Ben O’Brien takes the helm as MD of Jaywing’s data science offering across the business.

The UK-based agency announced yesterday that Ben O’Brien has been promoted to lead the company’s data science arm. The appointment marks Jaywing’s long-held and ongoing commitment to data science, which sits at the heart of the business; delivering heavyweight analytical, ‘big data’ management and data product services.

In his new role, O'Brien will become the company’s lead for data science across risk, marketing, business intelligence and data management consulting practices, delivering integrated services in conjunction with its agency business. As part of it, he will head up Jaywing’s 60-strong team of data scientists. The team is responsible for analysing big data and developing models and algorithms to reveal unique insight, help run businesses optimally and create precision in customer experience to achieve significant competitive advantage for its clients.

Prior to working at Jaywing, O’Brien spent five years working for Experian. He joined Jaywing in 2001 and over the last fifteen years has been integral to the growth of the company’s data science offering for clients. O’Brien previously held the role of risk practice director at Jaywing, leading on projects with many of the UK’s largest banks, building societies and utilities companies. He is an accomplished mathematician with considerable expert knowledge in his field, having worked in data science his entire career.

Rob Shaw, CEO Jaywing, UK & Australia, said, “Data science sits at the very heart of everything we do at Jaywing. It is essential for us, our clients and our people that our data science business is run by a commercially astute data scientist and Ben is exactly that. With significant breadth and depth across the whole range of data science disciplines, the team is unrivalled in our industry, so this is an important appointment to ensure we continue to be able to demonstrate such a strong heritage in the field. Ben is exceptionally talented and with a long career in data science, he is the perfect choice for the role.”

Ben O’Brien, says, “I am delighted to take on this role at Jaywing. Working in the data science industry for over two decades, alongside a team of exceptional mathematicians and technicians, I am completely driven by helping organisations gain value from data. I also love to bang the drum about how to get the best from data scientists in an environment where they have a substantial team of people to learn from and debate with to deliver new methodologies and hone our craft. New and ever-evolving technologies mean data science today is exciting, delivers incredible possibilities and is ultimately vital to business success. We already have a well-established data science team that is pushing the boundaries of what data can deliver, meaning Jaywing is positioned perfectly to take advantage of this for its clients.”