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Welcome to the Women in Data Podcast, where every other week your host, Karen Jean-Francois interviews some of the most inspiring women working in data. Through each episode, they share their invaluable experience and knowledge. Leaving no stone unturned, the WiD Podcast series will provide you with information on the use of data in various industries, plus helpful tips for career development. More importantly, it will enable you to become the data professional you want to be.
Episodes

Wednesday Jan 05, 2022
Ep.50 The Women in Data community in 2022 - pushing forward for change
Wednesday Jan 05, 2022
Wednesday Jan 05, 2022
This week, Karen is joined by not one, not two, but three data titans! Claire Williams (Associate Partner at IBM), Holly Armitage (Principal Strategist at BAE Systems) and Richard Tate (EVP Data at DAZN Group) share what 2022 will look like for the Women in Data community. Forming half of the Chapter Leads team, they are working to make data careers more accessible and welcoming to women. They respectively lead the Girls in Data, Career Crossroads and Allyship chapters. Listen to find out more about their missions and what to expect in the new year.
Enjoy!
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Show notes:
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Connect with Karen and the guests:
Claire - Girls in Data chapter
Holly - Career crossroads chapter

Wednesday Dec 15, 2021
Ep.49 - Jennifer Agnes - Leveraging strategy to thrive with data
Wednesday Dec 15, 2021
Wednesday Dec 15, 2021
This week, Karen is joined by Jennifer Agnes, Managing Director at Cynozure Group for the second part of a two-part conversation. In this episode, Jennifer shares the steps to building a data strategy and how to identify and address the right business questions to ensure alignment with your business strategy. She also provides key advice to data professionals at all stages of their career. From recent grads who need to find ways to broaden their perspective as they grow and develop thinking more broadly and identifying what needs to be done, to senior managers who have to build a strategy that is in line with business objectives and create an environment that encourages sharing ideas, learning every day and iteratively and continuously creates value with data.
Enjoy!
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Show notes
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Jennifer recommends to read Data Means Business

Wednesday Dec 08, 2021
Ep.48 Jennifer Agnes - How to build a strong and sustainable network
Wednesday Dec 08, 2021
Wednesday Dec 08, 2021
This week, Karen is joined by Jennifer Agnes, Managing Director at Cynozure Group for the first part of a two-part conversation. In this episode, Jennifer shares how she moved from risk management to a career in data. She then moves on to talk about how to build and maintain a strong network. You will hear about two different ways of building your network: communities and 1 on 1 meetings. You will discover the role played by networking communities, like the CDO Hub and how they benefit members who invest time in them. You will also find some advice on how to approach 1 on 1 networking conversations and make the relationships last over the years. Towards the end, Jennifer covers how she blended her desire to give back and help others build a network and grow in their career with her day-to-day role.
Connect with Jennifer on LinkedIn

Wednesday Nov 24, 2021
Wednesday Nov 24, 2021
This week, Karen is joined by The Very Group’s, Gemma Turner (Analytics Manager for Digital Product) and Michelle Williams (Data Product Owner). In this episode, they explore introversion in data professionals from the differing perspectives of these two leaders. While Michelle covers what it means to lead as an introvert; Gemma brings the viewpoint of an extrovert who leads a team of introverts. They talk about why careers in data analytics and engineering are particularly attractive to those of an introverted nature and how they can benefit data teams. They also share how introverts can perform and progress in their careers and how leaders can support their team members, especially when it comes to meeting participation.
Enjoy!
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Show notes:
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The power of vulnerability – Brené Brown
The Ripple Effect – Dr. Greg Wells
The power of introverts – Susan Cain

Wednesday Nov 10, 2021
Ep.46 Harietta Eleftherochorinou - Innovation in action: Driving impact in healthcare
Wednesday Nov 10, 2021
Wednesday Nov 10, 2021
This week, Karen is joined by Harietta Eleftherochorinou, Head of Innovation Strategy and Ventures, at IQVIA (NYSE: IQV). Through Harietta’s career journey, they talk about how AI and technology are transforming healthcare. They then explore the topic of innovation, mentioning the three archetypes of innovation, the different ways to innovate and the five ingredients to create transformational impact through innovation.
Enjoy!
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Show notes:
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IQVIA innovation hub: https://www.iqvia.com/about-us/innovation-hub

