Value Driven Data Science

Hosted by Dr Genevieve Hayes

Technology Business Education

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Episodes

118

Latest episode

Aug 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

August 19, 2026Episode 11929 min

Episode 119: Rewiring Your Data Science Thinking for the Agentic AI Era

The shift to agentic AI doesn't make data science skills obsolete. But it does require data scientists to rewire how they think about familiar concepts, such as uncertainty, model evaluation and accountability, in their work. In this episode, Jia Huang joins Dr Genevieve Hayes to explore what that rewiring actually looks like, and why data scientists are better placed than almost any other profession to make it. You'll discover: Why data scientists are better prepared for the agentic AI era than they might think [03:00] How the data scientist's role is shifting from analyst to system designer [06:37] The three types of uncertainty in agentic AI systems [11:58] Why context engineering is the new feature engineering [23:19] Guest Bio Jia Huang is a lead research engineer at A*STAR, Singapore's Agency for Science, Technology and Research, and is the author of multiple books on AI engineering and agent design, including Designing AI Agents and RAG from First Principles. His work focuses on turning agentic AI from impressive demos into reliable, auditable, and value-producing engineering systems. Links Connect with Jia on LinkedIn Follow Jia on Substack Agent Design Pattern Society (ADPS) website Jia's AI agent design position paper Connect with Genevieve on LinkedIn Be among the first to hear about the release of each new podcast episode by signing up HERE

August 12, 2026Episode 11811 min

Episode 118: [Value Boost] Compounding Your Data Science Authority Beyond Blog Posts

A well-written blog post gets you noticed. But for data scientists who want to build authority that compounds over time, it's just the beginning. Every piece of writing is a potential stepping stone to something bigger - a conference talk, a book deal, or an opportunity you couldn't have anticipated. In this Value Boost episode, Cynthia Dunlop joins Dr Genevieve Hayes to explore how data scientists can convert blog writing into bigger opportunities and what it actually takes to make the leap from blog post to book. You'll discover: How conference organisers actually find their speakers — and why blogging is the answer [02:35] How acquisitions editors scout for authors and why you don't need a huge following [03:39] The low risk way to find out if you're ready to write a book [06:57] How each new opportunity compounds the authority you've already built [08:10] Guest Bio Cynthia Dunlop is the co-author of Writing for Developers and Senior Director of Content Strategy at ScyllaDB. She has co-authored four books for software developers and tech leaders and authored hundreds of articles for publications including TechCrunch, IEEE Computer, and The New Stack. Links Connect with Cynthia on LinkedIn Follow Cynthia on Substack Connect with Genevieve on LinkedIn Be among the first to hear about the release of each new podcast episode by signing up HERE

August 5, 2026Episode 11725 min

Episode 117: Writing Your Way to Authority as a Data Scientist

For data scientists who want to build authority beyond their organisation, writing is one of the most powerful tools available. But in a world flooded with AI-generated content, simply publishing is no longer enough. The data scientists who stand out are the ones writing things no AI could have written. In this episode, Cynthia Dunlop joins Dr Genevieve Hayes to share practical frameworks for writing blog posts that stand out, build genuine authority and actually get read. You'll discover: Why AI-generated content has made personal experience more valuable than ever [05:10] The three Ps test for finding topics you can write about with genuine authority [08:56] The blog post patterns that work best for demonstrating expertise [11:03] How to use AI to improve your writing without letting it replace your voice [16:33] Guest Bio Cynthia Dunlop is the co-author of Writing for Developers and Senior Director of Content Strategy at ScyllaDB. She has co-authored four books for software developers and tech leaders and authored hundreds of articles for publications including TechCrunch, IEEE Computer, and The New Stack. Links Connect with Cynthia on LinkedIn Follow Cynthia on Substack Connect with Genevieve on LinkedIn Be among the first to hear about the release of each new podcast episode by signing up HERE

July 29, 2026Episode 11613 min

Episode 116: [Value Boost] What Data Scientists Need to Know Before the AI Free Ride Ends

