On the lighter side of things , we ask the industry experts what makes them tick . . . .
. . . GET TO KNOW . . .
JD Engelbrecht , Managing Director , Everlytic
wWhat would you describe as your most light-heartedness memorable achievement ?
Designing and successfully implementing an integrated data strategy for one of the world ’ s premier media groups . This strategy consolidated data , established a data science capability , implemented a multi-variate testing and performance optimisation competency and also activated the data through UX amendments and direct marketing integrations across email , SMS , social and display channels . The biggest challenge here was getting buy-in across an extremely federated organisation that spans print and digital media , e-commerce , television and logistics .
What first made you think of a career in technology ?
I gravitated into this industry because I believe technology allows us to scale our influence and rapidly gear value and impact to create exponential organisations . This is what is so captivating and exciting about technology today : when combining like-minded , innovative people and next-generation technology around a problem or challenge , it is possible to effect real and sustainable change .
What style of management philosophy do you employ with your current position ?
My goal as a leader is to drive a high-performance culture that is anchored in fairness , consideration and
. I also try to be kind in everything I do and particularly when having tough conversations . I firmly believe kindness is the true manifestation of strength . This approach is what comes most naturally to me and it seems to fit well in my current role at Everlytic , where I have the privilege of working with talented and committed people .
What do you think is the current hot technology talking point ?
Within our industry – multi-channel marketing hubs with automation – there is a significant opportunity for optimisation to providers that have data sets that support such outcomes . That said , what everyone must remember is that any data science model is only as good as its underlying data ( and that self-fulfilling prophecies on limited data sets creates expensive and complicated nonsense !). Apart from these industry trends , my current tech obsessions and personal ventures include : creating a decentralised , agnostic , zero-knowledge identity and data transmission layer for the Internet that is quantum proof . Residential renewable energy security through a combination of novel and bespoke energy management , financial modelling and electrical engineering .
How do you deal with stress and unwind outside the office ?
I generally enjoy spending time with my bunch of rescued misfit animals and a small group of humans ; heading down the rabbit hole of the Internet and
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