Founder stories from the world of Data and AI Beyond the Now: Building the Future of Work with Data & AI S1 | E9 | What it takes to build a best in class locally based Data team from the ground up with John Coles - Sr Director of Data Science & Analytics @ ACV - ThinkData Podcast

Episode 9

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Published on:

27th Mar 2023

S1 | E9 | What it takes to build a best in class locally based Data team from the ground up with John Coles - Sr Director of Data Science & Analytics @ ACV

This is Episode 9 of the ThinkData podcast in Partnership with Dataworks and ACV and I am super excited to welcome John Coles to the podcast in this episode.

John is the Senior Director of Data Science and Analytics at ACV and they are one of America’s largest digital marketplaces and data services partners for the automotive sector.

In the first episode of a 3 part series, we will be talking about how ACV trained, hired, and developed their very own Data Team in the Buffalo area!

We discussed -

  • The background to the project at ACV and why Data & Analytics are seen as such an important driver behind their growth.
  • The importance of having senior stakeholder buy-in and support from the very beginning.
  • How John and ACV overcame the challenges of building and hiring a specialist data team in Buffalo, New York.
  • What was behind their vision for launching a boot camp and how that worked in practice
  • As John looked to scale out his team, what steps did he take in order to create a management layer?
  • How John created and established a clear set of values and guiding principles that the team was brought into?

This is a great episode for anyone that is interested in hearing what it takes to create a brand new team, from scratch and overcome one of the MAJOR blockers to many firms that look to hire, LOCATION!

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About the Podcast

ThinkData Podcast
Beyond the Now: Building the Future of Work with Data & AI
If you’re into the latest in Data and AI, and curious about how founders and senior leaders are building and scaling companies in this space, you’re in the right place.

Each episode, we sit down with some of the most interesting voices in the industry, from startup founders to seasoned execs, to hear their stories, lessons learned, and the real strategies behind growing great businesses.

About your host

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Alex Hutchings

I’m the Co-Founder of the Dataworks Group, a specialist talent partner in the world of Data and Artificial Intelligence.

I’ve spent the last 15+ years working at the heart of this space, helping some of the most exciting companies on the planet build world-class Data and AI teams.

Through our roundtables, live events, and right here on the ThinkData Podcast, my goal is simple: to bring you real insights from the fastest-growing talent market in the world.

Whether you’re building, hiring, or just curious about what’s next, you’ll hear straight from the founders and senior leaders shaping the future of work.