Value Driven Data Science

Hosted by Dr Genevieve Hayes

Technology Business Education

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Episodes

109

Latest episode

Jun 2026

Language

EN-US

About the show

Value Driven Data Science is a masterclass where data professionals learn how to become strategic experts. Each week, Dr Genevieve Hayes speaks with world-class data practitioners who have mastered strategic positioning, built genuine authority, and transformed their expertise into organisational influence. You'll learn how they create value by helping stakeholders make better decisions and solve real business problems with data - not just by running analyses. If you're a data professional ready to stop being a technical executor and become a strategic expert, this masterclass is for you.

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60 recent

June 10, 2026Episode 10929 min

Episode 109: How to Measure Anything and Make Better Decisions

Data scientists are trained to work with large datasets. But the decisions that truly make or break an organisation are rarely the ones with large datasets behind them. They are the high-stakes, one-off decisions made under significant uncertainty - and most data scientists have no framework for handling them.In this episode, Douglas Hubbard joins Dr Genevieve Hayes to share how combining techniques from statistics, economics and decision theory can help data scientists tackle the problems that matter most.In this episode, you'll discover:What Applied Information Economics is and how it works in practice [03:17]Why organisations are systematically measuring the wrong things [09:23]How the Lens Model can make expert judgment more reliable than the expert themselves [13:44]How AI can turbocharge the Applied Information Economics approach [21:10]Guest BioDouglas Hubbard is the founder and president of Hubbard Decision Research and the creator of Applied Information Economics. He has over 35 years’ experience in management consulting focusing on the application of quantitative methods to decision making. He is also the author of How to Measure Anything: Finding the Value of Intangibles in Business and The Failure of Risk Management: Why It’s Broken and How to Fix It.LinksHow to Measure Anything websiteConnect with Genevieve on LinkedInBe among the first to hear about the release of each new podcast episode by signing up HERE

June 3, 2026Episode 10810 min

Episode 108: [Value Boost] How to Use AI Without Losing Your Edge

AI has the potential to dramatically expand what data scientists can do. But used without care, it also has the potential to quietly erode the expertise that makes them valuable in the first place.In this Value Boost episode, Tim Dietrich joins Dr Genevieve Hayes to explore how to stay on the right side of that line and what mindful AI use actually looks like in practice.In this episode, you'll discover:Why looking for problems to solve with AI is a warning sign [02:05]What happens when you use AI before you have the expertise to direct it [05:51]Why your AI interactions should be conversations rather than one-way requests [06:54]How to use AI to become a better thinker not just a faster worker [08:40]Guest BioTim Dietrich is an independent software developer with over 25 years’ experience building business software for organisations ranging from startups to Fortune 50 companies, including Siemens and the Library of Congress. Recently, he has become known for building a virtual team of AI specialists that allows him to operate with the output and breadth of a small firm, while remaining a team of one.LinksConnect with Tim on LinkedInTim's websiteConnect with Genevieve on LinkedInBe among the first to hear about the release of each new podcast episode by signing up HERE

May 27, 2026Episode 10728 min

Episode 107: Building a Virtual Empire of AI Specialists

The question haunting every data scientist right now isn't whether AI will change their work, it's whether there will still be a place for them when it does. The answer, according to Tim Dietrich, isn't to compete with AI but to do something far more interesting with it - in his case, building a virtual team of over 100 AI specialists to dramatically expand what he is able to achieve.In this episode, Tim joins Dr Genevieve Hayes to share the principles and practicalities behind building a virtual AI team, and what data scientists can learn from his experience.In this episode, you'll discover:How Tim went from being the "world's most negative person on AI" to building a virtual team of over 100 specialists [03:08]What a virtual team of AI specialists can do that a human team can't [06:11]How to build your first AI agent and what to delegate to it [14:19]Why the human in the middle is still the most important person on the team [17:11]Guest BioTim Dietrich is an independent software developer with over 25 years’ experience building business software for organisations ranging from startups to Fortune 50 companies, including Siemens and the Library of Congress. Recently, he has become known for building a virtual team of AI specialists that allows him to operate with the output and breadth of a small firm, while remaining a team of one.LinksConnect with Tim on LinkedInTim's websiteConnect with Genevieve on LinkedInBe among the first to hear about the release of each new podcast episode by signing up HERE

