Which skills would you regard as vital for a role in data at Entain?
In the world of data science at Entain we’re looking for individuals who are passionate about machine learning with a great track record of building such models. It’s a bonus if candidates have experience in the sports betting and gaming industry but we welcome those from a range of industries. We also look for open-minded and curious people, enthusiastic to continuously improve and those who are great team players.
Which programming languages and tools are you primarily using?
We are using Python and SQL to prepare our data and build models, and Airflow and Docker images to score them. We also use the Google Cloud platform for model build as this provides a far speedier solution.
What was your career path to becoming Director of Data Science? Which steps gave you the most important learning experiences for your career?
I was fortunate to undertake a PhD in Data Mining with a renowned professor in Liege, Belgium. That taught me the depth and breadth of the data science world, culminating in the creation of a new data science technique which, since published in 2003, has been cited by 511 other publications in the world.
In the 11 years following my PhD I worked for SAS in a variety of technical and project management roles. This experience gave me a great understanding of the world of data end-to-end, from data warehousing to the most sophisticated personalisation solutions for our clients.
Last but not least, I undertook an MBA with Cass Business School in London which complemented and enhanced my business knowledge.
How do you see the development of data and analytics over the coming years at Entain?
Entain is very focused on data, technology and committed to taking full advantage of these areas. At heart, we’re now a tech business and some of the biggest growth at Entain will be in the expansion of data science, business intelligence and analytics teams. The commercial impact of data science at Entain is increasing day by day and the team has consistently grown since its inception in 2019.
We have great plans over the next three years to increase the personalisation of our communications, our real-time interaction with our players, our multi-channel automated targeting and our real-time player protection solutions.
What three pieces of advice would you give to aspiring data scientists?
I would advise aspiring data scientists in the early stages of their career to prioritise roles that deepen and widen their experience, rather than their pay. Always stay open and curious to the various applications of data science in a variety of industries. In time, this will allow you to become an analytics translator; a very valuable, yet scarce, skill on the market.
Also, learn the principles of data science from experienced data scientists and a explore a range of online sources – I see too many data science candidates that think they know how to build a model but make costly mistakes in their approach, even after years of experience.
Finally, strive to improve your communication every day. A great model that is not well sold to the end users might end up not used – to the detriment of both you and them.
Thank you for your time!