Wednesday Oct 27, 2021
Ep.45 - Sheila Byfield – Combining data with common sense for better decisions
Wednesday Oct 27, 2021
Wednesday Oct 27, 2021
This week, Karen is joined by Sheila Byfield, who has led a successful career specialising in research and data analysis within media and advertising. In this episode, Sheila shares what she has learnt over the years as well as her frustration over the direction that the advertising sector has taken - frustration which ultimately led her to write a book called ‘In with the old. In with the new’. She talks about how promises to change the interruption model were not kept, how time pressure impacts ads’ effectiveness, and how digital advertising could benefit from learnings from the past. Most importantly, she highlights the significance of human intervention and common sense in technological and data developments as well as their applications.
Enjoy!
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Show notes:
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Sheila’s book: https://www.amazon.co.uk/old-new-Sheila-Byfield/dp/0244501955/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=sheila+byfield&qid=1634586146&sr=8-1
Reading recommendations:
- The Attention Economy by Karen Nelson-Field
- The long and the short of it: Balancing long and short-term marketing strategies by Les Binet and Peter Field.
- Hello world by Hanah Fry
- Invisible women by Caroline Criado-Perez
Podcasts recommendations
- The digital human: https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b01n7094/episodes/player
- Marketing Week’s podcast: https://www.marketingweek.com/marketing-podcasts/

Wednesday Oct 13, 2021
Ep.44 Annalisa Occhipinti – Data Science and Cancer Research
Wednesday Oct 13, 2021
Wednesday Oct 13, 2021
This week, Karen is joined by Annalisa Occhipinti, Lecturer in Data Analytics at Teesside University. Working at the interesting intersection of Computer Science and Biology, she develops critical machine learning and deep learning methodologies for cancer research. In this episode, Annalisa gives insight into how data science is supporting cancer research. These life-saving models enable early detection as well as providing clinicians with the information they need to prescribe adequate treatment based on an individual's genomic profile. She talks about the data that she analyses, dealing with missing values and how the models are built. Working closely with businesses, she then goes on to discuss the differences between academic research and industry.
Enjoy!
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Show notes:
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Annalisa’s research is funded by: https://earlier.org/
Annalisa’s reading recommendation:
Google Scholar - https://scholar.google.com/
Newsletters:
The batch - https://read.deeplearning.ai/the-batch/
Data Elixir - https://dataelixir.com/
Deep Learning Weekly - https://www.deeplearningweekly.com/

Wednesday Oct 06, 2021

Wednesday Sep 29, 2021
Ep.43 Alison Williams - The value in thinking differently
Wednesday Sep 29, 2021
Wednesday Sep 29, 2021
This week, Karen is joined by Alison Williams, Head of Data Management and Governance at Dunnhumby. From a university degree in History, to leading a team of 140 data professionals, Alison has faced many challenges in her career. In this episode, she shares how she came to realise that her unconventional way of approaching data-related problems is her strength. She also discusses the importance of understanding different personality profiles and ways of thinking to improve effectiveness and collaboration across teams.
Enjoy!
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Show notes:
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Alison spoke about: Insights personality test
She recommends to listen to:
- Hub & Spoken: https://www.cynozure.com/hub-spoken/
- Customer Insight Leader: https://www.customerinsightleader.com/the-customer-insight-leader-podcast/
- HBR - Ideacast: https://hbr.org/2018/01/podcast-ideacast
- HBR - Coaching Real Leaders: https://hbr.org/2020/12/podcast-coaching-real-leaders

Wednesday Sep 15, 2021
Ep.42 Sue Parker – Career crafting
Wednesday Sep 15, 2021
Wednesday Sep 15, 2021
This week, Karen is joined by Sue Parker, founder of Empowered Leaders in Tech. As a data leader and an ambassador for women working in technology, Sue is passionate about helping data and IT professionals to feel fulfilled by work that has purpose and impact. In this episode, she shares her best advice to help you shape your career. With her 3D framework, Sue will walk you from understanding your journey so far, to defining your success story.
Enjoy!
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Show notes:
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Sue’s reading recommendations:
Atomic habits by James Clear
The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen Covey
Eat your from by Brian Tracy
How to win friends and influence people by Dale Carnegie
