Our Team
At the Centre for Business Analytics we are supported by some of the worlds best academics and industry experts in data science and analytic capabilities.
Our Team
Meet the dedicated team at the Centre for Business Analytics, a dynamic group at the forefront of transforming decision-making through the power of data.
Under the leadership of Professor Yalçın Akçay the team is committed to advancing the data culture within organisations. The team supports a range of initiatives from executive education to research and industry partnerships.
DIRECTOR
CENTRE FOR BUSINESS ANALYTICS
PROFESSOR OF OPERATIONS
Responsible for academic oversight of our Master of Business Analytics degree. Professor Akçay’s focus is to lead and execute the Centre’s research strategy and build on its existing reputation.
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
CENTRE FOR BUSINESS ANALYTICS
Ms Arbogast is responsible for the Centre’s strategy and industry partnerships and has over 20 years of experience in leadership roles in the US, including at GE Capital and MIT’s Sloan School of Management.
INDUSTRY LIAISON LEAD CENTRE FOR BUSINESS ANALYTICS
With nearly 20-years’ experience managing events at ANZ and marketing and communications at RACV subsidiary, Intelematics, Ms Economou is currently responsible for implementing the strategic plan for the Centre for Business Analytics.
EXECUTIVE IN RESIDENCE CENTRE FOR BUSINESS ANALYTICS
Danielle has over 20 years of experience in Data and AI, consulting for diverse sectors globally. Since 2023, she's been an Associate, working on advisory, implementation, and strategic execution related to Data and AI. Danielle has led significant projects at PwC and KPMG and managed a boutique consultancy.
Industry Advisory Board
Our Advisory Board is comprised of some of Australia’s finest analytics professionals and business leaders that drive the use and influence of business analytics in industry and government.
The Board brings diversity and depth of experience to developing and guiding the Centre’s strategy.
CHAIR
After 32-plus years as an Accenture information technology and management consultant, Ms Stops now serves as Deputy Chancellor, University of Melbourne and Non-executive Director for Coles Group and Fitted for Work.
BOARD MEMBER
Mr Ugoni is an experienced Data and Analytics Executive. He has previously served at go1 and Bupa as the Chief Data Officer, the Director of Global Matching and Analytics at Seek and led NAB projects and teams, including the Credit Card Fraud Analytics Group and Customer Analytics team. Mr Ugoni is currently the Chief Data Scientist at HCF.
BOARD MEMBER
Dr Gregory Hill is Head of Data Strategy, Analytics and Insights at AustralianSuper. He was previously Director at analytics consultancy Taylor Fry, Data & Analytics Lead (Commercial) at ANZ Bank and Global Head of Analytics at Brightstar. He is also Adjunct Faculty at Melbourne Business School, where he lectures in Data and Analytics Strategy. Dr Hill is a founding Member of the Centre for Business Analytics’ Industry Advisory Board. He has led advanced analytics and data science teams since 2009, solving business problems across telco, retail and finance domains.
BOARD MEMBER
Over 20 years, managing partner Ken Roberts has built Forethought into Australia's most commercially effective and innovative marketing growth consultancy. A recognised innovator of advanced analytics methods, he holds patents in the US and Australia.
BOARD MEMBER
Michael manages the Pricing and Analytics Team insurance products for all Suncorp brands, including AAMI, Suncorp, GIO, and APIA and has been responsible for introducing several innovative firsts in personal-lines pricing in Australia.
BOARD MEMBER
With 25-years’ experience in customer analytics, including 17 years at Foxtel, Coles and Flybuys, Ms Eastgate is currently the Acting General Manager Data, Analytics and Loyalty at Bunnings Group.
BOARD MEMBER
Christelle Young is the Managing Director of T2 Tea and a distinguished executive with extensive experience in strategy, transformation, technology, and data analytics. Formerly the Chief Data & Analytics Officer at L’Oréal South Asia Pacific, Middle East & North Africa, she has led significant transformation initiatives across 33 countries.
BOARD MEMBER
Janice joined Coles in 2023 and partners with C-suite leaders to help organisations work smarter and innovate in our fast-moving world. Janice has held a number of senior roles across Data Strategy, Data Science, Digital, Systems Integration, Outsourcing and Consulting at Bupa, Monash University and IBM.
BOARD MEMBER
Over 25 years' experience in a range of industries, creating new growth markets, and segments for large enterprises Vodafone, Deloitte, MYOB, and for the last 5 years taking this capability into the tech scale-up environments of myprosperity and LivePreso and more recently PEXA.