May 20, 2026Episode 10611 min

Episode 106: [Value Boost] When AI Isn't the Answer

These days, every organisation wants to describe themselves as "AI-first". But in the rush to find opportunities to use AI, it can be easy to forget that AI isn't always the right answer. In this Value Boost episode, Santosh Kaveti joins Dr Genevieve Hayes to explore the situations where AI isn't the answer, how to recognise them, and how to have the conversation with stakeholders who are convinced it is.In this episode, you'll discover:The types of problems where AI consistently falls short [01:36]How to recognise when AI is the wrong tool for the job [04:46]Why most AI conversations eventually lead back to data, people and processes [06:25]How to push back on an AI solution without losing stakeholder confidence [09:43]Guest BioSantosh Kaveti is the CEO and Founder of ProArch, a technology consultancy that helps enterprises operationalise AI securely and at scale. His expertise spans critical infrastructure industries, including power generation, manufacturing and healthcare, where he has seen firsthand how AI can drive business transformation in complex regulatory environments.LinksConnect with Santosh on LinkedInProArch websiteConnect with Genevieve on LinkedInBe among the first to hear about the release of each new podcast episode by signing up HERE

May 13, 2026Episode 10529 min

Episode 105: From AI Idea to Production Reality

Organisations today have no shortage of AI ideas. What they lack is the ability to turn those ideas into production-ready systems that deliver real business value.For data scientists trying to get AI projects off the ground, understanding why that gap exists is as important as the technical work itself.In this episode, Santosh Kaveti joins Dr Genevieve Hayes to share what organisations consistently get wrong when embarking on AI initiatives, and what data scientists can do to help get it right.In this episode, you'll discover:Why organisations with great AI ideas still fail to deploy them [02:16]What history tells us about where the current AI wave is heading [09:48]The real cost of bolting AI onto systems that weren't designed for it [13:42]How to forge the cross-functional partnerships that get AI projects off the ground [22:21]Guest BioSantosh Kaveti is the CEO and Founder of ProArch, a technology consultancy that helps enterprises operationalise AI securely and at scale. His expertise spans critical infrastructure industries, including power generation, manufacturing and healthcare, where he has seen firsthand how AI can drive business transformation in complex regulatory environments.LinksConnect with Santosh on LinkedInProArch websiteConnect with Genevieve on LinkedInBe among the first to hear about the release of each new podcast episode by signing up HERE

May 6, 2026Episode 10413 min

Episode 104: [Value Boost] The Four Zones of AI Productivity for Data Scientists

AI can get you to 60% of a finished output in minutes. But getting from 60% to 100% - the part where real insight lives - is where human expertise becomes the deciding factor. And the more expertise you bring, the further AI can take you.In this Value Boost episode, Brent Dykes joins Dr Genevieve Hayes to apply his Four Zones of AI Productivity framework to the insight generation process and explore what it means for data professionals who want to position themselves as strategic advisors.In this episode, you'll discover:The Four Zones of AI Productivity and how they apply to insight generation [01:28]Why AI can help you find an insight but can't generate an actionable one [06:39]Why better AI tools will widen the gap between experts and novices [09:46]How to use AI effectively in your insight generation process [11:44]Guest BioBrent Dykes is the author of Effective Data Storytelling and the founder of AnalyticsHero. He has consulted with some of the world’s most recognised brands, including Microsoft, Sony, Nike and Amazon, and is a regular contributor to Forbes.LinksConnect with Brent on LinkedInEffective Data Storytelling websiteForbes article about the Four Zones of AI ProductivityConnect with Genevieve on LinkedInBe among the first to hear about the release of each new podcast episode by signing up HERE

April 29, 2026Episode 10330 min

Episode 103: The Art of the Actionable Insight

Most data scientists have been in this situation: you spend hours analysing a dataset, return to your stakeholder with your findings, and are met with a polite "that's interesting" - before your work disappears into a drawer, never to be seen again.The problem usually isn't the analysis. It's that interesting observations and genuine insights are not the same thing.In this episode, Brent Dykes joins Dr Genevieve Hayes to share the frameworks behind identifying and communicating insights that actually move organisations to act.In this episode, you'll discover:What makes an insight an insight and why only 5% of findings qualify [03:42]The four dimensions that focus your analysis before you touch the data [11:25]The six criteria for a truly actionable insight [15:06]Why narrative outperforms an executive summary every time [19:14]Guest BioBrent Dykes is the author of Effective Data Storytelling and the founder of AnalyticsHero. He has consulted with some of the world’s most recognised brands, including Microsoft, Sony, Nike and Amazon, and is a regular contributor to Forbes.LinksConnect with Brent on LinkedInEffective Data Storytelling websiteConnect with Genevieve on LinkedInBe among the first to hear about the release of each new podcast episode by signing up HERE

