Meet Adland’s Best Number-Whisperers In The Best Of The Best Data Scientists!

That’s right, we’re taking a look at the best data scientists in the worlds of advertising, marketing and media, as well as the industries that support those. Data science is becoming increasingly central to the operations of the country’s largest and most serious businesses. And the value of a great data scientist, not just a good one, is becoming increasingly apparent as generative AI makes spotting patterns in data as easy as pushing a button.

These 10 pros are noted by their colleagues and peers for an exceptional ability to find meaning in the needles they pluck from the data haystacks.

As ever, we’ve relied on industry testimony, individual awards and the help of the Best of the Best nominations form. Next week, we’re taking a look at the industry’s best chief technology and product officers. Then, it’s the turn of the social changemakers, those who have actively and deliberately sought to create a positive change in society beyond themselves.

NOMINATE NOW FOR B&T’s BEST OF THE BEST!

We’ve also got some honourable mentions. Ana Walker, from Atlassian and winner of the Data Science trophy at the Women Leading Tech Data, was very unlucky to miss out, though only to her own colleague. Frankly, we could have a top 10 composed solely of Atlassian staff, if we wanted, though that wouldn’t be particularly fair.

Publicis’ Abbie Price, though earlier in her career, also came highly recommended to us, as did Dr Mel Grey, head of data science at influencer marketing firm Hypetap.

But on with the list…

10. Thomas Galluzzo, head of data and analytics, Merkle

Thomas Galluzzo has been with Merkle for a little more than five years and within the broader Dentsu family for nearly a decade, having spent nearly four years at iProspect.

During his time at Merkle, Galluzzo has notched some major wins, transforming a major financial client’s data maturity, reshaping analytics into a strategic function for the business, and integrating, mentoring and transitioning an internal analytics team to continue the work. He’s also created scalable data products, including a $3 million Google partnership, a “light” media mix modelling tool allowing clients to test media strategies and AI-powered reporting solutions. When not busying himself with one of those projects, Galluzzo can be found working with Merkle’s clients to keep them ahead of looming data privacy changes and ready for the future or leading work on agentic AI-powered reports, moving teams off the static dashboards that have become de rigueur in adland. 

He has also spent his time with Merkle fighting the good fight. He’s built a female-majority data team (something still a rarity in adland) and continues to champion gender equity in leadership at Dentsu through mentorship and inclusive hiring advocacy. He even made a podcast to help educate Dentsu’s teams in the art of data science. 

9. Tara Coverdale, director of data and network strategy, oOh!media

Tara Coverdale has spent the last 12 years with oOh!meda, rising from the role of research and insights manager to become the OOH business’ director of data and network strategy. During that time, she’s seen the OOH sector go through some pretty spectacular changes – not least the COVID pandemic which kept everyone firmly indoors.

More recently, however, she has led oOh!’s internal MOVE 2 development, no small feat given the measurement system’s complexities and particulars. She has also put her data science smarts to use further developing oOh!’s audience measurement platform and pioneered frameworks that have redefined attribution, visibility, and effectiveness in OOH.

She also places a focus on inclusive leadership within her team, though keeping it high-performing in a cut-throat sector of the market. She also mentors women to help elevate them into technical leadership and evangelists data literacy across different disciplines – that’s the sort of work that will set oOh! apart in the years to come.

8. Hannah Charak, senior machine learning engineer, Mutinex

Hannah Charak joined the Mutinex team nearly 18 months ago having worked with Atlassian and Perfoml beforehand. She was described to B&T as a “weapon” in the field of data science and has already started to make waves with the market mix modelling platform, having spearheaded its infrastructure and forecasting in data science.

Charak also works as a data scientist for for Traits Insights, a business that profiles soccer players to improve performance. If that seems a departure for the world of marketing and media, it doesn’t for Charak, who plays in the Football NSW League One Women’s competition for Inter Lions and recently scored against the Central Coast Mariners FC in a 2-1 defeat which saw her make a strong run down the right before firing a shot into the top corner.

7. Elise Morris, head of intelligence, Digitas Australia

Elise Morris has been with Digitas for four-and-a-half years now, a year of which has been spent as its head of intelligence – an enviable job title if ever there was one. Before that, she served in broader roles within the Publicis Groupe for another four-and-a-half years.

Morris was described to B&T as “one of the most human data scientists you could meet” with a “deep, empathetic” understanding of customer behaviour and a “deeper understanding” of their data.

While Morris is central to Digitas’ work in Australia, she has also proved invaluable to the agency’s new business success. She was described as “pivotal” to retaining the McDonald’s CRM remit for Digitas last year and spends a significant amount of time working on pitches across the whole Publicis Groupe, something increasingly important given its focus on operating as a whole unit. That Morris was described as “genuinely a gamechanger” shouldn’t be a surprise.

6. Aniruddh Tibrewal, head of data science, Annalect

Tibrewal joined Omnicom’s specialist data company Annalect two-and-a-half years ago, after spending four-and-a-half years at AI business Valerie.

