People & Culture

The Hidden Blocker in Delivering Great Analytics Projects: Empathy Members Public

I love running. Not only is it a great way of exploring places while traveling, managing stress levels, and in general staying fit, it is also an activity that can engender a certain… conviviality? When you have been pushing yourself for a good thirty minutes and you pass another runner

Ryan den Rooijen
Ryan den Rooijen
People & Culture

Data Leaders: It is Not Who You Report To, but Who You Report To Members Public

Alright data friends, let us conduct a little survey. Who here reports to the Chief Financial Officer? Or the Chief Information Officer? Maybe even the Chief Operating Officer? Surely not the Chief Executive Officer? Lucky you. Spare a thought for poor folks who report to someone other than a member

Ryan den Rooijen
Ryan den Rooijen
People & Culture

Unicorn Farming: Building Capabilities Against the Odds (Part II) Members Public

As we reviewed in Part I [https://qstar.ai/unicorn-farming-building-capabilities-against-the-odds-part-i/], while there is much consternation about the current state of recruitment in data and analytics, the challenge is less than perceived. The world is changing slowly enough that companies have ample time to build the necessary capabilities to adapt, should

Ryan den Rooijen
Ryan den Rooijen
People & Culture

Unicorn Farming: Building Capabilities Against the Odds (Part I) Members Public

When data leaders meet at conferences, organisation structures are a key topic of discussion. Who do you report to? What teams do you have? And of course: how is your team resourced? This last question is usually met with an uncomfortable laugh followed by, “Our team’s headcount? With or

Ryan den Rooijen
Ryan den Rooijen
People & Culture

The One Where Friends’ Least Popular Character Ended Up with the Sexiest Job of the 21st Century Members Public

Although I did not watch the American sitcom Friends [https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0108778/] when it originally aired, I have since worked my way through its ten seasons over the course of two years. What is interesting is that while in some ways the show has not aged well

Ryan den Rooijen
Ryan den Rooijen
People & Culture

Teenagers: Data is the Career For You Members Public

My friend Graeme McDermott [https://www.linkedin.com/in/graememcdermott/], Chief Data Officer at Addison Lee, suggested I write an article explaining why data makes for a great career. Given that data is one of the most exciting areas to work in, I am more than happy to oblige. Currently

Ryan den Rooijen
Ryan den Rooijen
People & Culture

Bad Questions and Sad Analysts Members Public

If there is one thing analysts dread hearing, it is “can you quickly pull some numbers on vague metric?” often followed by “it would be great if you can stick it in a chart showing how this is increasing.” Sometimes this will even lead to a request for a dashboard.

Ryan den Rooijen
Ryan den Rooijen
People & Culture

Bias, Diversity, and Profitability Members Public

The first history lesson I ever had in secondary school featured two hours on bias. At the time, I found this a frustrating experience. Why sit here talking about the importance of different perspectives when there are so many exciting Roman battles to revisit! I still remember the teacher’s

Ryan den Rooijen
Ryan den Rooijen
People & Culture