Applications of Computing in Industry : Lecture

The clamour for a strong analytics function has been immense in 2013. Businesses once culturally introverted are stretching their ambition to search the globe for analytics talent from director to analyst level. They aren't looking to just get better with handling customer data, they are hoping to cause a revolution in their company with simply better numbers, and in doing so they build a symbiotic relationship with their customers.

In the past, product, customer and market data came out to you on a monthly basis, if you were senior enough. Today it is weekly if you are even a junior member of staff. Those at the top all got monthly stats in the past, and it was beautifully reconciled to financials, but today it's daily. What does this mean when big business like RBS, one of the largest financial institutions in the world, aims to go intra-day with views of predicted UK GDP, and customers a granular view of their global supply chain network.

Alan joined RBS in late 2009 to set-up the new corporate analytics capability with the aim of helping RBS optimise one of the largest customer bases and product sets in the UK. He set-up the existing large team of advanced analysts and analytical consultants who provide insight and intelligence across a multitude of areas including, but not limited to Business Strategy, Finance, Business Development, Customer Sales & Servicing, Treasury, Economics, and Technology.

Alan joined RBS from Barclays where he built up a career in Corporate Strategy & Planning and Corporate Development. He holds an MSc in Chemistry from University College Dublin and seen as a global analytics industry thought leader. He recently was awarded a title of a 'Big Data Hero' from IBM and he has given many interviews that have been published on the subject to The Financial Times, The Banker and CMO.com. He is a regular key note speaker and conference chairman on Big Data and Predictive Analytics, including recently Marketing Week Live 2013, Customer Insight & Analytics Exchange 2013, Big Data Strategies for Financial Services & Consumer Products 2013 and The Festival of Marketing 2013.