All Things Being SQL Liam Wilson

Summary
In this episode, Liam, Erik and Andrew discuss various topics related to data analytics, including Andrew's background in finance and his transition to data analytics, the role of data in higher education, building a personal brand on LinkedIn, the purpose of an analytics function in a business, trends in data analytics teams, challenges as a leader of analytics, the role of AI and SQL in analytics, and how to stand out as an analyst.
Chapters
00:00 Introduction and Background
00:50 Getting into the World of Data
05:21 Challenges in Higher Education
08:58 The Positive Aspects of Higher Education
09:29 Stakeholder Buy-in in Higher Education
10:28 The Role of Data in Higher Education
11:53 The Differences Between Higher Education and Corporations
21:28 Advice for Building a Personal Brand
31:42 The Purpose of an Analytics Function in a Business
33:18 Trends in Data Analytics Teams
36:32 Challenges as a Leader of Analytics
42:43 The Role of AI and SQL in Analytics
46:33 Standing Out as an Analyst
I hope you enjoy!
As always, we're brought to you by Infer, a game changing analytics platform allowing data analytics teams to do AI powered analytics all using SQL.
Music by Noisyfilter from Fugue
Show produced and edited by the awesome team at Sound Media

Summary
Lucy discusses her background and career path in analytics, including her experiences at The FT, ASOS and Burberry. She highlights the differences in data analytics between established brands and scale-ups. Lucy also shares her insights on the value of analytics and the challenges of leading an analytics team. She discusses the hype around AI and the role of SQL in analytics. Lucy offers advice for analysts starting their career and emphasises the importance of diversity and a supportive culture. Finally, she discusses the goals and challenges for the FT data team.
Takeaways
Working for established brands provides unique insights into optimisation and long-term thinking.The value of analytics lies in enabling strategic decision-making and being a partner in the decision-making process.The role of SQL in analytics is still important, but the field is evolving and new skills are emerging.Confidence, visibility, and the ability to give recommendations are key to standing out as an analyst.The FT prioritises diversity and creates a supportive culture for its employees.The FT data team focuses on setting foundations and optimizing tooling to stay ahead of the curve.
Chapters
00:00
Background and Career Path
02:52
Working at ASOS and Burberry
06:08
Approaching Data in Established Brands
09:03
Getting into Data Analytics
11:26
Data at the FT
15:41
The Value of Analytics and Insights
21:42
The Hype around AI and Analytics
25:29
The Role of SQL in Analytics
28:26
Advice for Analysts Starting Their Career
32:20
Diversity and Supportive Culture at the FT
37:32
Goals and Challenges for the FT Data Team
I hope you enjoy!
As always, we're brought to you by Infer, a game changing analytics platform allowing data analytics teams to do AI powered analytics all using SQL.
Music by Noisyfilter from Fugue
Show produced and edited by the awesome team at Sound Media

Welcome to All things being SQL.
The podcast dedicated to data, analytics, insights and of course SQL.
Brought to you by the team behind Infer, the analytics tool allowing any organisation to become AI enabled.
Interviews, technical deep dives and a healthy dose of our opinion, strap in, it's going to be fun!
Hosted by Erik Mathiesen-Dreyfus, experienced VP of Data Science & Analytics, and Liam Wilson, data community builder and ex-data recruiter.