In this fortnight's episode of In Focus, we speak with John Brodie CEO of ForthPoint (formerly joint CEO and Founder of Aquila Insight) is a data science veteran, devoting more than 20 years of his career to helping businesses become data led in their decision making. He grew Aquila Insight from two to 200 people and stepped out onto the global stage with its acquisition by the Dentsu Aegis Network.

In our new blog series, The Future of Data Science from Industry Leaders, we asked industry leaders from across the UK what they expect to see from the industry in 2022.

Leadership styles have been the subject of much conversation throughout the past 18 months as the data science industry has shifted into the world of remote work.

Around six years ago, I started collaborating with folks at The Data Lab (TDL). One of the many things we did together is the now well-established MSc Placement Programme. At the time I started working on it, it wasn’t a thing. Universities had always done placements, sure – but something as large and complex as what we had planned – nope, that was new. That was big and scary and different!

So, that was Lockdown. The drift back to ‘normal’ has begun. Offices are re-opening, up and down the country, and shops and entertainment, too.

I work with businesses of every size and any sector, from the biggest names in telecoms, finance, and retail, to AI start-ups and data consultancies with 10 employees.

Earlier in the month, I collaborated with Strathclyde Women+ in Tech to delivering a session on getting started in STEM and showcasing data literacy.

In my last article, I looked at the value of a positive candidate experience during the marketing and advertising stage of the hiring process and the importance of ensuring a universally positive candidate experience to attract as wide, diverse and suitable mix of applicants as possible. 

From the Need for Increased Deliverables to Perfecting the Balance Between Human and Machine Interaction

How Business Leaders Are Harnessing Compassion and Empathy to Lead in the Modern Work Environment

Looking back over the past year many organisations have taken steps to harness the power of their data.

Inspired by MBN Solution’s ‘The Future of Talent’ whitepaper, The Scotsman recently discussed how organisations can ensure their workforce is filled with talented individuals. Amongst other points, harnessing remote working, building a diverse team and clear communication of your organisation’s purpose are all flagged as imperative in attracting top talent. Read what The Scotsman said below:

At this point, it’s not news to say that there’s a tech and data skills shortage in the UK. Businesses are scrambling to scoop up the best talent as quickly as possible and in the rush are overlooking some of their best assets: their software engineers.

Data science is fast paced and, in the post, Covid-19 candidate-driven market, being able to adapt quickly to new opportunities can help catapult your career to the next level.

Last month, I looked at the importance of ensuring the prep work around creating a new vacancy was always carried out and investigated how a job, talent and reward evaluation helps ensure a great candidate experience (CanDex) for talent throughout the selection process.

Last week saw the closing ceremony of the Data Lab’s MSc Placement Programme for 2020/2021, with 92 MSc students placed with 75 Scottish organisations.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is perhaps the trend on every practitioners’ lips in the Data science and technology industries, but how can we ensure that it becomes widely accepted by the general public? 

For some software engineers, their language is their religion and for others, there’s a fierce need to explore. 

It’s becoming increasingly common for software engineers to become polyglots and build their understanding of more than one language. 

In Focus is a new data science and technology industry podcast that brings together industry leaders to talk about their evolving leadership styles, how they adapt and grow their businesses and how they build high-performing teams. 

It's no revelation that conspiracy theories spread like wildfire on the internet, creating such massive amounts of misinformation it can be challenging for people to sift through what's real and what isn't. 

While remote working has many benefits, one of the challenges for new data scientists can be making the transition from academia to the workforce.

Managing this transition was challenging before but the new ways of working have added to the complexity, where people used to be able to pick up a lot of knowledge by osmosis or looking over the shoulder of their colleagues, now it’s done through video calls or Slack.

Graduate data scientists are an important part of every organisation but for many, it can be challenging understanding where they fit in, especially if the organisation isn’t traditionally tech focussed.

It’s not uncommon for software engineers and tech practitioners to struggle to make the move to management positions, which is why being among the ones that understand business concepts and have business skills can help define your career and make the jump to management level.

Recruitment is about finding the best people for your business and if you're a hiring manager, you'll know some roles have seemed impossible to fill. I know I’ve struggled to hire people for senior roles in the past. This experience has made me think about how we hire people and potential limitations of the traditional approach.

A common theme that I’ve noticed is that businesses have a singular approach to recruitment. Does this translate to the best candidates? Are your campaigns reaching a broad audience or are you excluding groups and communities with your approach?

In Part 1 of our monthly series on Candidate Experience, What Is Candidate Experience and Why is it Important, we looked at the concept of Talent Magnetism, how to get started with candidate experience and common places for improvement.

Last week, I hosted a panel discussion around the importance of Diversity and Inclusion in Tech, joined by the wonderful Duncan Hart (Co-founder of Deepminer), Fash Fasoro (Data Governance at Homepointr and Project Director at The Data Kirk) and Amber Lawther (BI and Analytics Technician with NHS NSS).

In June’s episode of AI Right?, hosts Kris McFadyen, Megan Stamper and Andy McMahon look at how and why your voice activated devices (like Alexa and Google Home) are listening into your conversations and whether your smartphone is doing it too.

In a world increasingly powered by data, data literacy is almost as important as literacy itself and an organisation’s ability to succeed will be dependent on its employee’s abilities and willingness to learn this new language.  

There’s no single way to start a career in data science, which is one of the things I love most about the industry. There’s space for people who graduated university with data degrees, who are self-taught or who have retrained through courses offered by companies like The Data Lab and CodeClan.

Accessibility and inclusion have always been important but the past 18 months have pulled it into the spotlight. Whether it’s social, physical or cognitive we have all become more aware of institutional bias and discrimination.