#210 The Government Transformation That Created Australia’s Top Analytics Leader, with Brad Petry, the Executive Director – Operations, Insights, and Digital Channels at the Department of Jobs

#210 The Government Transformation That Created Australia’s Top Analytics Leader, with Brad Petry, the Executive Director – Operations, Insights, and Digital Channels at the Department of Jobs

Author: Felipe Flores October 12, 2022 Duration: 37:41

This week on the Data Futurology podcast, we have the special privilege of talking to the top analytics leader in Australia, according to IAPA (the Institute of Analytics Professionals of Australia).

Brad Petry, the Executive Director – Operations, Insights, and Digital Channels at the Department of Jobs, Precincts and Regions in the Victorian Government, was awarded this accolade for his work in leveraging AI and machine learning to overcome biases in the recruitment process. He spends time on the podcast this week talking about what that means for the department, and the implications it has for recruitment more broadly.

Over the past 18 months, Petry has been driving a digital transformation program across the department, something that has been made even more challenging because it has happened through the pandemic and because the data that he and his team handle is needed on a daily basis. There was no room for downtime or mistakes while the transformation was executed.

At the same time, there was an enormous opportunity within the department to leverage automation and AI with data – in many cases for the first time – to improve the reliability of the data and productivity across the department.

As Petry says, the key to success is to remember that it’s the data that’s the important element, rather than the software or context that the data is held and analysed within. “When we started, we said to ourselves that the thing we knew, and what was going to persist, was the data,” he said. “The technology and programs will come and go, but the data is something that will always be there and everything comes back to the data.”

For a deep dive into driving a transformation agenda with data, tune in to this week’s podcast!

Enjoy the show!

Thank you to our sponsor, Talent Insights Group!

Connect with Brad  https://www.linkedin.com/in/brad-petry/

See Brad’s presentation at Scaling AI with MLOPS:  https://www.datafuturology.com/mlops

Join our Slack Community: https://join.slack.com/t/datafuturologycircle/shared_invite/zt-z19cq4eq-ET6O49o2uySgvQWjM6a5ng

Read the full podcast summary here.


In a field dominated by discussions of algorithms and infrastructure, Data Futurology carves out a different, crucial space. Host Felipe Flores guides conversations toward the human-centric challenges that ultimately determine whether an AI initiative succeeds or fails. This isn't a technical deep dive into model architectures; it's a series of dialogues about strategy, organizational change, and the practical leadership required to bridge the gap between potential and real-world impact. You'll hear from practitioners and executives who have navigated the complex last mile of deployment, where the real work of integrating technology into business processes and culture happens. The podcast explores how to select the right problems, build effective teams, and cultivate an ethical, forward-thinking approach to data science and machine learning. For leaders, managers, and anyone responsible for steering their organization through the adoption of these powerful tools, Data Futurology offers grounded insights and actionable perspectives. It’s about moving beyond the hype to create sustainable value, ensuring that the rapid pace of advancement in artificial intelligence is matched by thoughtful and effective human leadership. Tune in for a necessary complement to the more code-focused shows in your feed.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 100

Data Futurology - Leadership And Strategy in Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, Data Science
Podcast Episodes
#248: Navigating the Frontier of Generative AI in Business [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 39:14
In this episode of Data Futurology, Felipe Flores and Grant Case, Regional Vice President, Head of Sales Engineering - APJ at Dataiku delve into the realm of Generative AI and its applications in the business world. They…
#246: Unlocking Value with Generative AI [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 44:15
In this episode, Kendra Vant and Tracy Moore delve into the world of generative AI and its potential for unlocking commercial value. They kick off by addressing the excitement and hype surrounding generative AI technolog…
#245 - Becoming a Successful Data Analytics and AI Leader [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 45:37
In this episode, host Felipe Flores interviews Alan Lowthorpe, co-founder of Adaptive Data (who advise organisations on how to accelerate the value delivered from data and AI) and James Lecoutre, Director at Talent Insig…
#242: Tell me about the future of AI… Here Be Dragons? [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 37:06
This week on the Data Futurology podcast, we welcome Orla Glynn, Executive – AI, Reporting, Insights and Automation Configuration at Telstra. Glynn leads one of the biggest groups of data specialists to drive innovative…
#241 - Building AI systems with quality, holistic data [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 29:56
At the recent Advancing AI event in Melbourne, we were privileged to have a presentation by Vinay Joseph, the Pre-Sales Lead for IDOL at OpenText in APAC. Vinay gives an overview of the features of IDOL and how they can…
#240: Overcoming the challenges facing modern data engineering teams [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 43:13
This week on the Data Futurology podcast we host Paul Milinkovic, the APAC Regional Director for the leading data integration platform, StreamSets. Milinkovic joins us to share his insights into data engineers' challenge…