2019 GOLD – KNOWLEDGE PARTNER

Why we’ve partnered with Women in Data 2019

Women are significantly under-represented in the fast growing tech sector, especially in more senior and highly paid leadership roles. However, research shows that firms with gender diverse leadership teams financially outperform their competitors by over 20%.

QuantumBlack is committed to addressing tech’s gender imbalance. We have partnered with Women In Data because we believe that the industry can only improve when like-minded organisations support one another to champion women and work towards a more diverse tech sector.

When choosing which degree to pursue at University I decided to go for Mechanical Engineering given my broad interest in physics, maths and technology back then. Later, an internship for my master thesis in the field of digital manufacturing awakened an interest in computer science and analytics. Having seen the potential of data to solve the toughest problems across a wide variety of fields, I decided to pursue a career in this field. After graduation I initially joined a startup as a Data Analyst, having joined QuantumBlack afterwards as a Data Engineer in April 2018.

During my time with QuantumBlack I have been lucky enough to work across different industries in the UK and, most recently, in Brazil. My role as a Data Engineer combines deep technical understanding along with frequent client interaction. A typical project starts with communicating with the client to gather requirements, define the data landscape and setup the technical environment for the analytics work. Over the course of a project I focus on implementing engineering solutions by working closely with Data Scientists in order to curate, transform and construct features that feed directly into machine learning models.

This year I also had the chance to volunteer as a mentor in a python workshop organised by Code First: Girls and hosted by QuantumBlack. It is very rewarding to help other talented women from a wide range of backgrounds passionate about programming transitioning to a computer science related role. I have also volunteered for the Career Ready Programme having had the chance to help raise awareness and encourage disadvantage young people to pursue careers in technology.

It is important to encourage and inspire more women to invest in careers in data to mitigate the gender balance that the industry still faces. I am happy to see QuantumBlack partnering with Women in Data and helping increase awareness about the many opportunities currently available for rewarding careers in data.

“The UK data landscape will progress at a rapid rate, and practitioners will continue to move from ‘back-room’ functions to leading roles”

How QuantumBlack see the data landscape changing in the UK in the next 5 years

Over the next five years, the number of opportunities afforded by data will increase. The UK data landscape will progress at a rapid rate, and practitioners will continue to move from ‘back-room’ functions to leading roles which are intrinsic to the success of their organisations.

Businesses will begin to think beyond the data or technology they have access to and instead will become more concerned with how well these assets are put to use – and by whom. Working with data will become a far more interdisciplinary process, involving not just data scientists and engineers but designers and UX developers. This will lead to projects where a broader team is involved in problem-solving, and ultimately solutions which are more understandable to a wider range of people – and achieve better results.

The future data leaders will include a broad range of disciplines. As machine learning and AI are increasingly deployed to tackle the most pressing challenges, it will be crucial for organisations to ensure that they have access to a diverse range of skillsets and professionals to put these tools to use.

About QuantumBlack Group

QuantumBlack, a McKinsey company, helps companies use data to drive decisions. We combine business experience, expertise in large-scale data analysis and visualisation, and advanced software engineering know-how to deliver results. From aerospace to finance to Formula One, we help companies prototype, develop, and deploy bespoke data science and data visualisation solutions to make better decisions.