Women in Data Podcast

Ep.24 Roisin McCarthy and Payal Jain – WiD reflections and projections

In this new year episode, Karen is joined by Roisin McCarthy and Payal Jain, respectively co-founder and Chair of Women in data. They reflect on what 2020 looked like for WiD, the challenges they faced, the wins they had. They also discuss their plans for Women in Data and Girls in Data in 2021. And, if you have been wondering what happened to the Twenty in data awards for 2020, you won’t be disappointed as Roisin reveals what they have been up to. 

 

Enjoy!

 

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Show Notes:

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Find the Twenty in data and technology here: https://womenindata.co.uk/about/twenty-in-data-technology-2019/

 

Ep.23 Your career questions answered

You sent us your career questions and, in this episode, Belinda Djamson, Managing Director at Accenture, Claire Thompson, Head of Data and Analytics at NatWest, and Samani Lamabadusuriya, Head of Data and Analytics at Cigna, bring you answers.

 

To help you navigate this episode, we grouped the questions in 3 parts: Starting in data, from doing to leading and leadership.  

Starting in Data  

• 2”40 What are the different paths into data science and data engineering?  And what do you advise when it comes to choosing which path one should go for?   
• 11”30What do you look for when recruiting data professionals?  

From doing to leading  

• 17”36 How to successfully transition from doing to leading? 
• 20”38 Which in your opinion is more important to invest time in obtaining - people skills or tech skills? 
• 26”08 The data industry is a very fast paced environment (new tools, new languages, new capabilities), how do you cope with this? How do you up skill and train yourselves?   
• 28”11 What do you need to do to get your career to the next level?   
• 32”46 Samani: You did an MBA a couple of years ago – could you please develop on the pros & cons of the experience, the added value, and if you would recommend people to do the same?    

Leadership  

• 38”43 How do you ensure knowledge is shared within your teams?   
• 42”29 How do you balance work and home life? Especially while WFH?   
• 49”06” Best tips 

Enjoy!

Ep. 22 Sumedha Menon - From Analytics to Data Science

This week, Karen is joined by Sumedha Menon, Data Scientist at Google. If you ever wondered how to transition from Data Analytics to Data Science, this conversation might answer many of your questions. In this episode, Sumedha talks about her personal experience of making this transition, factors she considered and how she made non-linear career choices so she could have a more fulfilling professional journey. She also provides tips on how anyone looking to make this transition can upskill themselves and start their own journey. 

Enjoy! 

Ep.21 Karrie Liu - Success story and cultural clash

“I would have been more proud of your achievement if you were my son!”  

This week, Karen is joined by Karrie Liu, winner of the top 100 women in technology in 2019. Karrie works as a Freelance mathematician for the NHS and Pharma companies. Making a point of using her skills to help others, she also advises charities on data related issues, allowing girls living in rural areas of India go to school. At the age of 17, Karrie moved to the UK to study and decided to stay and pursue a career in data and mathematics. Nobody would've guessed how much her father didn't appreciate her because of her gender. Tune in to the Women in Data, Karrie shares how she struggled to get her father’s approval along with tips on how women can support other women whose culture doesn't believe that women should study or have a career.  

 

Enjoy!

Ep.20 Grainne Gilmore and Dewi Spijkerman - Real estate research and geo spatial analytics

This week, Karen is joined by Grainne Gilmore, Head of Research at Zoopla and Dewi Spijkerman, Senior Geospatial Analyst at Knight Frank. In this very insightful episode, they talk about how the real estate industry uses data for research purpose, allowing them to understand trends and create insights into the market. They also talk about geospatial analytics and its various applications. Get ready for an exciting peek into the world of real estate and discover the power of geospatial analytics. 

 

Enjoy!

Ep19. Cristina Meloni - What do Credit Risk Analysts do?

Did you know credit risk analysts were key workers? 

This week, Karen is joined by Cristina Meloni, Senior Credit Risk analyst at Lloyds Banking Group. In this episode, they talk about Cristina’s experience as a Credit Risk Analyst. You will get a good sense of what the responsibilities of risk analysts are and why their role is so important. Cristina also shares the challenges of the job along with her view of what it takes to make a good credit risk analyst. While listening, please remember that these are Cristina’s view and that they should not be associated with those of Lloyds Banking Group. 

Enjoy! 

Ep.18 Freya Holland – Owning your career!

This week, Karen is joined by Freya Holland, EMEA & International HQ Analytics Lead at The Kraft Heinz Company. From feeling unhappy and losing confidence to driving the analytics agenda for a multinational FMCG company, Freya shares her journey to own her career. In this episode, you will also find tips to grow confidence. 

Enjoy! 

Ep.17 Caroline Pankhurst - How to get rid of limiting beliefs and build bravery!

Feeling like you would like to be braver and make changes happen? This week Karen is joined by Caroline Pankhurst, founder of Be Braver, and on a mission to help women realise more of what gives value and meaning to their personal and professional lives. While this episode started with Caroline outlining the Be Braver program to which she is generously offering a discount to the WiD community, it quickly got out of control and turned into a very personal conversation and a coaching session around bravery. Get ready to embark on a journey to identify your limiting beliefs and to walk away from them. You will also hear about Caroline’s work, discover the main traits of people who are perceived as courageous and try out 2 simple exercises to realise how courageous you already are.  

 

As a WiD, you can join Be Braver with up to 40% of discount. All you need to do is head to www.be-braver.com/ and use the offer code WIDBBC40 for the basic membership and WIDBBC35 for the full Be Braver program. 

 

Enjoy! 

Ep.16 Lara Izlan - Finding opportunity in uncertainty

This week, Karen is joined by Lara Izlan, Director, Advertising Data & Analytics at ITV and one of the DataIQ 100 most influential people in data.  Lara’s career in digital media spans a number of recognisable brands across different roles, with a central theme of using data to facilitate business transformation. Through first-hand experience, Lara has developed her views on how businesses and individuals can cope and thrive with change. With COVID-19 accelerating the pace of change, new challenges have arisen and uncertainty is more present than ever in our lives. In this episode, Lara shares insights from her career journey through transformation and tips for how individuals and teams can surface opportunity in periods of uncertainty. 

Enjoy! 

Ep.15 Sarah Hunt - Saying yes to a side hustle and flexible working

The summer break came and went and as promised, we are back with some great content and giveaways. 

This week, Karen is joined by Sarah Hunt.  After almost 30 years of experience in data analytics, Sarah was made redundant during the lockdown. Thankfully, she had a side hustle and chose to transform her unfortunate situation into an opportunity to focus on her yoga teaching business.  If you have been thinking about having something on the side, or would like to change your working pattern, this episode might just be what you need. Tune in to hear about the importance and benefits of having a side hustle, as well as Sarah's tips to approach the topic of flexible working hours with your manager. Throughout September, Sarah also offers the WiD community access to her online yoga classes. Head to www.yogawithsarahhunt.com where the first 30 will get a free class with the voucher WID100% and 30 will get 50% off with WID50%.  

 

Enjoy!