The Databricks partnership with WiD supports our committment to building a community where we can promote inclusion, career growth, leadership, mentorship, and networking.
Our partnership with Women in Data allows us to be part of a community of women who can learn from one another, advocate for each other, and work together to advance awareness, inclusion, engagement, and policies in data.
Organisations’ top data priorities over the next two years fall into three areas, all supported by wider adoption of cloud platforms: improve data management, enhance data analytics and ML, and expand the use of all types of enterprise data.
We predict that we’ll see ML inside all applications, currently, SAAS apps ask you to manually pull data out to understand and analyse it. However, in 5 years, we see this intelligence being built within the applications themselves where data is processed and delivered in real-time.
By 2023, 85% of AI solutions by vendors will focus on concrete domains and industry verticals. By 2024, multi-cloud strategies will reduce vendor dependency for two-thirds of organizations but primarily not through application portability. Gartner says that cloud-based AI will increase 5x from 2019, making AI one of the top cloud services.
Databricks is the data and AI company. More than 7,000 organisations worldwide — including Comcast, Condé Nast, H&M and over 40% of the Fortune 500 — rely on the Databricks Lakehouse Platform to unify their data, analytics and AI. Databricks is headquartered in San Francisco, with offices around the globe. Founded by the original creators of Apache Spark™, Delta Lake and MLflow, Databricks is on a mission to help data teams solve the world’s toughest problems.
Expertise: Data culture, data strategy, digital transformation, data science ethics
Education: Masters in International Finance and Economics, Brandeis University
Bachelor of Science Economics, Syracuse University
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lexykassan/
Twitter: @lexykassan @DSEthics
Lexy Kassan is a thought leader for doing good things with data. She oversees and guides customers in transforming their data culture to best position for creating value out of technology and analytics investments. She has seen first-hand the power of empowering people with the right tools and just enough governance to optimise processes and achieve business outcomes.
Data has an increasing role to play in our lives and societies and Lexy is actively involved in shaping that role. She is a thought leader in data and AI ethics, Founder and Host of the Data Science Ethics Podcast, and a frequent speaker and guest lecturer on the topic at institutions around the world. Her work has helped organisations across both private and public sectors delve into the responsibilities and societal ramifications of applying advanced analytics in their space.
Lexy is a supporter and advocate for supporting underrepresented groups in STEM. She has been a tutor for Girls, Inc. and mentor to multiple cohorts for CorrelationOne’s Data Science for All including sessions for women and LGBTQIA+ communities.
Within Databricks, Lexy acts as a strategic advisor to some of the largest customers in EMEA, bringing decades of expertise, recent trends, and best practices to bear to ensure success in data & AI initiatives. She also wears the hat of data and AI ethicist consulting with clients and product to deliver a platform that enables more responsible use of data by design.
From repairing Apache helicopters near the Korean DMZ to the corporate battlefield, Robin has demonstrated success in navigating the high stress, and sometimes combative, complexities of data-led transformations. She has consulted with hundreds of organisations on data strategy, data culture, organisational design, operational efficiency leveraging data, and how to build diverse data teams. Robin has had an eclectic career path in technical and business functions with more than two decades in tech companies, including Microsoft and Databricks. She also has achieved multiple academic accomplishments from her juris doctorate to a master’s in law to engineering leadership. From her first technical role as an entry-level consumer support engineer to Chief Data Officer Microsoft UK to her current position as Databricks Field CDO, Robin supports creating an inclusive workplace. She was recognized in 2023 as a Top 20 Women in Data and Tech, DataIQ 100 Most Influential People in Data, and WomenTech speaker of the Year Finalist. Robin was also a founding member of both Chief and WLDA in Europe – two organisations focused on more female representation in leadership roles. She is also currently serving as the current Chair of Women in Data – US Chapter. In her spare time, Robin enjoys travelling with her family and triathlon/marathon training.
is a Delivery Lead at Kubrick, specialized in implementing and driving the adoption of data and AI solutions. Jess supports organizations across industries to undertake largescale data architecture and governance initiatives, while identifying and delivering value-driven AI use cases directly to end business users. Having kickstarted her career in Kubrick’s training and consulting program, Jess now leads and mentors teams of Kubrick consultants to develop their skills while delivering high-impact projects.