BOARD MEMBER
Simon's career spans 18 years in the Energy sector with bp across Data & Insights, Digital Solutions, Commercial Operations and Supply Economics. He currently leads Customer Operations for Castrol in Asia, focusing on regional growth in the lubricants industry.
BOARD MEMBER
Stephen Brobst, currently the Chief Technology Officer at Ab Initio Software and former CTO for Teradata Corporation, has over thirty years of experience in technology-driven strategic business environments. His expertise centers on developing analytics and machine learning frameworks to improve strategic decision-making. Notably, Brobst has implemented advanced customer relationship management solutions for major clients such as eBay, General Motors, and American Airlines.
Kee Wong
BOARD MEMBER
Kee Wong is an experienced Non-Executive Director with nearly 40 years of senior roles across various sectors, including technology, services, retail, food and beverage, and property. He is a seasoned entrepreneur and investor, particularly in startups and growth companies globally. Kee has held multiple board positions and currently chairs the Governance of Innovation and Technology Panel for the Australian Institute of Company Directors (AICD).
Distinguished Academic Fellows
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, MELBOURNE CONNECT
UNIVERSITY OF MELBOURNE
RESEARCH PROFESSOR, LANGUAGE TECHNOLOGIES INSTITUTE
CARNEGIE MELLON UNIVERSITY
Eduard is the Executive Director of Melbourne Connect, a research and tech transfer hub at the University of Melbourne, and a Professor in the University's School of Computing and Information Systems. He is also a research professor at Carnegie Mellon University's Language Technologies Institute. Eduard's research primarily revolves around computational semantics and natural language processing, addressing machine reading, information extraction, text summarisation and more. Eduard has served in several prestigious roles, including as President of the Association of Computational Linguistics and other international associations.
DIRECTOR, CENTRE FOR AI AND DIGITAL ETHICS
PROFESSOR, MELBOURNE LAW SCHOOL
UNIVERSITY OF MELBOURNE
Jeannie is a Professor of Law and the Director of the Centre for AI and Digital Ethics at the University of Melbourne. Jeannie’s teaching and research focuses on consumer and data protection law and ethics in the context of emerging digital technologies. Jeannie has a track record of consultation and collaboration with government, industry, regulators and community legal centres. She is currently a member of the Commonwealth Government’s temporary AI expert panel.
Academic Fellows
ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR OF OPERATIONS
Gerardo Berbeglia is currently an associate professor at Melbourne Business School. After completing his PhD at the Université de Montréal, Gerardo was a Senior Scientist at ExPretio Technologies Inc and, later, a Postdoctoral Fellow at McGill University.
ASSISTANT PROFESSOR OF ECONOMETRICS & STATISTICS
Jamie completed his PhD at the Australian National University (ANU) in 2017 and has since held positions at the ANU, BI Norwegian Business School, and The University of Queensland (UQ). Jamie’s research primarily focuses on the application and development of econometric models to understand and predict macroeconomic phenomena such as business cycles, inflation, and policy effectiveness.
PROFESSOR OF MARKETING
Ujwal is a Professor of Marketing at Melbourne Business School and also founded the Centre for Business Analytics, serving as its Director from 2014 to 2021. He was also the Dean of the Beedie School of Business at Simon Fraser University in Canada from 2022 to 2024. Ujwal has held faculty positions at institutions including Penn State University, the University of Mannheim, ESSEC, and the Wharton School. He teaches Marketing, Marketing Strategy, Digital Product Management, and Business Analytics in MBA and Executive Education programs.
POSTDOCTORAL RESEARCH FELLOW
Young-San Lin is a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the Centre for Business Analytics at the Melbourne Business School. He finished his Ph.D. at the Department of Computer Science at Purdue University. His research interest lies in the interdisciplinary field of theoretical computer science, economics, and operations research, focusing on market design, resource allocation, and online algorithms.
PROFESSOR OF STATISTICS
Chris Lloyd joined Melbourne Business School in 2003 as a Professor of Statistics. Upon completing his PhD at the University of Melbourne, Chris held Associate Professor and Senior Lecturer positions at the Australian Graduate School of Management and the University of Hong Kong.
PROFESSOR OF FINANCE
Nadia is an internationally acclaimed Professor of Finance known for her research, teaching and expertise especially on financial intermediaries, Blockchain and Digital Currency.
