#79 Pursuing a PhD with an Established Data Science Career with Dr Mark van Rijmenam – Founder

Dr. Mark van Rijmenam is the Founder of Datafloq. He is a highly sought-after international public speaker, a Big Data and Blockchain strategist and author of the best-selling book Think Bigger - Developing a Successful Big Data Strategy for Your Business. He is the co-author of the book Blockchain: Transforming Your Business and Our World, which details how blockchain can be used for social good. His third book, The Organisation of Tomorrow, will be published in Q2 2019. He is named a global top 10 Big Data influencer and one of the most influential Blockchain people. He holds a PhD in Management from the University of Technology, Sydney. His research was on how organisations should deal with big data analytics, Blockchain, and AI. He is the publisher of the ‘f(x) = ex‘ newsletter read by thousands of executives. Enjoy the show! We speak about: [01:50] How Mark started in the data space [02:40] What made you change from being a consultant to an entrepreneur? [05:50] How has the data space evolved since you began? [06:55] How do organisations become data-driven? [08:20] How was getting a PhD after establishing a career? [09:00] Do you recommend people go back and get a PhD once they have established a career? [10:20] Do you recommend companies take small steps or significant steps when becoming data-driven? [12:40] Do you have examples of automating customer service? [14:45] What are the key barriers holding companies back from becoming data-driven? [16:00] Are employees excited about becoming data-driven? [18:40] Why is blockchain challenging to bring into reality for supply chains? [24:50] How did you manage your time while pursuing your PhD and working? [27:25] Mark’s inspiration behind Datafloq [30:55] What are your views on privacy and data? [34:15] What are you most proud of? [35:00] What excites you most about this field? [35:55] Do you have any failures that helped you learn? [37:10] What are the challenges in the data space? [39:15] How do you decide what to work on? [43:00] How have you learned to handle the lows in entrepreneurship? [43:50] Do you have any advice for our listeners? Thank you to our sponsors: Fyrebox - Make Your Own Quiz! RMIT Online Master of Data Science Strategy and Leadership Visit online.rmit.edu.au for more information Thank you so much for listening!