Episode 4: Transforming Insight at ASOS

Sandra talks candidly about the challenges she faces and the lessons Insight teams can learn from Finance, and she also recommends a book that has changed her working life.

Topics Discussed

• Insight and Analytics at ASOS (1.45)
• Creating a joined-up Insight team (5.45)
• Sandra’s day job and diary (10.02)
• The book that changed Sandra’s working life (15.15)
• An Insight team creating value for the business (23.59)

Highlights

• “I understood what Insight was and I also understood the value, but within the limitation of doing it within a finance function. We looked at transactional data, we were always focused on customer profit and customer value. Knowing what I know now, looking after a broader team, we weren’t looking at web analytics or other customer behaviour, everything was always in the confines of financial numbers.”
• “In a Finance function, you are very much at the forefront of the decision-making at ASOS. The value of the work Insight was doing was very visible to me because it would always inform new business initiatives.“
• “We are fast-growing, and things are changing all the time…When I took over, ASOS was going through a painful growth phase, and we really needed to look at our organisation. Unfortunately for me, I was tasked with looking at some cost-efficiencies for the team. It was a tough decision, but one that I needed to take.”
• “It requires me to work across the breadth of the organisation. ASOS has very big growth ambitions and lots of strategic transformation initiatives. It’s not just organising my own time, but getting that time from busy people, which requires a lot of planning.”

This is Episode 4 of the Transforming Insight podcast. 

If you have the ambition to transform your Insight team and the role it plays in your organisation, please tune in to future episodes. Not only will we explore the 42 secrets of successful corporate Insight teams as outlined in the Transforming Insight book, but we will also talk to senior corporate Insight leaders, delve into books that have inspired us, and discuss new best practices research carried out with the IMA’s corporate members.

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About - James Wycherley, Chief Executive, IMA and the author of Transforming Insight

James Wycherley was Director of Customer Insight and Analytics at Barclays from 2005 to 2015 when he became Chief Executive of the Insight Management Academy (IMA). A popular keynote speaker and acknowledged expert on Insight leadership, strategy, and communication, he is the author of the book Transforming Insight: the 42 secrets of successful corporate Insight teams, and over 35 IMA publications. He has provided thought leadership in the UK, Western Europe, the USA, Canada, Australia, India, and the Middle East. Over the last five years, over 20,000 Insight professionals worldwide have received his 5 Minute Insight emails.

Resources:

If you would like more information on any of the ideas discussed in this episode of the Transforming Insight podcast, please visit www.insight-management.org

Copies of James Wycherley’s book Transforming Insight: the 42 secrets of successful corporate Insight teams can be purchased directly from www.transforming-insight.com

 

Disclaimer

The Transforming Insight podcast is published by the Insight Management Academy and produced by Zorbiant.

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