The One Skill That Separates Good Data Leaders From Great Ones With Asia Faulds - Head of Data Science at Booksy

If you run a data team, you already know that the hardest part of being a great data leader isn’t always the technology.In this episode of A Class Act, host Michael Young chats with Asia Faulds, Head of Data Science at Booksy. Asia has built data science teams from the ground up at the BBC, Trustpilot, and now Booksy, and she’s seen first-hand why brilliant technical teams still fail when prioritisation breaks down.In this conversation, they get into:Why most data teams don’t fail technicallyWhat it’s actually like building a data science function from zero at BooksyHow Gen AI has expanded the scope of the data science role and what hasn’t changedWhy producing 200 dashboards instead of 2 doesn’t mean your team is more productiveThe difference between activity and progress, and how to tell which one your team is doingWhy sometimes a well-written SQL script beats a neural networkHow to protect your team’s energy and focus as a data leaderThe one thing Asia says every listener should do this weekGuest InformationAsia Faulds is Head of Data Science at Booksy, the two-sided marketplace connecting beauty and wellness providers with consumers. She’s building the company’s first data science and applied AI function from scratch, defining the strategy, hiring the team, and establishing ML infrastructure.Before Booksy, Asia spent five years at Trustpilot, progressing from individual contributor to management across product and go-to-market data science. Before that, she built recommendation engines for BBC Sounds at the BBC. She holds a Master’s in Physics from the University of Edinburgh and writes The Data Pragmatist on Medium.Connect with Asia Faulds on LinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/in/asia-data/Read The Data Pragmatist on Medium:medium.com/@thedatapragmatistAbout Your HostMichael Young is the Managing Director of MBN Solutions and host of A Class Act: Conversations in Data & Leadership. With nearly two decades of experience helping organisations build high-performing data, analytics, and AI teams, he brings frontline insight into what makes exceptional talent and leadership.Please note: The views expressed by the guest in this episode are their own and do not reflect those of their current or former employers.Subscribe & FollowEnjoying the series? Don’t miss an episode. Follow A Class Act wherever you get your podcasts and leave us a review to help more listeners discover these conversations in data and leadership.Connect with MBN SolutionsIf you’re hiring for data or AI leadership roles, scaling AI capability, or rethinking how talent supports your AI strategy, the team at MBN partners with organisations to build data and AI teams that actually deliver.MBN Solutions on LinkedIn – Explore industry updates, groundbreaking projects, and the latest in data and analytics talent. Join the conversation and discover how MBN Solutions is shaping the future of data leadership. Visit the company page here.For questions, guest recommendations, or to connect:Email: [email protected] MBN Solutions website at www.mbnsolutions.com