Jenna Zhang
Data Scientist, Ladbrokes

- How did you get where you are today?
In my current role I analyse customers’ behaviour, so I build customer segmentation propensity models to predict what they’re going to do later. I started computer science when I was in China and I moved here to study machine learning at the University of Bristol. After that I found a job in a marketing agency; because of my background they asked me to build models for their small clients and gradually they began to have bigger clients. After that I moved into the data science field.
- What gives you confidence?
Not long after starting my first job, I was made redundant. That was my first role, I was still learning. I had a lot of things to implement, I had plans – I want to do this, I want to do that – and then suddenly there was a full stop: “You’re finished, off you go”. I believe that there are always difficulties when you’re trying to reach your goal so you need to be hardworking and determined all the way – that’s where my confidence comes from.
- What’s the best advice you’ve been given?
One day my manager said to me: “There are things in your life you need to look after properly”. To me that means my parents, good food, travelling. That’s the advice that’s quite important to me.
- What do you love about working in the data industry?
Working in data there are always new challenges: new data, new problems, every day won’t be the same problems, different challenges every day. It’s good because you never stop learning; every day you get into work and think ‘maybe there’s something new I can learn’. It’s really interesting.