Analyze This: Business Analytics and the Future of Digital Transformation

Speakers:

• Vik Pant, PhD, Partner in AI, Pricewaterhouse Cooper
• Xiaoxi Chang, PhD, People Analytics Advisor, Payments Canada
• Mohsen Farhadloo, PhD, Assistant Professor of Business Analytics at Concordia University - John Molson School of Business
  

Moderator:

• Suchit Ahuja, PhD, Graduate Program Director, MSc. Business Analytics and Technology Management, Concordia University – John Molson School of Business

Bios:

Vik Pant, PhD
Vik earned a PhD in Information Science from the Faculty of Information (iSchool) at the University of Toronto, where he also teaches and performs research in Multi-Agent Competition, Game-Theoric Optimization and Complex Socio-Technical Systems. Formerly Chief Scientist and Chief Science Advisor at Natural Resources Canada, he played a leadership role in developing NRCan’s science and technology priorities, providing oversight on cross-cutting science issues and opportunities.  He led the adoption of artificial intelligence to help enhance NRCan’s ability to conduct science, economic analysis, and provide evidence-based policy advice via advanced analytical techniques. Founder of the Synthetic Intelligence Forum, a leading community of practice focused on the industrial application of Artificial Intelligence, he is now a Partner at PwC Canada.

Xiaoxi Chang, PhD
Xiaoxi is a behavioural scientist with 9 years of experience developing best practices on people analytics and organizational effectiveness. She completed her PhD in Organizational Behaviour at Queen’s University and leads the People Analytics function at Payments Canada. Xiaoxi has led and participated in various organizational assessment, training and research projects at various financial institutions, government agencies, high-tech manufacturers, educational institutions, health care institutions, and airline industries, both globally and in Canada. Her specialties include fostering high-performing and engaged employees, diverse and innovative teams, and inspiring and empowering leaders. Xiaoxi is passionate about seeing beyond the data to identify strategies and solutions that will raise the bar for all things people-related.

Mohsen Farhadloo, PhD
Mohsen received his PhD in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science from University of California, Merced, USA, in 2015. His work focused on analyzing customer reviews to understand what drives customer satisfaction using data mining/machine learning techniques. After his PhD, he served as a postdoctoral research associate at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and Annenberg public policy center of the University of Pennsylvania. He did a postdoctoral degree at the University of California, Los Angeles. His work focused on applications of data mining in public health domains. Before joining John Molson, he was an assistant professor at theBusiness School of University of California, Riverside. At Concordia University, he develops and applies techniques from business analytics for applications in health, business and public policy domains.

Suchit Ahuja, PhD
Suchit is Assistant Professor, Supply Chain and Business Technology Management Department at the John Molson School of Business, Concordia University (Canada), and the Graduate Program Diroector for the new MScin Business Analytics and Technology Management. Suchit holds a PhD in Management Information Systems from the Stephen J.R. Smith School of Business at Queen’s University, and an MSc in IT from Purdue University. Suchit’s research focuses on digital strategy and innovation, digital platforms and ecosystems, frugal digital innovation, societal impacts of digital innovation, and community-based innovation. For his research, he has worked with small and medium enterprises and startups in India, USA, and Canada. Suchit has obtained funding for his research from federal and provincial funding agencies such as SSHRC and FRQSC. He has published his research in international conferences and journals including AoM, ICIS, AMCIS, Conf-IRM, R&D Management, IEEE, ACM, Kindai Management Review, among many others. Suchit has served on prestigious committees such as the Standards Council of Canada and is a member of the board of advisors of BizSkills Academy, an education-focused startup in Ontario. In his spare time, Suchit enjoys running, hiking, traveling, and reading about culture and geopolitics.