Consultants named among Australia's top analytics leaders

Senior consultants from Dentsu, KPMG and Capgemini have been named among the top 25 data analytics leaders in Australia by the country’s peak professional industry association IAPA.

The Institute of Analytics Professionals of Australia (IAPA) has issued its Top 25 Analytics Leaders for list for 2021, with senior consultants Dave Massage of KPMG and Capgemini Invent’s Jeremiah Mannings making the cut. Meanwhile, the number one spot went to Lionel Kho, this month appointed Vice President of Data Transformation at Dentsu subsidiary Merkle, with the remaining spots going largely to in-house analytics leaders.

“This is the most diverse set of entrants we have ever seen in the top 25. We are encouraged that the industry is so robust and represented by an incredible range of talent in Australia,” said IAPA Managing Director Annette Slunjski. “This is the first time we have seen someone from the legal profession enter into our top ten [Shaheen Saud of MinterEllison] and we are excited that we are broadening the recognition of data analytics in this country.”

Established in 2004, the IAPA is Australia’s largest professional organisation and advocate for data scientists, with a focus on business and over 7,500 members spread across chapters in every capital city. Its Top 25 Analytics Leaders program is now into its fourth year, with PwC’s Chief Data Scientist Matt Kuperholz taking out the inaugural crown in 2018 and former KPMG data director Hema Prasad making the top ten last year.

Judged by a panel of leading analytics and business leaders, the IAPA awards are assessed across four key dimensions; strategy and impact, influence and advocacy, innovation and improvement, and team growth and leadership. Announced at a virtual black-tie event, Kho came out on top, commended for his ability to “deeply understand organisation strategy, influence leadership, and embed a new way of working” – delivering a true analytics return on investment.

“It is truly an honour to be so highly recognised by a judging panel of my peers,” Kho said in response. “Data practitioners are now being elevated to the C-Suite, and creating an organisational culture for data practitioners to thrive is paramount. I am proud to play an active role in this work at Dentsu. Furthermore, as a person of colour, I hope my own recognition inspires young data and analytics practitioners from a wide cross section of our community.”

While outside of the top ten, consultants Dave Massage and Jeremiah Mannings also made the top 25, the latter for the second time following his appearance in 2018. Mannings has been with Capgemini Invent since that time, and currently serves as Associate Director for Customer First Data & Analytics. Another honouree, Dave Massage, joined KPMG from Telstra in 2019, appointed last year as Director, Data & Analytics for Strategy, Growth & Digital.

“It was an honour and a humbling experience to be recognised as one of the Top 25 Data & Analytics leaders in Australia by IAPA,” Massage stated on LinkedIn. It’s a huge credit to all my colleagues in the Strategy, Growth & Digital team at KPMG for the amazing work we do for our clients in driving their data transformation agendas. A big congratulations to all those named in the Top 25 cohort this year. A truly diverse and talented group.”