About
The background behind the advice
From statistics to data and AI
My academic foundation is statistics. My career took me through analytics, data engineering and machine learning, and I have worked with AI since 2017. My consulting work has covered insurance, manufacturing including automotive, the public sector, fashion, music licensing, telecommunications, service businesses and education.
The work was technical and client-facing at once: understanding how systems work and what the people relying on them need to get done.
How I look at AI decisions
I work with leaders who need to understand what AI should change in their business and how to make the next decision about it. I look past the individual tool to the goal, the surrounding systems and the people doing the work.
Working with what clients had already bought
At IBM I was a Data and AI Architect in a post-sales role. I worked with clients after the purchase, working out where the technology could help and how it would fit the systems already in place.
In most cases the answer involved a combination of tools, databases and processes. It required understanding the business goal and the dependencies between those parts, including what it takes to move an MVP toward production.
As contracts approached renewal, the conversation turned to goals and needs again: what still mattered, what had to change and which additional parts might help.
What I bring to the conversation
When I examine an AI initiative, I ask what has to be true for it to work. What does it assume about the data? Where does it sit in the work? Who can change the process? What evidence would justify the next investment?
My technical background lets me follow those questions into the details. My advisory work brings them back to the decision the business has to make.
Teaching and speaking
I have taught at university level, trained colleagues on technical subjects and spoken to industry and leadership audiences, including Web Summit in Lisbon. I combine explanation with questions, discussion and applying ideas to a new situation.
I work in English, German and Russian.
My practice
I founded The Brained Inc. My main role is external advisor, with selected interim or fractional engagements when a defined period of deeper involvement helps.
I focus on advisory, strategy, architecture and leadership, alongside the teams responsible for implementation.
Read my work
I wrote Velocity with Containment: An AI Adoption Doctrine for Mid-Market Leaders.