During his time with Annalect, Tibrewal has kicked some major goals, including the development of its Luminous cookieless attribution solution and its Agile marketing mix modelling software. Both these tools have started creating results for some of Omnicom’s largest clients, including one major telco and a leading airline. We’re sure you can work out who they are.

Tibrewal has been described as “instrumental” in Annalect and Omnicom leveling up its capabilities in the data space. And at this crucial juncture for the industry, that’s just as well.

5. Maurice Riley, chief data officer, Publicis Groupe

If one advertising business is leading the way in the data arms race, it’s the Publicis Groupe. The rapid expansion of its data smarts is winning the minds of some of the world’s largest clients, while staffers like Maurice are ensuring their hearts are turned, too.

In his role as chief data officer for Publicis’ ANZ business, Riley leads the development and refinement of the Groupe’s connected identity solutions and insights locally, as well as overseeing its data strategy following the mega-acquisition of Lotame. He works closely with Publicis’ agency and group bosses to make creative ideas sing louder and media placements even more unmissable.

Prior to this position, Riley was with Publicis Groupe’s Digitas for eight years, most recently as chief data officer of Australia and New Zealand. In this role, he masterminded data-driven creativity and technological solutions for a distinguished client roster, including major clients in tourism, FMCG, banking, and QSR. He was also previously VP strategy director at Publicis New York.

4. Rachel Scott, manager, marketing science, Suncorp

Rachel Scott has been with Suncorp for the last 15 years and has been leading its marketing science function for the last seven. In this role, she guides and advises the deployment of Suncorp’s mega creative and media work and, in a marketing environment with heightened pressures, her role and work have never been more important to the insurer’s success.

She leads a team of mathematicians and data analysts focused on building predictive modelling capability and uncovering data-driven insights to grow ROI. Together, they provide a financial governance structure for Sunciro’s A&P investment and build predictive modelling capabilities. Scott’s a regular contributor at industry events and judges the MFA Awards, bringing her scalpel-sharp eye to the country’s biggest media campaigns.

3. Lily Serna, principal data scientist, Atlassian

Lily Serna is a familiar face for many on Australian screens, having served as the mathematics expert on SBS’ Letters and Numbers, as well as on the ABC’s Catalyst and Play School series.

But when she’s not working on educating the nation, she has spent the last nine years with Atlassian, rising from a senior data analyst to the company’s principal data scientist. Here, she leads the team to assess the success of its products by examining the data generated through user interactions. These stories, created through data, are then replayed through Atlassian’s various departments to create sleeker, slicker and more useful products for customers. Many of whom, of course, work in the creative, marketing and media industries using tools such as Jira and Trello.

But that simply isn’t enough for Serna. She’s also a Women in STEM Roundtable member, appointed by the Minister for Industry, Science and Resources. She also serves on advisory boards for the Australian Mathematical Sciences Institute, Questacon—Australia’s National Science and Technology Centre—and the University of Technology Sydney’s Industry Advisory Committee, where she provides strategic advice to promote diversity and inclusion. With Atlassian, she formally mentors junior staff through the Women’s Leadership Network and more informally, makes colleagues feel safe to confide in her about challenges they face.

This work led to her being awarded the Glass Ceiling trophy at this year’s Women Leading Tech Awards and placing seventh on the Women Leading Tech Power List.

2. Professor Rachel Kennedy, associate director of product development, Ehrenberg-Bass Institute

While Professor Byron Sharp might be the most famous face behind the Ehrenberg-Bass Institute’s owl and the dark lord of penetration (Mark Ritson’s words, not ours), Kennedy is one of the single most important and influential people in the industry. She was a founding member of the institute and ranks in the top one per cent of advertising researchers globally.

In her work, she tackles some of the most detailed topics in advertising data science – for instance, she published a paper this year on how to accurately measure attention in video advertising – and some of the bigger, thornier questions. In 2024, for example, she looked at the effect of humour in obesity-prevention messages, while in 2023, she examined whether childhood exposure to a brand improves its brand-name recognition. In fact, her work has been cited more than 2,000 times since she started publishing academic works before the turn of the millennium. She has also won a suite of awards for her work, has spoken at Cannes Lions, ARF and with WARC.

1. Professor Dr Karen Nelson-Field, founder and CEO, Amplified Intelligence

If one person is worth paying attention to in the field of marketing data science, it’s Professor Dr. Karen Nelson-Field. She founded Amplified Intelligence in 2017 following stints at the Ehrenberg-Bass Institute and the South Australian Tourism Commission.

Since then, her work on attention has become fundamental to the way marketers and media pros understand what hits, what flops and who is actually taking in what’s going on in front of them. Her recent work, in collaboration with industry heavyweights Adam Morgan and Peter Field, has put an actual dollar figure on the cost of dull creative to a business. That’s the kind of CFO-ready insight that Nelson-Field delivers regularly.

That work has led to Amplified Intelligence collaborating with the world’s largest media businesses and tech platforms—from US cinema advertising firm Screenvision to Snapchat and Pinterest—creating better advertising outcomes based on empirical data science and analysis. Plus, Nelson-Field is one of the most impressive speakers in the industry, distilling complex ideas into manageable shots of knowledge.