Jaywing PLC (LON:JWNG) Chairman Martin Boddy caught up with DirectorsTalk for an exclusive interview to discuss a call to government by Kate Burnett, MD at DMA Talent, a marketing industry body
Q1: Now Martin, this call on the government from Kate Burnett to do more to support data-driven creative industries, is this an issue you face at Jaywing?
A1: Well, fortunately, we have a long history of attracting top mathematicians and statisticians and that’s principally because of reputation in the industry but also because we’ve got so many data scientists, 1 in 10 of our top 650 people is actually an accomplished data scientist. What’s great to see is how they thrive in an environment of like-minded people, there’s an opportunity for them to learn from each other and enhance their skills and really that’s second to none in the industry. We’ve long banged the drum about this talent shortage and that’s why we’ve created our own graduate and early-career analysis hub.
Q2: Burnett particularly mentioned the lack of industry experience and awareness in some universities, is this something that you would agree with?
A2: Absolutely and it goes back to school too. Great maths students are often unaware of the opportunities open to them in marketing and that’s crazy because we’re on the cusp of a revolution in industry where data science will be the heart of marketing like it’s never been before. This is not just in terms of basic analytics but there are many applications for artificial intelligence in marketing, whether that be campaign management or even through to creative development.
This lack of industry experience and awareness in schools and universities, is one of the reasons we forged some partnerships with leading universities, we provide guest lectures for the University of Leeds Business School and the ESRC Consumer Data Research Centre on their Consumer Analytics and Marketing Strategy MSc course. Plus, of course, we’re also sponsoring the high-profile research programme with the Data Science Institute at Imperial College London.
Q3: As MD at DMA Talent, Burnett highlighted what they’re doing in this field with the government initiative, the Careers and Enterprise Company, highlighting a need for encounters with the world of work. Is this something that Jaywing is able to support?
A3: It is, and we do. We offer a number of work experience and internship opportunities every year right across the company and guest lecturing means we’re able to talk about all of the latest developments and techniques so that students are far better equipped when they enter the world of work.