April 22, 2026Episode 10212 min

Episode 102: [Value Boost] How Giving Away Your Work for Free Can Build Your Authority as a Data Scientist

Building authority as a data professional doesn't require a large budget, a publisher, or even a large audience. But it does require a deliberate decision to share your thinking with the world and the patience to let that compound over time.In this Value Boost episode, Prof. Rob Hyndman joins Dr. Genevieve Hayes to share how selectively giving away his work for free helped him become one of the most cited and influential statisticians in the world, and what data professionals at any stage of their career can learn from that approach.In this episode, you'll discover:Why Rob decided to give away his work for free from the start of his career [01:42]How open source software multiplied the impact of his research [05:58]Why authority building is a virtuous cycle and how to start it [09:47]Why starting small is the right move [10:35]Guest BioProf. Rob Hyndman is one of the world’s most influential applied statisticians and a Professor in the Department of Econometrics and Business Statistics at Monash University. He has maintained an active statistical consulting practice for over 40 years, published over 200 research papers, co-authored more than 65 R packages and written five books on time series forecasting. He is also a Fellow of both the Australian Academy of Science and the Academy of Social Sciences in Australia.LinksRob's websiteOtexts' websiteConnect with Genevieve on LinkedInBe among the first to hear about the release of each new podcast episode by signing up HERE

April 15, 2026Episode 10128 min

Episode 101: Why Traditional Statistics Still Matters in the Age of AI

Data scientists today are under pressure to adopt the latest tools - machine learning, LLMs, generative AI. But in the rush to embrace what's new, many are leaving some of the most powerful analytical tools sitting on the shelf. Tools that handle something modern AI largely can't: uncertainty.In this episode, Prof. Rob Hyndman joins Dr. Genevieve Hayes to make the case for why rigorous statistical thinking remains indispensable in the age of AI, and what data scientists are giving up when they abandon it.In this episode, you'll discover:Why throwing data at an LLM is no substitute for building a model that understands the problem [04:27]How combining classical statistics and machine learning can produce better forecasting results than either approach alone [08:22]What data scientists lose when they stop thinking probabilistically - and why it matters for decision making [12:38]Where to start if you want to strengthen your statistical foundations [25:10]Guest BioProf. Rob Hyndman is one of the world’s most influential applied statisticians and a Professor in the Department of Econometrics and Business Statistics at Monash University. He has maintained an active statistical consulting practice for over 40 years, published over 200 research papers, co-authored more than 65 R packages and written five books on time series forecasting. He is also a Fellow of both the Australian Academy of Science and the Academy of Social Sciences in Australia.LinksRob's websiteOtexts' websiteConnect with Genevieve on LinkedInBe among the first to hear about the release of each new podcast episode by signing up HERE

April 8, 2026Episode 10038 min

Episode 100: What Data Science Value Really Means

Over 100 episodes of conversations with world-class practitioners, a few ideas keep surfacing. Technical skill is necessary but never sufficient. The most valuable data professionals aren't the ones who build the best models - they're the ones who know which problems are worth solving. And the gap between those two things is where most data scientists are leaving value on the table.In this milestone episode, Dr. Genevieve Hayes reflects on her career journey and the conversations that helped her arrive at these conclusions, with Matt O'Mara turning the tables to put her in the hot seat.In this episode, you'll discover:From statistician to machine learning advocate and back again - and what that journey revealed [09:49]The crack in the data science skills market where significant value is hiding [18:59]Why knowing which problems to solve matters more than knowing how to solve them [24:53]The top three lessons from 100 conversations on what data science value actually means [33:49]Guest BioMatt O'Mara is the Managing Director of information and insights company Analysis Paralysis and is the founder and Director of i3, which helps organisations use an information lens to realise significant value, increase productivity and achieve business outcomes. He is also an international speaker, facilitator and strategist and is the first and only New Zealander to attain Records and Information Management Practitioners Alliance (RIMPA) Global certified Fellow status.LinksConnect with Matt on LinkedInConnect with Genevieve on LinkedInBe among the first to hear about the release of each new podcast episode by signing up HERE

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