Expertise: Big Data & AI: Spark, delta, cloud architecture, data engineering, data science, analytics & visualisation, python, scala, SQL
Education: Bachelor of Science Mathematics
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/holly-smith-63201424/
Holly was an early London hire at the then Series D startup, Databricks in 2019. She joined from Lloyds Banking Group where she worked as lead data scientist. A new opportunity at Databricks allowed Holly to help data teams solve the world’s toughest problems.
Bringing her leadership skills to Databricks, she has been instrumental in making customers truly successful with their data. Over the last two years, she has kept her technical skills sharp by going back to hands-on work so that she always has a finger on the pulse with the latest emerging technologies. Through her consulting work, she has implemented petabyte scale data pipelines and advises some of the biggest Fortune 500 companies on how to get the most value out of their data. At Databricks, her contributions aren’t just limited to existing customers and she has spoken to wide audiences at Data and AI Summits through talks and training courses. This year she has trained 1500 people on how to use Databricks.
Holly brings a unique style to her work, with an emphasis on the democratisation of information. She can be counted on to break any complexity down to the crux of the problem. After passing her 5x Developer certificates in multiple languages, she has coached many others to pass their exams too.
She is on the Scoping & Impact committee member for Datakind UK, a nonprofit that harnesses the power of data science for social good by bringing together teams of pro bono data scientists with social change organisations. To ensure the right projects are worked on, she assess social change organisations for their ability to make a positive impact in a meaningful, ethical and data driven way.
Women in Data recognised Holly in 2020 for her contributions to its mission. In partnership with Women in Data she has trained over 100 women in Apache Spark, and has spoken at schools to encourage young girls into a career in tech.
Benita is a Senior Solutions Engineer at Databricks, where she helps customers modernize their data platform and develop data governance strategies. She specializes in data warehousing, data engineering and ML/AI with over 4years of experience. Outside of work, she enjoys travel photography, morning runs and spending time with family and friends
Lynne Bailey is an award-winning Data Leader with over 20 years of experience in Data and Technology. A former Chief Data Officer and People Partner, she has been on the technology leadership teams of 2 of the largest Professional Services organisations in the world. With extensive experience designing and embedding data and AI strategy, she has led organisations through complex data and technology transformations.
Currently one of the Field CTOs at Databricks, Lynne continues to consult and guide customers through their own data and AI journeys.
With deep expertise in designing and implementing data and AI strategies, Lynne has successfully led organizations through complex data and technology transformations. Currently, as a Field CTO at Databricks, she continues to guide and consult with customers on their data and AI journeys.
An experienced and inclusive people leader, Lynne has inherited, grown, and built teams from the ground up. Passionate about diversity and inclusion, she was proud to sponsor the Black Heritage Allyship program in technology at KPMG. Additionally, she is an active member of the Women in Data (WiD) community, mentoring and coaching several inspiring women.
LinkedIn : Linkedin Profile
Expertise: Product Management, Change Management, Servant Leadership.
Education: BCS International Business Analyst, Product Management Fundamentals
Bio:
Aimee is a dedicated and innovative Head of Product with a passion for leveraging data and technology to drive value and benefit for Sainsbury’s. With a strong belief in the power of collaboration, Aimee excels in working with cross-functional teams to deliver impactful solutions. Her expertise lies in harnessing data insights to inform strategic decisions and implementing cutting-edge technologies to enhance business operations. Aimee is deeply committed to both colleagues and customers, ensuring that their needs and perspectives are at the forefront of every initiative. She maintains a dual focus on internal and external stakeholders, combined with a commitment to continuous improvement.
