E111 - Mazen Kassis - Bringing Together Existing Technology & New Technology for Data-Driven Decisions

This new technology will change everything about how you work in
your business!

At least, that’s what they say.


With how quickly technology is advancing everyday, how do you
decide which shiny new piece of technology is either right for
your business…


…or a huge waste of an investment?


Even worse, once you find that perfect new technology, how do you
implement it in a way that works for everyone?
Meet Mazen Kassis

Mazen’s Role as a Data Analytics Leader at Foodstuffs
North Island


Mazen Kassis is the Head of Data & Analytics at Foodstuffs
North Island Limited - a cooperative made up of 24,000 kiwis
working hard to make sure New Zealanders get more out of life.
They serve 2.7 million kiwis each week through their 330+
PAK’nSAVE, New World, Four Square and Gilmours stores and have
donated 9m meals to Food Rescue. In 2020, Foodstuffs won the
Large Retail Employer of the Year award, and their Four Square
banner was a recipient of Aon Hewitt's Best Employer award in
2018. This year, Foodstuffs North Island marks its 100 year
anniversary.
Mazen’s Other Work in Data Analytics and Privacy

Besides his work with Foodstuffs North Island, Mazen is a
Training Advisory Board Member with IAPP - the International
Association of Privacy Professionals. IAPP is the largest privacy
association in the world and a leader in the privacy industry.
They provide resources for practitioners to develop and advance
their careers while helping professionals and businesses navigate
the complexities of the evolving environment and how to define
and manage privacy issues.


Having spent his career journey in research, privacy, and data
& analytics capacities in ANZ, Asia, Africa and Europe, Mazen
has learnt important lessons about different ways and means that
data can be turned into actionable insights. Synthesising data to
inform decision making ignites his passion and creating
ecosystems where this can be done at scale drives him further.
Data Driven, Business Decisions, and New Technology

In this exclusive analytics podcast episode, Mazen shares:


His work as a Training Advisory Board Member with the
International Association of Privacy Professionals (IAPP)

Idiosyncrasies between the ANZ region and other regions

His role as the Head of Data & Analytics at Foodstuffs
North Island

Efforts to ensure all business decisions across the
organisation are data-powered and customer-driven

Developing good data culture amongst data users

Organisational structure: Centre of Excellence vs distributed
teams

What would happen if business decisions were not powered by
data

How to know which new data analytics technology is worth
bringing into the organisation

The process of bringing in a new data analytics technology
from start to finish

Reasons behind less than ideal outcomes when procuring new
technologies

Reflections on an approach to introducing new data and
analytics tech that had unintended consequences

Desirable skills for the modern data and analytics
professionals

His suggestions for those looking to introduce new
technologies in their organisations



If you are interested in getting a glimpse into the world of data
and analytics inside one of the most significant organisations in
New Zealand, this is the episode you do not want to miss.