there are plenty) but staying r...
Nov 14, 2024•30 min•Season 9Ep. 6
A discussion with Mabby Amouie, Assistant Vice President, Enterprise Data & Analytics, Norfolk Southern. He has advanced from his initial data scientist role to a senior leadership role in just over a decade. Mabby talks about how his industrial engineering background influences his approach to analytics. He then dives into how he always wants to know what’s happening under the hood and has to fight his desire to make solutions over-optimized and too perfect. He also discusses the importance...
Oct 31, 2024•30 min•Season 9Ep. 5
A discussion with Patrick Moore, AVP, Human Health Data Strategy & Governance at Merck. Not many people spend their whole career at the same company these days, but those who do are often happy to have done it. Patrick has spent 30 years at Merck rising through the ranks and seeing analytics evolve in breadth and impact. Patrick talks about how analytics has gone from “prove it works” to “I need it”. He outlines the importance of building trust with business partners and giving them what the...
Oct 17, 2024•31 min•Season 9Ep. 4
A discussion with Carole Piovesan, Founder of INQ Law and INQ IQ Consulting. She has held past roles with Global Affairs Canada and McCarthy Tétrault. Carole talks about how she got focused on the legal issues surrounding AI and data, as well as the complexity of the landscape with countries, states, and even cities passing their own laws. She discusses some of the most common issues her clients are raising today, as well as areas she thinks we need laws to catch up the most. She finishes by exp...
Oct 03, 2024•29 min•Season 9Ep. 3
A discussion with Beverly Wright, VP of Data Science and AI at Wavicle Data Solutions. She has held roles in a variety of business and academic settings including roles with Aspirent (now NTTData), Cox Communications, University of Georgia, Georgia Tech, and more. Beverly talks about why she thinks the rise of unstructured data has been one of the biggest analytical trends of the past few decades and how she’s a “pracademic” who has crossed the chasm between business and academia multiple times....
Sep 19, 2024•30 min•Season 9Ep. 2
A discussion with Nathan Ghadirifard, Director, Chief Data & Analytics Office, WellStar Health System. He has held prior roles at Cleveland Clinic and healthcare consulting firms. Nathan talks about the rise of operationally focused analytics in healthcare. He also talks about the role that governance plays in the adoption of AI and analytics today. He then dives into the need for diplomacy and complex problem solving in the modern workplace. After encouraging students and early career profe...
Sep 05, 2024•29 min•Season 9Ep. 1
We’ll finish this “best of” season of Data Science Perspectives with advice for students from a range of executives. You’ll hear about the importance of gaining a breadth of experience, not being afraid to try new things and take some risks, doing what’s right for you, the importance of soft skills and communication, the need to remember that a career is a long game, and more. #analytics #datascience #leadership #machinelearning #ai #artificialintelligence #jobs #interviewing #students
Apr 11, 2024•26 min•Season 8Ep. 6
What skills are companies looking for? Spoiler alert … the answers may surprise you! This episode features guests discussing what it takes to be a winning candidate for their data science and analytics job openings. The answers may not be what you expect! You’ll hear about why technical skills are table stakes, how soft skills and communication are critical, the importance of authenticity and integrity, the need to be flexible and adaptable, and many repeated references to soft skills, among oth...
Mar 28, 2024•25 min•Season 8Ep. 5
Leadership is always a topic worthy of discussion, and this week’s “best of” episode of Data Science Perspectives features a variety of past guests discussing their viewpoints on leadership. You’ll hear about how to motivate teams, how to capitalize on leaders’ excitement, managing up and across, focusing on scale and execution, and more. #analytics #datascience #leadership #machinelearning #ai #artificialintelligence
Mar 14, 2024•25 min•Season 8Ep. 4
This week’s “best of” episode of Data Science Perspectives features a variety of past guests discussing the similarities and differences between different industries or business functions. You’ll hear about how scaling is a challenge across the board, why infrastructure is always a challenge, how different industries change at different paces, the universal need for change management, the importance of deciding if you want to go deep in one industry or spread across several, and more. #analytics...
Feb 29, 2024•27 min•Season 8Ep. 3
This week’s “best of” episode of Data Science Perspectives features a variety of past guests discussing what they wish someone had told them before they started working. You’ll hear about the importance of relationships, the need to balance business considerations and constraints with analytical power, the need to manage up, how technical skills aren’t enough, and more. #analytics #datascience #leadership #machinelearning #ai #artificialintelligence #success
Feb 15, 2024•24 min•Season 8Ep. 2
This Season of Data Science Perspectives will feature a “best of” approach where I’ve selected a sampling of past guests and their response to the same question. This will provide listeners with multiple viewpoints on one critical topic. This week’s episode of Data Science Perspectives features a variety of past guests discussing what traits they believe most contributed to their success over the years. You’ll hear about the importance of soft skills, the need to focus on how sponsors can use yo...
Feb 01, 2024•25 min•Season 8Ep. 1
A discussion with David Sommers, Senior VP of Analytics, Epsilon. He has held prior roles at Cox Automotive, Advance Auto Parts, Nationwide Insurance, Bank of America, Wells Fargo, Best Buy. He talks about how he transformed from a pre-dental undergrad into an analytics executive. He outlines how he watched customer analytics evolve to include digital channels and detailed customer journey analytics. Most importantly, he talks about how technical skills aren’t enough to succeed but also how peop...
