Episode 20 John Thompson: The DNA of Analytics teams

In my 20th Episode I speak to the amazing and insightful John Thompson writer, technologist, influencer, educator, and just all-round good guy! We talk about: 1) His background and 37 year career highlights 2) Why he wrote the book Building Analytics Teams 3) How he foresaw Data & Analytics and it's importance for the future 4) The challenges companies are currently facing with Data & Analytics 5) Organisational rigidity and shifting mandates about Data & Analytics 6) The typical DNA of a Data & Analytics team 7) The "Artisnal" vs "Modular" data scientist 8) Where the Advanced Analytics teams sit int he organisational structure 9) How to embed Change Management into the Advanced Analytics teams 10) Prioritising the work stack to add value with Advanced Analytics 11) What processes / frameworks the Advanced Analytics teams use to drive innovation 12) The traits that data scientists need to improve their role 13) The expectation of failure as a data scientist 14) The "data commons" or "data dividend" and how it will disrupt business models and give power to the people 15) The application and advantages of data monetisation 16) Explainable AI and it's reality - turning the black box into a glass box 17) Where the data industry is heading About John: John is an international technology executive with over 30 years of experience in the business intelligence and advanced analytics fields. Currently, John is responsible for the global Advanced Analytics & Artificial Intelligence team and efforts at CSL.  Prior to CSL, John was an Executive Partner at Gartner, where he was management consultant to market leading companies in the areas of digital transformation, data monetization and advanced analytics. Before Gartner, John was responsible for the advanced analytics business unit of the Dell Software Group.   John is the author of the new book – Analytics Teams: Leveraging analytics and artificial intelligence for business improvement. The book was published in June 2020 and outlines how to hire and manage high performance advanced analytics teams. The book outlines how to engage with executives and senior managers. How to select and undertake analytics projects that change and improve how a business operates.   John is co-author of the bestselling book – Analytics: How to win with Intelligence, which debuted on Amazon as the #1 new book in Analytics in 2017. Analytics is a book that guides non-technical executives through the journey of creating an analytics function, funding initiatives and driving change in business operations through data and applied analytical applications.   John's technology expertise includes all aspects of advanced analytics and information management including – descriptive, predictive and prescriptive analytics, artificial intelligence, analytical applications, deep learning, cognitive computing, big data, data warehousing, business intelligence systems, and high performance computing.   One of John’s primary areas of focus and interest has been to create innovative technologies to increase the value derived by organizations around the world.  John has built start-up organizations from the ground up and he has reengineered business units of Fortune 500 firms to reach their potential. He has directly managed and run - sales, marketing, consulting, support and product development organizations.   He is a technology leader with expertise and experience spanning all operational areas with a focus on strategy, product innovation, growth and efficient execution. Contact details for Samir LinkedIn: Samir Sharma Email: [email protected] website: www.datazuum.com