Right now, AI is cheap. But the companies providing it are losing billions of dollars a year and are expected to go public within the next 12 months. When they do, the price of intelligence is going up - and any organisation that has built its AI future entirely on rented intelligence is going to face a very unpleasant surprise. In this Value Boost episode, Nicholas Kelly joins Dr Genevieve Hayes to explore why organisations shouldn't be building their AI future entirely on frontier models, and what data professionals need to understand to be the strategic voice in the AI infrastructure conversation. You'll discover: 1. Why relying entirely on frontier AI models is a strategic error [02:00] 2. How the economics of AI are about to change [03:34] 3. The case for owning at least some of your AI infrastructure [07:53] 4. What data professionals need to know to become the strategic voice in AI infrastructure decisions [11:02] Guest Bio Nicholas Kelly is the co-founder and Chief AI Architect of Delivering Data Analytics, a consultancy that helps organisations turn data, BI, analytics, and AI into confident decisions people actually act on. He is also the author of Delivering Data Analytics, How to Interpret Data and the recently released The AI-Driven Data Team . Links Nicholas's Website Connect with Nicholas on LinkedIn Connect with Genevieve on LinkedIn Be among the first to hear about the release of each new podcast episode by signing up HERE

July 22, 2026Episode 11527 min

Episode 115: Evolving Your Data Career for the AI Era

The AI era presents a choice for data professionals: wait to see what happens to your role, or get ahead of it and decide what it becomes. Nicholas Kelly made that choice two years ago, when a client told him ChatGPT could do 50% of what he did. What followed is a masterclass in proactive career evolution. In this episode, Nick joins Dr Genevieve Hayes to explore how data professionals can evolve their skills for the AI era, what that evolution looks like in practice, and why their existing expertise puts them in a stronger position than they might think. You'll discover: 1. How Nick evolved from dashboard consultant to AI architect [02:35] 2. Why the data team's role is staying the same even as everything around it changes [06:43] 3. How AI is enabling data professionals to build software that used to require a development team [12:11] 4. The best first project to build if you want to develop your AI skills [25:08] Guest Bio Nicholas Kelly is the co-founder and Chief AI Architect of Delivering Data Analytics, a consultancy that helps organisations turn data, BI, analytics, and AI into confident decisions people actually act on. He is also the author of Delivering Data Analytics, How to Interpret Data and the recently released The AI-Driven Data Team . Links Nicholas's Website Connect with Nicholas on LinkedIn Connect with Genevieve on LinkedIn Be among the first to hear about the release of each new podcast episode by signing up HERE

July 15, 2026Episode 11413 min

Episode 114: [Value Boost] The Four Conversations Every Data Scientist Needs to Master

For data scientists, getting a project approved is a sale. It might not feel like one and money might not change hands, but the dynamics are exactly the same. And like any sale, it goes a lot better if you go in with a plan. In this Value Boost episode, Blair Enns joins Dr Genevieve Hayes to explore how data professionals can use the Four Conversations framework to sell their expertise more effectively, whether as independent consultants or as employees within organisations. You'll discover: Why reputation is the most powerful sales tool a data professional has [04:33] How to stop behaving like a vendor when you're trying to sell expertise [05:09] Why the value of your work resides in your stakeholder not in you [09:53] The single question that unlocks what your stakeholder truly values [12:13] Guest Bio Blair Enns is the founder of Win Without Pitching, the leading authority on selling and pricing for expert advisors and practitioners. He is also the author of The Win Without Pitching Manifesto and The Four Conversations: a New Model for Selling Expertise , and is the co-host, with David C. Baker, of the podcast 2Bobs: Conversations on the Art of Creative Entrepreneurship . Links Connect with Blair on LinkedIn Blair's website Connect with Genevieve on LinkedIn Be among the first to hear about the release of each new podcast episode by signing up HERE

July 8, 2026Episode 11326 min

Episode 113: The Experts' AI Manifesto

Building genuine expertise takes years. And in the age of AI, losing it can happen gradually and almost invisibly, through small delegations that each seem reasonable in isolation but add up to something significant over time. In this episode, Blair Enns joins Dr Genevieve Hayes to explore how data professionals can use AI without compromising their hard-earned expertise and reputation. You'll discover: Why delegating to AI is always a trade-off [03:00] The crucial difference between writing to communicate and writing to think [08:40] Why you should orient yourself around the problems you solve [14:28] How to decide which skills are worth protecting and which to let go [17:49] Guest Bio Blair Enns is the founder of Win Without Pitching, the leading authority on selling and pricing for expert advisors and practitioners. He is also the author of The Win Without Pitching Manifesto and The Four Conversations: a New Model for Selling Expertise , and is the co-host, with David C. Baker, of the podcast 2Bobs: Conversations on the Art of Creative Entrepreneurship . Links The Experts' AI Manifesto Connect with Blair on LinkedIn Blair's website Connect with Genevieve on LinkedIn Be among the first to hear about the release of each new podcast episode by signing up HERE

