In this episode, Mark speaks with Elena Alikhachkina about her robust career spanning from Fortune 100 companies to innovative startups. Elena brings a wealth of experience to the conversation, with a unique perspective on driving business transformation through data. This episode delves into the changing role of data professionals, the impact of AI on traditional business models, and the skills needed to thrive in the future of technology. From her hands-on work in global organizations to mentoring emerging data-driven startups, Elena shares her journey, challenges, and views on opportunities that lie ahead in the intersection of data analytics, leadership, and product management.
Transcript
VZC Guest:
Elena Alikhachkina
Non-Executive Board Member & Data Executive
Elena Alikhachkina is an executive with over 20 years of experience leading data, analytics, and technology initiatives. She currently serves on the management team board of WE Global Studios, a startup innovation studio, and the board of Cloverpop, an AI-powered decision intelligence platform.
Elena was previously the Global SVP of Digital at Roche, leading data products, platforms, and analytics. She has also held chief data officer roles at companies like Danone, Nestle Waters, and Johnson & Johnson.
In addition to corporate roles, Elena serves as a guest lecturer at the University of Arkansas, teaching courses on research methods, data quality, and data leadership fundamentals. She hopes to help the next generation of professionals navigate the evolving data landscape.
VZC Host:
Mark Potts
Vice President of Global Services
VirtualZ Computing
Mark is VirtualZ’s vice president of global services, helping our clients leverage Lozen™, PropelZ, and Zaac™ to unlock business agility, value, and cost savings. Mark brings over 17 years of experience at Accenture to VirtualZ and focuses on helping our customers modernize their data access systems. Mark served as global managing director at Accenture, leading the comprehensive strategy for their mainframe modernization offering, including developing sales and delivery assets, developing capability, determining acquisition targets, and managing the global mainframe modernization pipeline. Prior to that, Mark led Accenture’s IBM and Red Hat partnership, working closely with the Accenture, IBM, and Red Hat senior leadership teams focusing on hybrid cloud, mainframe modernization, artificial intelligence (AI), blockchain, and quantum computing. Mark also has over 15 years of software engineering delivery experience.