IAPA names Victorian economy & jobs analytics leader as number 1
Announcement posted by IAPA - Institute of Analytics Professionals of Australia 22 Jun 2022
Sydney, NSW – 9pm, 22 June 2022 – IAPA, Australia’s only analytics association, formally recognised 25 analytics leaders in Australia tonight, naming the Victoria Government’s Executive Director – Technology and Insights at the Department of Jobs, Precincts and Regions, Brad Petry as the number one Top 25 Analytics Leader for 2022.
IAPA, the Institute of Analytics Professionals of Australia is the peak body for data and analytics in Australia, incorporating data analytics, data science and analytics-driven insights for better business decisions. This is the fifth year of the Top 25 Analytics Leaders Program recognising excellence in analytics leadership..
“Brad led the Jobs Victoria team that used analytics to remove flawed logic, bias and other manual processes from the job application process to promote inclusivity. Data analytics, artificial intelligence, and machine learning overcame biases to deliver more efficient employment services matching of applicants to vacancies – and positive feedback from both applicants, partners and employers,” noted IAPA Managing Director, Annette Slunjski.
“It’s a project that showcased Brad’s analytics leadership skills in strategy, influence, advocacy, innovation and team collaboration.”
“It is a privilege to be recognised by the IAPA panel for this award in 2022, amongst an exceptional group of data practitioners. The past two years have provided a catalyst in government for greater data-driven decision making.,” said Brad Petry, Executive Director – Technology and Insights at the Department of Jobs, Precincts and Regions, Victoria Government.
“I’m proud to have played a role at Jobs Victoria to create a culture where data is central to help get Victorians into meaningful work. I am supported by an amazing team and thank them for their motivation, innovation and support towards our data and analytics ambitions at Jobs Victoria.”
The number two named analytics leader is Lionel Kho, Vice President, Data Transformation, Merkle and a driver of the establishment and growth of the data transformation practice within the Merkle organisation.
Four women in the Top Six
Notably in 2022, four women analytics leaders from Bupa, AFL, Latitude Financial Services and Suncorp were named in the top six of the Top 25. Janice Carey, former Head of Data Strategy and Operations, Bupa APAC; Elisa Koch, Head of Data and Analytics, AFL; Sandhya Iyer, Chief Data Officer (Acting), Latitude Financial Services and Rachel Scott, Manager Marketing Science, Suncorp were named number 3, 4, 5 and 6 respectively.
Rounding out the Top 10 analytics leaders were, in order, Andrew Woods, Strategic Analytics Manager, Sydney Water; Kshira Saagar, Senior Director, International Data Science & Analytics, DoorDash; Jonathan Shen, Head of Data & Analytics, Teachers Health; and Dhivian Govender, Chief Data, Analytics & Strategy Officer, Recoveriescorp.
The data-driven journey for c-suite too
“While we recognise 25 analytics leaders tonight, they can only achieve excellence and deliver insights that improve the organisation with the full support of the c-suite. And that can be problematic,” said Slunjski.
“There are too many reports of senior ranks in Australia organisations only paying lip service to data-driven strategies, under funding data and analytics, restricting resources and ignoring identified data quality issues. That makes it hard for an analytics leader or chief data officer to shine – and impossible for AI aspirations to deliver anything of substance.
“We must get better at bringing the c-suite on the data-driven journey. That’s on us as the analytics industry to better engage, educate and build understanding with business and c-suite executives,” stated Slunjski.
IAPA, for its part, is calling for expressions of interest in its Patron Program, designed to help executives and c-suite to better understand data, analytics and the implications to business strategy and operations. Analytics leaders are also envisaged as an important part of the program and are encouraged to submit expression of interest via the IAPA website as well.
Analytics intensive industries
The 2022 cohort of top 25 leaders in analytics is strongly represented by traditional analytics intensive industries such as financial services, utilities, government and consulting but also includes less obvious industries like beauty and sport. Interestingly the financial services industry was represented in a third of the top 10 and half of all women in the Top 25 cohort.
Judged by a panel of leading analytics and business leaders, the 2022 IAPA Top 25 Analytics Leaders recognises excellence in four key areas strategy and impact; influence and advocacy; innovation and improvement; and team growth and leadership. The top ten for 2022 are as follows:
- Brad Petry - Executive Director, Technology and Insights, Department of Jobs, Precincts and Regions, Victoria Government
- Lionel Kho - Vice President, Data Transformation, Merkle
- Janice Carey - former Head of Data Strategy and Operations, Bupa APAC
- Elisa Koch - Head of Data and Analytics, AFL
- Sandhya Iyer - Chief Data Officer (Acting), Latitude Financial Services
- Rachel Scott - Manager Marketing Science, Suncorp
- Andrew Woods - Strategic Analytics Manager, Sydney Water
- Kshira Saagar - Senior Director, International Data Science & Analytics, DoorDash
- Jonathan Shen - Head of Data & Analytics, Teachers Health
- Dhivian Govender - Chief Data, Analytics & Strategy officer, Recoveriescorp
A complete list of the IAPA Top 25 Analytics Leaders cohort for 2022 can be found below.
ENDS
About IAPA
The Institute of Analytics Professionals of Australia (IAPA) is the professional organisation for the analytics industry in Australia, incorporating business analytics and data mining across multiple disciplines and sectors. Its mission is to unite, inform, support and promote analytics professionals in Australia. The 8,000 plus IAPA community represent a diverse range of industry verticals and brands including financial services, government, utilities, retail/FMCG and telecommunications as well as leading analytical consultants and software providers. IAPA is part of the Australian Computer Society (ACS)
The IAPA Top 25 Analytics Leaders for 2022 (in alphabetic order by last name)
Vaughan Archer - Director of Advisory, Gartner
Arnie Bhattacharya - Chief Analytics Officer & Vice-President of Data, Infomedia
Janice Carey - former Head of Data Strategy and Operations, Bupa APAC
Sophia Duan - Senior Lecturer and Program Director, Information Systems and Business Analytics, RMIT University
Fateme Fahiman - Lead Data Scientist, EnergyAustralia
Dhivian Govender - Chief Data, Analytics & Strategy Officer, Recoveriescorp
Sandhya Iyer - Chief Data Officer (Acting), Latitude Financial Services
Susmitha Jella - Analytics Manager, Bureau of Meteorology
Bevan John Henderson - Senior Manager Customer Interactions, REST
Vishal Kapoor - Head of Product, Data & Innovation, Prospection
Harpreet Khalsa - Chief Data Officer, Edith Cowan University
Lionel Kho - Vice President, Data Transformation, Merkle
Elisa Koch - Head of Data and Analytics, AFL
Janine Lloyd - (Acting) Head of Data Science & AI, Home Loans, ANZ
Catherine Lopes - Chief Data and Analytics Officer, Merkle
Jeremiah Mannings - Director of Data Science, PwC
Brad Petry - Executive Director, Technology and Insights, Department of Jobs, Precincts and Regions, Victoria Government
Kshira Saagar - Senior Director, International Data Science & Analytics, DoorDash
Amin Sadri - Principal Data Scientist, ANZ
Rachel Scott - Manager Marketing Science, Suncorp
Kimly Scott - Analytics Manager, Luxasia
Jonathan Shen - Head of Data & Analytics, Teachers Health
Chath Widanapathirana - Head of Applied AI, Prospection
Andrew Woods - Strategic Analytics Manager, Sydney Water
Ben Yi - Head of Data Science, Upflowy