Nov 16, 2023•29 min•Season 7Ep. 6
A discussion with Dwight Specht, Vice President, Digital Transformation & Strategy at Bridgestone Americas, the US division of the global tire and automotive corporation. He has held prior roles at North Highland, I.B.I.S., and ePartners. He talks about the types of analytical consulting and how they have evolved over the years, as well as how client engagements have changed. He discusses his love for reading and how it keeps him up to date, as well as how he views early career years as focu...
Nov 02, 2023•31 min•Season 7Ep. 5
A discussion with Keyur Desai, former Chief Data Officer, TD Ameritrade. He has held other roles at Teradata, MicroStrategy, Attensity, Informatica, and Herbalife Nutrition. He talks about the challenges in building the first enterprise reporting tool from a small start up to a global, publicly traded company – all without venture capital funding. He also outlines how he looks for the ability to communicate and motivate when he hires. You don’t want to miss his description of how, after growing ...
Oct 19, 2023•30 min•Season 7Ep. 4
A discussion with Melanie Murphy, Chief Analytics Officer at Fluent. Fluent helps companies acquire and retain customers across the entire omnichannel marketing experience. She has held prior roles at Bed Bath & Beyond, Mindtree, and Experian. She talks about learning to manage 120 people while still in school and how she came to focus on scaling marketing analytics to an enterprise level. She outlines why EQ and soft skills are so important to career success, as well as how she coaches her ...
Oct 05, 2023•29 min•Season 7Ep. 3
A discussion with Kathleen Maley, Vice President, Analytics, Experian. She has held prior roles at Bank of America, Key Bank, and her own consulting firm. Kathleen talks about her view of math versus statistics and how she became a math teacher to start her career. We discuss how great it is for analytics teams to have a seat at the table these days and she outlines her philosophy of helping business partners become data informed instead of data driven. She ends with some advice to students and ...
Sep 21, 2023•28 min•Season 7Ep. 2
A discussion with Chris Donovan, EVP, Chief Data and Information Officer at Medical Mutual. Medical Mutual is a multi-billion-dollar health insurer in Ohio. Previously, Chris spent several decades in various roles at the world-famous Cleveland Clinic. He talks about what he focused on as he advanced in his career and why he never lets himself worry more about his next job than his current one. He talks about the growing acceptance of analytics supporting medical decisions and how it can make hea...
Sep 07, 2023•27 min•Season 7Ep. 1
A discussion with Joe DeCosmo, Chief Analytics and Technology Officer, Enova International. Joe spent time in the direct marketing industry before starting and running his own company for 10 years. He then stayed with The Allant Group, who bought his company, for six years before his move to Enova. He talks about how he met his goal of starting his own business before he turned 30, how being in a heavily regulated industry requires lots of documentation and discipline, some things he thinks peop...
Apr 13, 2023•32 min•Season 6Ep. 6
A discussion with Satish Padiyar, Divisional VP of Data & Analytics, Health Care Service Corporation (HCSC). HCSC is a $50B member of the Blue Cross Blue Shield family. He has held prior roles at McKesson, Ally Financial, Caterpillar, and BMC Software. He talks about the commonality he’s seen in the fundamentals of data and analytics across industries, the advancements in operationalizing and automating analytics, why he thinks his efforts to acquire various certifications helped make him a ...
Mar 30, 2023•31 min•Season 6Ep. 5
A discussion with Don Vu, Chief Data Officer, @Northwestern Mutual. Don has had a wide-ranging career including many years with Major League Baseball, as well as roles with WeWork, Atari, and his own ecommerce company. He talks about how running his web business taught him how to be scrappy, entrepreneurial, and just get anything done that needs done. He discusses how Northwester Mutual is disrupting itself, and also about the different types of analytics happening in sports, how MLB Advanced Me...
Mar 16, 2023•29 min•Season 6Ep. 4
A discussion with Frances Boykin, Director, Advanced Analytics, AT&T. She has held multiple roles in different parts of AT&T over nearly 2 decades, including in IT, supply chain, and marketing. She talks about how she learned what she wanted to do for a living at age 13 (!!??), how growing up as an “Army brat” influenced her, the importance of networking and being prepared to grab opportunities that arise, how she planned her time to complete degrees while working, and why autoML tools a...
Mar 02, 2023•29 min•Season 6Ep. 3
A discussion with Scott Radcliffe, Managing Director, Master of Science in Business Analytics (MSBA) Program, Emory University. Prior roles at Cox Communications, SAS, IBM, and Home Depot. He talks about the depth and complexity of the operational analytics helping drive content delivery services like cable TV and streaming services, why he look at business as a system of processes, how students should focus on gaining skills and not just a specific job or company, and how he ended up transition...
Feb 16, 2023•31 min•Season 6Ep. 2
A discussion with Erika McBride, Group VP Data & Analytics, Tenerity. Also prior roles at Dow and Paychex. She talks about how she got herself into analytics translator roles early, how her team drew in business users with internal poster events and Shark Tank-style contests, understanding the analytical maturity level of business leaders so you can meet them where they are, and why she manages her team like a classroom. #analytics #datascience #leadership #machinelearning #ai #artificialint...
Feb 02, 2023•27 min•Season 6Ep. 1
