We recently interviewed Dr. Dirk Jungnickel, Senior Vice President - Business Analytics at du.

Dr. Dirk Jungnickel is a seasoned telecommunications executive. After an academic career in theoretical physics, with more than 7 years of postdoctoral research, he acquired 16 years of experience in telecommunications. The positions he held with a variety of international firms include senior IT and IT Architecture roles, various Programme Management and Business Intelligence positions, Head of Corporate PMO, as well as an Associate Partner position with a global Management & Strategy consulting firm.

He currently heads the central Business Analytics & Big Data function of Emirates Integrated Telecommunications Company (du) as Senior Vice President, which integrates Data Warehousing, Big Data Platforms, BI Tools, Data Governance, Business Intelligence and Advanced Analytics capabilities.

In this interview, we asked him about the importance of C-Level support in driving usage of data and analytics; the strategic objectives of his role and his honest advice to Middle Eastern companies starting their data and analytics journey.