Metlife, VP Global Head of Business Analytics: Don't Be Scared to Fail; Focus on the Business Value

(USA and Canada) Abhishek Singh, VP Global Head of Business Analytics at Metlife, and Patrick Martin, Business Development Manager at Lingaro, discuss the essential trick to recruiting and retaining top talent in the data sector. While hiring is likely easier, retaining top personnel is the most difficult task.

Singh emphasizes that in regions such as India and Latin America, there is a tremendous demand for data talent but a limited supply of high-quality data people. So corporates are jostling to get them while keeping their associates interested. Apart from visualization and dashboards that pack in a lot of insights about the buildings, he believes there is enough excitement in building, but young talent comes through the door as data scientists, with the mindset that if you're not building a gradient-boosting model, you're not doing data science. However, they must be taught that it is all about the insights. The nature of the work, ownership of that work, transparency in work, delegation, and leadership style are what really keep this group of young talent interested. It is critical for these young brains to realize that it is alright to fail, but it is also vital to attempt new things, take risks, and seek advice if you don't know what to do. AI, Ml, and Data are the buzzwords right now, but don't get too caught up in them; instead, keep your mind business-oriented.