IAPA proves analytics is key to every industry with diverse appointments

New IAPA Advisory Committee members highlight the depth of data expertise across banking, human rights, government, payments, insurance and private equity.

The Institute of Analytics Professionals of Australia (IAPA), the only dedicated analytics association in the country, has added four new members to its Advisory Committee. The new appointments are part of IAPA’s expanding support for the growing strategic role played by analytics in business, and to further aid executive understanding of how analytics can impact and inform business transformation.

Leading experts from ANZ Bank, Afterpay, University of Technology Sydney and Police Bank join existing committee members from Bupa, Worksafe Victoria and the Australian Business Growth Fund.

“We know analytics is the catalyst for success in any business,” said IAPA Managing Director Annette Slunjski. “But you need both business understanding and analytics excellence to deliver real value. Equally, these appointments bring together leading thinkers in marketing, human rights and management with analytics leaders to help shape IAPA’s support of the industry and analytics professonals.”

Newly appointed to the IAPA Advisory Committee include:

Advisory Committee members provide input into the key trends, challenges and needs of key sectors so that IAPA can deliver meaningful programs, content and insights to members, and respond to the requirements of organisations and individuals in their field.

IAPA Advisory Committee Chair Antony Ugoni said, “I’m so pleased to head up the IAPA Advisory Committee alongside so many incredible professionals who are elevating the strategic role played by data analytics in business.”

“Analytics is no longer a side function but a central capability to any business, and as such, professionals in this area need to have the skills to work with key business stakeholders in order to influence business decisions and transformation activities.

“Our role at IAPA is to help guide strategies and campaigns to support our fellow analytics professionals, to promote the recognition of analytics’ vital role in business decision-making, and to continually champion analytics as a core growth lever for all businesses.”

These new appointments join the existing IAPA advisory team chaired by Antony Ugoni (Chief Data Officer, Bupa) as well as Kathryn Gulifa (Chief Data and Analytics Officer, Worksafe Victoria) and Trisca Scott-Branagan (Chief Marketing Officer, Australian Business Growth Fund)[AS2]

Slunjski confirms, “This is an exciting time for IAPA as we expand our commitment to addressing the needs of the analytics industry, as well as developing recognition of analytics professionals in the wider business community.

“This commitment can also be seen with the launch of our Working Groups, made up of senior individuals from the analytics business community to help solve the key issues faced by the industry. The groups provide recommendations, input and detailed thinking on key issues that are tabled with our Advisory Committee to ensure the association is focusing on the right issues to have maximum impact.”

Issues addressed by the working groups include:

  1. Diversity in analytics and why it’s so important for analytics teams, algorithms and AI;
  2. Skills and Talent to help to find solutions to the analytics talent gap while broadening an analytics professionals' skills in both technical and soft skills;
  3. Ethics and Governance as an increasingly important part of analytics and the use of the resulting insight; and
  4. Value of Analytics to business and recognizing the value analytics delivers to business in terms of improved revenue streams or cost savings.