Abstract: 

Companies employ various means of differentiation in order to gain a competitive advantage in the market. Traditional differentiators include network economies, branding, economies of scale, and so on. But the availability of data and compute resources, combined with the emergence of new business models, have enabled data science to become a strategic differentiator for some companies. 
Eric Colson explores what it means to differentiate by data science and explains why companies must now think very differently about the role and placement of data science in the organization. If data science is going to be part of your competitive strategy, it warrants rethinking how the company is organized, how it defines its roles, and how it attracts and retains top talent. 
Topics include:
 * When and why the Data Science team should report to the CEO.
* Why data science is different from other departments like engineering, finance, or marketing
* How to create compelling roles for your data science team
* How to foster innovation without structured programs
* Considerations for measuring data science talent

Bio: 

Eric is the Chief Algorithms Officer at Stitch Fix, leading a team of 80+ Data Scientists. He is responsible for the multitude of algorithms that are pervasive to nearly every function of the company: merchandise, inventory, marketing, forecasting & demand, operations, and the styling recommender system. Prior to joining Stitch Fix, he was the Vice President of Data Science & Engineering at Netflix.  Eric holds a B.A. in Economics, an M.S. in Information Systems, M.S. in Management Science & Engineering.