The data scientist is one of the most sought-after – and often misunderstood – roles in B2B. We spoke with four of them to understand their inspiration for entering this competitive field
In B2B, big data science is talked about a lot, but there remains a lack of understanding of what the job actually is and, more importantly, what it can achieve.
We interviewed four data scientists to discover their reasons for entering this highly competitive field.
Jen Brett
– head of EMEA insight, LinkedIn Marketing Solutions
“I definitely wasn’t someone who at 14 was thinking: ‘I want to work in data when I grow up.’ I’m a naturally curious person and, having studied politics at university, had an opportunity to do a PhD and entered the world of research just as ‘big data’ was emerging. I developed something of a penchant for research at a time when data analysis was on the rise.
“Having decided I didn’t want to go into academia, I took a role as an analyst in the advertising sales team at Google. It was there I was first introduced to the world of online marketing and then moved to work with the rich, unique data at LinkedIn Marketing Solutions.”
Rachel Eng
– lead data analyst, Bazaarvoice
“I come from a management information systems (MIS) background and started using my data analytics skills in my marketing analyst job at Bazaarvoice. We focus on customer-generated content (CGC), so naturally our clients wanted to know how to use their CGC to better understand their customers’ behaviour and what they liked and disliked about their products. Over time, the volume and complexity of the data increased and the questions got harder. In order to extract any insight from our data, I had to learn to use data science tools.”
Davide Anastasia
– data engineer, Blis
“I moved from software development in a variety of programming languages to data and time-series analysis, with the main aim being to find patterns, create advanced analytics and build products around the relationship between location and audience. Prior to joining Blis, I worked as an analyst for Quality Capital Management, where I helped to design and develop a high-frequency trading platform, and as a consultant for ION Trading, where I worked on the analysis of the hardware/performance trade-off in the infrastructure for electronic trading.”
Coralie Petermann
– director of data science, Sublime Skinz
“I have a degree in mathematics, mechanics and computer science, a masters in science and information technology and communication, another masters in the development of distributed applications, and a PhD in computer science. Working in a marketing context was a natural step for me. When I was 17 I launched my own website and became very involved with SEO, website optimisation, community management and customer loyalty.”
