Finding your Layer of the "Data Cake" with Akia Obas of Netlify
We're kicking off season 2 of the podcast with a bang! In this episode, I’m joined by Akia Obas, Senior Director of Data, Insights, and GTM Business Systems at Netlify. We dive into her career journey—from econometrics to data leadership—and discuss how company size and reporting structure can influence your path.Akia shares her insights on how joining a startup allowed her to “own the whole cake” (from data pipelines and infrastructure to insights and influencing the business) and how self-reflection can help you choose the right focus areas. She also shares her philosophies for running a lean, high-impact data team, the importance of enablement, and how to prioritize based on influence and impact using the stakeholder engagement matrix. It’s a packed episode full of tactical advice—let’s get into it!
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Building a Unicorn Data Team with Veronika Durgin of Saks
In this episode, I’m joined by Veronika Durgin, VP of Data at Saks, to learn more about her leadership journey in the data industry. Veronika shares more about her career journey: how she got into data from a background in biology, spent several years working in DBA roles at well-known companies like Monster, Vistaprint, and HubSpot, and then moved into broader leadership roles in data. We talked a bit about her experience starting a family while managing full-time work and completing a master's degree. Veronika also shares some great insights about how to think about engineering excellence as data teams, what differentiates a good engineer from a great engineer, and how to build a unicorn data team. We also talk about how to continue showing up in difficult work environments–and why it’s so important to do this! So, if you’re a data professional looking to hone your engineering skills and craft, or a data leader working on building an exceptional team–this episode is absolutely for you.
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The Value of Data Literacy with Elizabeth Gilbert of Duo
In this episode, I’m joined by Elizabeth Gilbert, Product Data Scientist at Duo, to learn more about her leadership journey in the data industry. Elizabeth shares how she got started in data. We talk about her breadth of startup experience across different sectors like geospatial analytics, healthcare automation, and cybersecurity. We touch on the importance of data literacy and having a common language–both for business users and newcomers entering data professions. Elizabeth also shares how getting more involved in the data community through events like meetups and conferences helped her accelerate her career growth.Episode Links:Cincinnati Data and Analytics Meetup
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Discovering your Next Chapter with Sol Rashidi of AWS
In this episode, I’m joined by Sol Rashidi to learn more about her leadership journey in the data industry. Sol has been in the space for over 25 years and is currently the ‘Head of Technology, North America’ for Amazon’s Startup Division. Before that, Sol held several former C-suite data roles for giants like Estee Lauder, Merck Pharmaceuticals, Sony Music, and Royal Caribbean. She also helped launch IBM Watson back in 2011–the world’s 1st commercial and enterprise-grade AI application. We touch on so many great topics in this episode–Sol shares about her recent soul-searching journey to find the right next role for her, how to know your shelf-life in a role and the importance of knowing your worth, and she shares how building genuine connections with people in your network can unlock career opportunities. We also talked about Sol’s course on Maven: “Transition from a Tech Practitioner to an Executive”, and her new book “Your AI Survival Guide” to help you navigate all the noise out there about AI right now. So if you’re a data professional looking to grow into leadership roles and develop executive-level soft skills–this episode is for you! So without further ado, let’s hear from Sol!Episode Links:Sol Rashidi on Substack Sol Rashidi on ForbesYour AI Survival Guide by Sol Rashidi: Scraped Knees, Bruised Elbows, and Lessons Learned from Real-World AI DeploymentsMaven Course: Transition from a Tech Practitioner to an Executive
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Balancing Speed and Building an Inclusive Culture with Sarah Levy of Euno
In this episode, I’m joined by Sarah Levy, Co-founder and CEO of Euno, to learn more about her leadership journey in the data industry. Sarah has spent the last 20 years in tech and data-related roles ranging from army intelligence and cyber security, to being a 3X founder. We learn more about her current company Euno and how their team is reshaping the workflows of Analytics Engineers. From there we dive into Sarah’s views on how to build the best teams regardless of what it takes. Sarah has so many great insights and experiences to share, this episode is perfect for founders trying to balance speed with building great culture and teams, as well as those looking for advice on how to find a supportive culture in their next role.Episode Links:https://euno.ai/
Women Lead Data is an investigation into the underrepresentation of female leadership in the data industry. Join Lindsay Murphy as she learns from women in leadership roles in the data industry, uncovers helpful tips and advice for overcoming barriers to growth, and maybe even inspires those who are curious about entrepreneurship in the data industry to take the leap!Subscribe to make sure you don’t miss our new episodes.
Ireland