“Throughout my career, I have been passionate about leveraging data and analytics to achieve sustained competitive advantage. My first deployment of predictive models was a big ‘a-ha’ moment for me as I put into practice the quantitative skills I had learned and saw, first hand, the material incremental revenue that results from the application of data science.

In the early 2000s, I was one of the first corporate Chief Analytics Officers at a time when analytics was undervalued as a function and subjugated to other areas deemed more ‘strategic.’ I never believed this to be the case and labored long and hard to educate C-suite executives about the significant value of analytics not just for marketing, but across virtually every enterprise function.

I had the great opportunity to work with Tom Davenport to help him write books that became beacons of change as he convincingly demonstrated and elevated the value that analytics can have and has had on enterprise performance.

I believe that we are now entering the ‘golden age’ of analytics. Analytics and data-driven decision making have come to occupy an essential seat in the C-suite. Corporate performance is about optimization of key business levers and those companies that fully embrace analytics will be standout performers. In this new age, it is time for practitioners and academics of analytics to have their own Hall of Fame providing a well-deserved center stage to recognize unsung heroes.”

Dr. Tony Branda, Founder