July 1, 2026Episode 11216 min

Episode 112: [Value Boost] Lies, Damned Lies and Stakeholders

AI misinformation is a new problem. Misleading data is not. Long before anyone had heard of a hallucination, organisations were making bad decisions based on cherry-picked statistics, misunderstood averages, and numbers that confirmed what decision-makers already wanted to believe. In this Value Boost episode, Derek Gibson joins Dr Genevieve Hayes to explore how data professionals can help their stakeholders become better data sceptics and avoid being duped by misleading data long before it ever reaches an AI. In this episode, you'll discover: 1. The timeless data traps that catch even experienced decision makers [01:56] 2. How to arm your stakeholders with the right questions to push back on data [07:57] 3. Why confirmation bias is the most dangerous data vulnerability in any organisation [09:20] 4. What it means when an analytics team is asked to confirm a decision rather than inform one [13:24] Guest Bio Derek Gibson is a decision scientist, analytics educator, and has recently wrapped up his long career in financial services at Wells Fargo. He serves on the Wake Forest University MS Business Analytics Advisory Board. He is also a co-author of Data Duped: How to Avoid Being Hoodwinked by Misinformation and author of the upcoming Data, AI, and the Noise: Searching for Truth in Information and Algorithms . Links Connect with Derek on LinkedIn Derek's website Connect with Genevieve on LinkedIn Be among the first to hear about the release of each new podcast episode by signing up HERE

June 24, 2026Episode 11126 min

Episode 111: Building Your Defences Against AI Misinformation

AI doesn't lie - at least, not intentionally. It just sounds completely confident while filling in the gaps with whatever seems most plausible. And in a world where AI outputs are increasingly being used to inform high-stakes decisions, the ability to spot what's wrong, before it reaches a stakeholder, is becoming one of the most important skills a data professional can have. In this episode, Derek Gibson joins Dr Genevieve Hayes to share practical strategies for identifying unreliable AI outputs and building the defences necessary to keep AI-generated misinformation from reaching your stakeholders. In this episode, you'll discover: Why AI is not a truth tool and what that means for how you use it [03:21] The red flags that signal an AI output shouldn't be trusted [12:21] A simple prompting habit you can develop to reduce AI mistakes [16:13] Why the skill of verifying AI outputs is one you need to build yourself [24:25] Guest Bio Derek Gibson is a decision scientist, analytics educator, and has recently wrapped up his long career in financial services at Wells Fargo. He serves on the Wake Forest University MS Business Analytics Advisory Board. He is also a co-author of Data Duped: How to Avoid Being Hoodwinked by Misinformation and author of the upcoming Data, AI, and the Noise: Searching for Truth in Information and Algorithms . Links Connect with Derek on LinkedIn Derek's website Connect with Genevieve on LinkedIn Be among the first to hear about the release of each new podcast episode by signing up HERE

June 17, 2026Episode 11016 min

Episode 110: [Value Boost] Why You Need Less Data Than You Think

In high-stakes decision-making, waiting for more data is often not an option. Yet many data scientists assume that without a large dataset, meaningful analysis is impossible. The good news is that rigorous, quantitative analysis is possible with far less data than most data scientists realise - in some cases with just a single datapoint. In this Value Boost episode, Douglas Hubbard joins Dr Genevieve Hayes to share practical techniques from How to Measure Anything that data scientists can start using right now to support high-stakes decisions when observations are scarce and every data point counts. In this episode, you'll learn: Why a single observation reveals more than you think [01:58] How Laplace's Rule of Succession lets you estimate probabilities from tiny samples [08:25] The Rule of Five and what it reveals about small sample statistics [12:08] The simplest and most overlooked technique for reducing measurement uncertainty [14:07] Guest Bio Douglas 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 . Links How to Measure Anything website Connect with Genevieve on LinkedIn Be among the first to hear about the release of each new podcast episode by signing up HERE