Africa Data Forum Cape Town: what’s in store for delegates? Africa Data Forum’s Cape Town event – “All Things Data” – promises an exciting array of international and local speakers, exploring data science in greater depth than any other local technology event. Held on 28-29 June in the Mother City’s glamorous Westin Hotel, the event pulls together some of the leading global thinkers in the realms of data science, analytics and information management. “We’re moving past the hype, to take a deep look at what it actually takes to become a data scientist, and to transform your organisation into being truly data-driven,” explains Africa Data Forum CEO, Shepherd Mzinyathi. “Through our various sessions we’ll share the tools to create a sustainable and thriving data science capability – the engine room for business transformation and growth,” he adds.

Insights from one of the world’s biggest data science centres One of the event highlights is the keynote from Krishna Thiagarajan, Global Practice Head of Analytics at Tech Mahindra. Thiagarajan will show how organisations that master Big Data management can differentiate themselves from their peers, innovate faster, and deliver superior customer experiences. Tech Mahindra has placed huge emphasis on the role of Big Data – building a team of over 500 data scientists, and creating a Big Data centre of excellence that boasts multi-node cluster Hadoop Labs, and a broad array of consulting and technology services. Delegates will get an inside peek into how Tech Mahindra has built such a strong data science capability in just a few years, and how it has unleashed incredible new opportunities for many of their clients.

Using data to solve the big challenges Africa Data Forum also welcomes Dr Vukosi Marivate, a CSIR data scientist leading both its information security data mining team, and the data science human capacity building programme. Dr Vukosi’s creative and original approach to data science sees him working on everything from crime prevention, to rhino preservation, and a number of other ways in which data can be used for social good. Marivate is also an international speaker in the field of data science, a pre-Doctoral Fellow at Rutgers University Leadership Development Institute (in New Jersey), as well as a co-organiser of TEDxRutgers. Data: an asset on the balance sheet Among the keynotes, panels and workshops, Africa Data Forum also includes Dario Fanucchi, Technical Director at Isazi Consulting and one of South Africa’s leading data scientists. Fanucchi will look at how organisations can re-cast data, from something that is generated as almost a ‘side-effect’ of doing business, to become centrally positioned as a formal asset – something which can be measured and reflected on the balance sheet. “With this talk, we’ll be breaking into some very exciting territory,” notes Mzinyathi.

“Data is the currency of the future, growing in value all the time, and those firms that can capture this value will carve out prime market positions.” Fanucchi’s talk will look at the practices and cultures that an organisation needs to adopt, to become a data-driven organisation, and to capitalise on the data revolution that is starting to change the fundamental structures of many industries. At an individual level, Fanucchi will apply his experience in working with many of SA’s largest corporates, to identify just what a data scientist is (and isn't) and just what they should (and shouldn’t) be doing. “As the field starts to gather momentum and mature, there is an urgent need to develop standards and to codify data science principles – from the language we use, to the skill-sets, to the enabling technologies,” explains Mzinyathi. The Africa Data Science Academy, allied to Africa Data Forum and also strongly supported by Tech Mahindra’s depth of expertise, aims to address the issues of standardisation, he adds. Delegates can look forward to a number of other high-profile speakers during the jam-packed 48 hours.

For more information on the event and to grab a last-minute seat, visit africadataforum.com and Register