Dow Jones - Interview with Imtiaz Patel
Imtiaz Patel, VP of Strategy & Analysis for Dow Jones, agreed to sit down for an interview with me. Per our previous posting on Dow Jones, they are one of our oldest analytics clients and they are a true employer of choice for analytics practitioners in the media space.
Corry: What are the best things about working for your team at Dow Jones?
Imtiaz: Working for me!
Corry: Anything else?
Imtiaz: We really have an opportunity to use data and analysis to drive business decisions – we have a direct impact on the business. The last two years have been the best that we have had for a very long time helped by our team delivering results and new insights. It is not analysis for the sake of analysis but rather how can we use insights to help our marketing partners develop more effective programs.
Corry: What are the worst things about it?
Imtiaz: Data is not always easily accessible, but you have to figure out a way to get the job done anyway. There are also tight deadlines to look through data and develop insights. We are always managing multiple priorities because everybody in the company sees the value of our analysis, so demand is always high.
Corry: How would you describe your culture?
Imtiaz: I would say that my team is a very results-focused, hard-working, work hard / play hard, “have fun on the job” – type of team.
Corry: How would you describe the senior management team?
Imtiaz: I think that our culture has largely come down from the top. My peers and my bosses are very results-oriented, our marketing partners make good, data-based decisions and having fun on the job is a big priority.
Corry: How important is analytics to decision making in marketing? elsewhere in the company (finance, etc.)
Imtiaz: No decision is made without analytical support. Any change to our process, our offering, our marketing programs, budget, etc. requires analytical support.
Corry: Why should someone work for Dow Jones rather than one of your competitors?
Imtiaz: Our business is driven by facts and analysis. As an analytical person you are involved in making decisions that have an impact on the business. There is a real respect for analysts here that doesn’t exist everywhere. Additionally, there is much more interest in investing in the business and growing in new directions with our new owners which will keep analysis and insight based on analysis at the center of things.
Corry: What is the average tenure of your team?
Imtiaz: We have brought in a lot of new people over the past year or two and a lot of them are extremely talented. The average tenure is relatively short at this moment, but we have people on the team that have been here for 5, 10, 15 years also.
Corry: How would you describe the talent level of those that you work with every day?
Imtiaz: In terms of peers and senior leadership I would say that the talent level is very high. There are a lot of high energy people around here that are willing to take risks to drive the business – it is an exciting group to be around. In terms of my team I am happy with the talent level now. I would say that my team is well above average with some real stars in the mix. The bar is raised all the time around here and I would expect we would continue to add talented people.
Most of the new people have been great. We also have several team members who have raised their performance levels as a result of individual development plans, new leadership, direction, motivation and training.
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