VIDEO | Apotex Senior Director: You Can Never Communicate Enough

(US and Canada) Aida Tahiri, Apotex Senior Director of Enterprise Data and Analytics, speaks with Robert Lutton, Sandhill Consultants Vice President, in a video interview about implementing advanced analytics programs, critical skill sets, and the importance of listening and communicating well.

According to Tahiri, new tool and technology implementation is accompanied by people’s concerns about job security She mentions that one way of addressing those concerns is educating the organization on what advanced analytics, machine learning, and artificial intelligence can do to support them in their day-to-day work.

Tahiri’s team focuses on using market intelligence to create a 360-degree view of the customer and building those capabilities internally. That way, the advanced analysts can hold hands with the business and deliver together, she notes.

Tahiri says Apotex is trying to close critical skill gaps in data stewards and the advanced analytics community.

Sharing her approach to training a resource, she says that the number one ability that she looks for is business knowledge, followed by attitude, communication, the ability to translate simple business questions, and visualize and send messages back to the business. Tahiri stresses that business translators should also be able to connect with and influence the stakeholders within an organization.

Speaking on the application of AI, machine learning, and deep learning at Apotex, she reveals that the organization is looking at delivering some tangible outcomes by creating simulations or prototypes using advanced analytics, machine learning, and AI. Tahiri adds that the intention is to work together and scale them.

Sharing best practices for data leaders, she emphasizes they need to listen and learn from experts and avoid repeating their mistakes. Trusted leaders should be willing to stop, reevaluate, and change, Tahiri says.

She also highlights three key support areas to ensure a data leader is successful:

1. Visible leadership support that shows the organization’s investment

2. Sharing knowledge and making it available to everyone

3. People change, communication, and organizational change management

Concluding, Tahiri says that leaders may think that they have communicated enough, but they can never communicate enough.

CDO Magazine thanks Aia Tahiri for sharing her expertise with the broader community.

See more from Aida Tahiri

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