Who inspires you in the analytics arena? Is it a specific analyst or an analytically minded company? Or, like Tom Davenport describes below, maybe it's the GM of a professional sports team.

We asked our Premier Business Leadership speakers and some of our Facebook friends to tell us about the people and companies that inspire them. My hope is that you’ll follow some of the links here and be inspired too.

Bill James, pioneer of using objective evidence and thinking in probabilities and now even using it to solve crime. – Daryl Morey, General Manager, Houston Rockets

I admire Amazon, the first mover in the personalized recommendation space continues to evolve and improve its algorithms, clearly with a customer in mind. Their recommendations on the site are relevant, their e-mail contact strategy is thoughtful, and it benefits the consumer! – Tamara Gruzbarg, Sr. Director of Analytics and Research, Gilt Groupe

It is not so much “who” as it is “what.” The innovative ways in which complex business problems can be addressed through the use of analytics is mind blowing.  The ability to drive decisions that make a difference based on insights and patterns that otherwise remain hidden remains the biggest aha-moment for me. – Jacob Kuijpers, Senior Manager, Information Management and Analytics Technologies, Deloitte

Jim Goodnight, because of his longevity and impact on the industry, and I heard he still codes every now and then. – Jeremy TerBush, VP of Global Analytics, Wyndham Exchange and Rentals

Dr. Shirley Mills and Ann Woodside both at Carleton University, although I believe Ann is retired now. Shirley is executive director of the Canadian Statistical Society this year. They both gave positive feedback in teaching statistics that motivated me to learn more. – Peter Timusk, Project Manager at Program Documentation

In business, I'm most impressed by Gary Loveman, who used analytics to turn around and grow Harrah's (now Caesars) Entertainment, and Filippo Passerini, who had a vision for how analytics could transform how Procter & Gamble managed itself, and realized it over a decade or so. In professional sports, I'm impressed by:

• The analytical decision-making and insights of Daryl Morey (General Manager of the Houston Rockets).
• Bill James (statistics guru of the Boston Red Sox).
• Sandy Alderson (President of the NY Mets).
• Billy Beane, the well-known Moneyball figure at the Oakland A's.
• The analytical orientation (if not the outgoing personality) of New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick.

– Tom Davenport, author, Judgement Calls, Analytics at Work andCompeting on Analytics

Aside from 89 Degrees, it has to be the casinos, because they have found ways to collect so much data on their customers and utilize it so powerfully to increase their business –Arthur Sweetser, CMO, 89 degrees

Follow the conference tag on this blog for continued inspiration.