Welcome to episode 219 of the AI in Action podcast, the show where we break down the hype and explore the impact that Data Science, Machine Learning and Artificial Intelligence are making on our everyday lives.

Powered by Alldus International, our goal is to share with you the insights of technologists and data science enthusiasts to showcase the excellent work that is being done within AI in the United States and Europe.

Today’s guest is Kolja Dobrindt, VP and Global Head of Analytics at Lidl International in Germany. Kolja is responsible for the end-to-end analytics capability of a $100 billion+, 11,000 store, 32 country organization, ranging from decentralized self-service capabilities to large-scale, operational data products. Lidl are on a mission to build an operational analytics capability from vision and strategy, from hiring the right talent of experts and leaders to defining the organizational and technical framework to deliver data-driven solutions.

Kolja has gained broad exposure to the IT and retail industries as well as digital transformation, strategy and project, and program management. He works hand-in-hand with the board and senior executives at Lidl to build a project portfolio of over 20 initiatives with millions in realized benefits already delivered to date. He is also collaborating across business functions and IT to establish a common vision and roadmap to develop broad organizational data and analytics capabilities beyond the core team. 

In the episode, Kolja will discuss:

Interesting projects the Analytics team are working on at Lidl

The key to understanding the problem you are solving

Challenges they need to overcome to achieve success

How the pandemic has changed customer behaviour in retail

The success of their Loyalty app

Upcoming projects and what the future has in store

To find out more about Kolja and the interesting work they do at Lidl Digital, check out the website www.lidl.de or follow them on Twitter @LidlDigital.  You can also connect with Kolja on Linkedin.

What did you think of Kolja’s podcast? Where do you see the future of AI and Data Science in the retail sector heading in the next few years? We would love to hear your thoughts on this episode, so please leave a comment below.

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