Working for SAS in the UK public sector is always interesting. This is due largely to the diversity of public sector activities and the innovative ways in which government agencies deploy analytics. Analytics can help reduce costs while protecting and improving delivery of the front-line services upon which we all, to
A recent documentary on TV amused me. It asked teens what they want to do professionally. The answers included YouTube star, DJ and – over and over again – “influencer.” Quite apart from the fact that all these are relatively new jobs, they also have something else in common: There
Most people’s ideas about analytics in sport are probably based on the book and film Moneyball, about Billy Beane, manager of the Oakland Athletics baseball team in 2002, and his efforts to find a way to build a winning team without overspending. His analytical approach set the foundation for the
2018 is the year of analytics. It is likely to be the year when data and analytics reaches every industry. In retail and the consumer packaged goods industry, the digital transformation has hugely changed the operating model, generating multiple sales channels to manage. In financial services, the last crisis and
How many of us have already failed to unsubscribe to newsletters or other email solicitations? For sure the link is there at the bottom of these emails, but who knows what happens when asking for unsubscribing. Consent has been for years limited to one “Do not call/contact” flag at the
I have recently become an avid user of the app YourLocal. It combines my interest in quality food items, my desire to contribute to less food waste and my propensity for convenience. Essentially, it lists stores in my vicinity that have deals on products right before closing time that might
A blog post from Forrester reveals that “German consumers are very informed about their data privacy. 68% are aware that companies buy and sell their household information, and 58% are likely to cancel a transaction if they see something they don’t like in a privacy policy”. With companies operating in multiple
It is always interesting to attend trade shows and find out what’s new. It is also, however, slightly depressing to hear what’s not new, especially when it is an issue that we have been discussing for some time. At the National Retail Federation’s event in New York City recently, I
You can, as the saying goes, lead a horse to water, but you cannot make it drink. The same saying also seems to be true of analytics and particularly of platforms: You can provide a platform, but how can you make sure that it will be used, providing both value
As a regular hackathon participant, I’m often asked about what I appreciate in a well-run event, and what makes a hackathon successful. I’ve written before about the power of hackathons to be a melting pot of creativity, education and teamwork, whether in general, or in specific sectors like banking. They
