How can you give back to the data & analytics community?

There are many ways to give back to the communities that we belong to. It could be our social circles, our colleagues, or our local community. The same can be said for the world of data and analytics. In many ways, it’s a relatively small circle but still a very open and welcoming one.

A chat I had last week with Chris Yates, Chief Data Officer at Coventry Building Society, touched on some of the brilliant things that Coventry is doing, like visiting schools to talk with year 12s about roles in data. This got me thinking, what else are we doing as a community to give back to data and analytics?

As it happens, you don’t have to look far to find fantastic examples of people building the data and analytics community.

Founder of The Data Inspiration Group, Rachel Keane is a known voice in the data talent space and has been championing a relationship between the education system and data with her team and as a STEM Ambassador.

For people learning later in life, there is the Data Idols Summer School, in partnership with Data Science Festival, that gives people the basics needed to kickstart their career in data.

It’s not just education where the community thrives. There are dozens of examples of community efforts to improve diversity and inclusion in data.

Local to Manchester, there is the volunteer HER+Data MCR meet ups for gender minorities in data on a monthly basis. Whether you’re a data veteran, student or totally new to data, they welcome you to come and share challenges and experiences faced in the industry.

Of course, it wouldn’t be a conversation about data communities without shamelessly plugging our Driven By Data community.

The mentorship programme run by Orbition Group is quickly becoming one of the largest communities for leaders in the world of data and analytics. The programme has successfully run four cohorts, creating a bridge between senior leaders and aspiring leaders in data that would otherwise be out of reach, with the fifth cohort coming up in September.

After the last few years, it’s been exciting to get stuck in with hosting events in person. Our upcoming London Holiday Party in November is a fantastic way for data leaders to catch up with friends in the community and to expand your network.

We’ve also introduced our new Ask Me Anything series that brings senior data leaders to the hot seat and gives everyone 45 minutes to, well, ask them anything! Atul Agarwal, Director of Personalisation Financial Services at John Lewis, joins us on September 29^th, 2pm BST– makes sure to tune in!

Make sure to check out the initiatives mentioned in this blog, and if you’re looking to give back to the wonderful data & analytics community please get in touch at es@orbitiongroup.com to hear all about our Driven By Data programmes.

Ethan is a highly skilled consultant with us here at Orbition, specializing in data and analytics.

With a passion for technology and a natural talent for identifying top talent, he has become a valuable asset to both clients and candidates in the industry.Read more.