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Professional

Executive

Track: Decision & Risk Analysis

Decision Analytic Principles for Data Science Leaders

Monday, April 12, 2:40-3:20pm EDT

Data is important to the value of an organization. That statement is not controversial, so it is tempting to gloss over. But what makes data valuable? In the context of prediction, decisions give value to data. Therefore the creators of predictive models should apply decision analytic principles — like the importance of framing, taking a value focus, and pursuing high-quality decisions — as naturally as they apply data science principles. In this talk we will apply decision quality as a framework for thinking clearly about decisions faced by data science leaders and their teams.

Brad Powley image

Brad Powley

Brad Powley

Lead Member of Technical Staff at Salesforce

I am a senior manager at Salesforce, where I lead a team of engineers and data scientists who concept, design, and build data products that deliver insights to customers through machine learning and distributed data processing.

Before joining Salesforce, I was a strategy consultant, helping clients make good decisions in industries spanning energy, life sciences, real estate, IT, and manufacturing. My engineering experience includes the disciplines of mechanical design, manufacturing, systems, and software development. My PhD research focused on Decision Analysis. I am particularly interested in the intersection of artificial intelligence and human decision making.