Bridging the Gap Between Data and Customer Experience

Lucy shares a glimpse into her exciting career path at Publicis Sapient and gives insights into what it takes to become a successful Data Strategist.

Lucy Nemes

My journey at Publicis Sapient

I’m Lucy, a Slovenian who has lived and worked in Ljubljana, Berlin, Kuala Lumpur, Barcelona, and Miami, before settling down in Cologne, where I also joined Publicis Sapient as a full-time employee in June 2019. However, I had the pleasure of getting to know PS, and their ways of working even before, as I supported a few projects as a contractor between 2017-2018, and was very happy to join the company full time when the opportunity arose.

Even though I have been at the same physical location since I joined the company, my professional path has been quite a journey. I first joined as a Customer Experience (CX) & Innovation Consultant, because I wanted to deepen my CX knowledge; especially on qualitative research methods, preparing & owning design-thinking workshops, and learning about innovation strategies. However, because of my experience and background in Data & Analytics, I quickly started bringing the data aspect to everything I did, as well as encouraging colleagues to use quantitative data, and combine it with qualitative insights, to make their work better, and bulletproof.

By doing so, I started actively bridging Experience & Data domains, and PS gave me the freedom to coach & enable colleagues, and eventually also to create my new role and officially transition to Data & AI. Today I work as a Manager in Data Strategy, and I’m focusing on Customer Data Strategy & Experience. That means that I’m supporting our clients, as well as PS teams, with quantifying the quality of customer experience, translating data into insights, and measuring changes.

A day in the life of a Data Strategist

My daily work is very diverse because I work as a spearing partner for various teams (UX, design, development, as well as product and business owners) and support projects from different industries, and clients that are facing different challenges. That also means that I’m continuously learning and must develop myself further. It’s never boring.

Since the start of the Coronavirus pandemic, we have witnessed an explosion of digital interactions that made more data available than ever before. At first sight one would think that that is great for us, however, it comes with many challenges and a lot of responsibility. First, to collect the right data and then use it in the best way to improve processes, operations & products, while also ensuring data protection compliance. And all those are areas that are supported by Data Strategists.

“The past two years have shown that the digital transformation of most companies is overdue and that our work is more relevant than ever. Being a part of different successful transformation stories is very rewarding.“

To be a successful Data Strategist at Publicis Sapient, one must have a good understanding of business, customers, and experience, while also having the necessary data knowledge. In order to gain that, it is essential, that we work in close collaboration with colleagues from different disciplines, as well as our clients. I work closely with my client stakeholders and help them leverage their data in the digital transformation of their work and/or products. Long partnerships that we build with our clients enable us to witness the progress and impact of our work, and I, as a Data Strategist, am also there to quantify it. This can be very rewarding, and, in my opinion, it sets us apart from other employers in this industry.

Why I love working at Publicis Sapient

What I appreciate most about Publicis Sapient, besides the relationship we have with our clients, are the colleagues and company culture, that put people first. I have the pleasure of working with and learning from people from different countries, and backgrounds. I am aware, that as a woman in the IT consultancy industry, especially Data & AI, I am a rare kind, and one might think that it can get overwhelming. However, I must point out that at Publicis Sapient I have never felt that way. Even though we still have more men than women, our culture and values ensure that we all feel comfortable sharing our opinions and contributing, always. Even more, I have to admit that I have never experienced such trust and support from a leadership team who cares about the wellbeing and personal development of their employees.

The past two years have shown that the digital transformation of most companies is overdue and that our work is more relevant than ever. Being a part of successful transformation stories is very rewarding. Therefore, I can only encourage other women who are interested in technology, to go for it. Besides an interesting industry full of opportunities, there is always the potential for new explorations and learning.

Lucy Nemes

Manager Data Strategy, Cologne, Germany

After living and working in Ljubljana, Berlin, Kuala Lumpur, and Miami, Lucy started her journey at Publicis Sapient in Cologne, Germany, as a CX&I Consultant. From her start, she was bringing data to all aspects of her work and actively shaped her growth that finally led to her transition to the Data & AI Team, where today she does, what she does best – combining data and experience.

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