Education: BSc Geography
https://www.linkedin.com/in/siobhan-waldron-ab6a97270/
Talk about a squiggly career! Upon leaving university I went travelling around the world for a year, upon returning I began an exciting career in the Ministry of Defence. It was here I honed my skills for threat intelligence and the collection process. I began to understand the broader threat landscape and the actors that played their part to disrupt our way of life in the UK. 16+ years later, I needed a new challenge and discovered my skill set fit well with the cyber security world.
My role has opened many doors, opportunities, and experiences for my personal and professional growth. Currently, I am responsible for communicating cyber threats across the organisation through data collection and analysis, sustaining a community of practice and developing strategies and policies.
I have a passion for equality, diversity, and inclusion and for being a role-model for women in cyber and data.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/alex-read-0a761936/
Expertise: Building high performing teams that maximise value extraction from data solutions
Education: TOGAF Certified Architect, Oracle Certified Associate, SCRUM Alliance Certified Product Owner.
Over the past decade, I’ve had the privilege of building and leading data-driven teams across various industries, all with a core focus on leveraging data to deliver tangible business value. I’m a seasoned data leader, with a strong background in data platforms, cloud technology and data strategy. In previous roles, I have led data teams at a major BPO and headed up the data architecture function at a financial services company.
At EDF UK, I have led the EDF UK Customers business migration to AWS/Snowflake and have led numerous large scale data transformation programmes. I promote a less is more tech strategy and am focussed on ROI and driving reusability wherever possible.
I’m deeply committed to driving diversity within tech, which I champion through my involvement in the EDF UK data and tech steering group. I’m fully supportive of initiatives such as early careers programmes that help develop and nurture talent. I passionately believe that the gender disparity in roles such as a tech and engineering needs to be addressed and it’s on all leaders to create a culture and environment where talent can flourish.
In the data landscape, I believe that data is more interconnected than ever and the ability to share data between producers and consumers is vital to drive innovation. As we advance in this data marketplace era, I’m excited to continue building strategies that use technological transformation to drive real-world impact. And of course, developing talent that enable value to be extracted from data and drive an innovative data culture.
Expertise: Driving AI initiatives into operational business applications
Education: Applied Science, 25 years in data innovation
https://www.linkedin.com/in/owen-eszeki/
My adventure into the world of AI began in the mid-90s, pre-internet, as a Geographical Information Systems Analyst for the Australian Government. I quickly realized the immense value of data accuracy and cleanliness. Hungry for more challenges, I moved into the vibrant world of publishing at Lonely Planet Publications. Here, I understood the critical importance of project deliveries, cost efficiency vs. accuracy and digital publishing, witnessing the dawn of Google Maps and its transformative effect on the industry where I learnt that I would, where possible need to be at the forefront of data technology. Fuelled by my passion for exploration, I sold everything and travelled the world, eventually landing in the UK. My freelancing days were filled with diverse data projects, sharpening my skills and expanding my horizons. I found a home at Kimberly Clark Professional, where I turned raw data into actionable insights and honed my data engineering skills. This marked my first foray into data science, developing predictive churn models, stunning data visualizations, and natural language sentiment models. These experiences laid the groundwork for building digital marketing insights and eventually leading the data team. Recognizing the impact of ML and AI seven years ago, I transitioned to a small startup, honing my data and AI skills while leading projects and teams, especially in NLP. This path led me to EDF, where I initially served as a consultant before becoming a full-time member in the EDF Blue Lab incubator as an AI Lead. Today, I am at the helm, driving AI innovation to operational scale deployments. I oversee strategy, governance, and the responsible deployment of AI, working alongside my talented award-winning team. With a profound understanding of AI technologies and strong management abilities, I ensure foster innovation within my team. My commitment to responsible AI practices upholds transparency and ethical standards in every initiative and support EDF in understanding AI Governance practices building their AI strategic future. With over 25 years of experience working with data, my leadership and passion for advancing AI technologies empower EDF UK to achieve extraordinary results, enhancing sustainability and operational efficiency. I take pride in contributing to a culture of excellence and responsibility, shaping the future of energy innovation.