ASSISTANT PROFESSOR OF MARKETING
Nico Neumann joined Melbourne Business School in 2017 as an Assistant Professor and Fellow for the Centre for Business Analytics. Nico's research and work expertise revolves around marketing automation, business analytics and marketing measurement.
PROFESSOR OF MANAGEMENT, ASSOCIATE DEAN, RESEARCH
Jennifer became an Associate Professor of Management at Melbourne Business School in 2014. She previously completed her PhD in Social Psychology at the University of Colorado, served as a postdoctoral scholar at Stanford, and held academic positions at USC and the University of Utah. Her research focuses on the dynamics of power and status in groups, leadership development, and the influence of emotions and communication in negotiations.
PROFESSOR OF OPERATIONS
Dr. Lusheng Shao is an Associate Professor of Operations Management. He has held visiting positions at John M. Olin Business School, Washington University in St. Louis and Warwick Business School, University of Warwick.
PROFESSOR OF STATISTICS AND ECONOMETRICS
Michael Smith has held the Chair of Management in Econometrics at MBS since 2007. He is a leading researcher in Bayesian statistics and business analytics. Prior to joining MBS, he held positions at Monash University and the University of Sydney.
ENTERPRISE PROFESSOR
Hugh Williams is the Melbourne Business School's first Melbourne Enterprise Professor. Hugh joined MBS from Google, where he was a Vice President and led Google Maps' worldwide product and engineering teams.
ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR OF MARKETING
Dr. Ping Xiao holds a Ph.D. from Washington University in Saint Louis and a bachelor’s degree from the University of Science and Technology of China. Her main research interests are strategic interactions in business (E-commerce) expansion, big data analytics and policy evaluation, social network/media and consumer analytics, crowdsourcing and crowdfunding, and the social impact of corporate social responsibility.
ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR OF ECONOMETRICS AND BUSINESS STATISTICS
Wenying Yao joined Melbourne Business School in 2022. After completing her PhD at Monash University in 2013, Wenying has worked at Deakin University, Monash University, and the University of Tasmania. Wenying’s research covers time series econometrics in general, with a particular focus on the applications of innovative econometric tools to financial and macroeconomic data.
PROFESSOR OF OPERATIONS AND SUPPLY CHAIN MANAGEMENT; DEPUTY DEAN, ACADEMIC, MELBOURNE BUSINESS SCHOOL
Tava Olsen is a Professor of Operations and Supply Chain Management and the Deputy Dean, Academic at Melbourne Business School. Tava is an award-winning expert in operations and supply chain management, with a PhD from Stanford University and extensive experience publishing in and serving on the editorial board of four Financial Times Top 50 journals.
Academic Steering Group
The academic steering group provides overall direction to the Centre for Business Analytics.
PROFESSOR OF COMPUTING AND INFORMATION SYSTEMS
James Bailey is a Professor in the Melbourne School of Engineering at the University of Melbourne and Program Lead for Artificial Intelligence. He was previously an Australian Research Council Future Fellow.
ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR
Dr Murray leads cyber security research, teaching and engagement in the School of Computing and Information Systems at the University of Melbourne. He holds a D.Phil. in Computer Science from the University of Oxford and previously worked for National ICT Australia (now Data61) and DST Group.
Student Fellows
Student Fellows of the Centre of Business Analytics are students striving to achieve recognition for their contributions to knowledge and practice of business analytics.
Our Student Fellow program provides a unique opportunity for students to actively participate in collaborative research and project initiatives.
Working closely with distinguished leaders and scholars from the Centre for Business Analytics, Student Fellows not only have the chance to apply and enhance their skills but also to build valuable connections within our extensive network of industry experts and partners, all of whom are prominent figures in the field of business analytics.
Student
Chamilka is currently pursuing the Master of Business Analytics program at MBS. Coupled with a bachelor’s degree in engineering and experience working in Engineering Analytics, she has acquired a strong foundation in structured problem-solving with a Data Science approach. Her passion lies in tackling complex business challenges through data-driven decision making, by leveraging her experience in both the engineering and data domains.
Student
Conor graduated with a Bachelor of Commerce, majoring in Finance and Economics. After completing his undergraduate, Conor was driven to enhance his analytical toolkit. Currently Conor is a Master of Business Analytics student at Melbourne Business School. Conor is committed to continuous learning and seeks to employ advanced analytics to solve complex business challenges, aiming to drive sustainable growth and innovation across sectors.
Student
Meiji Tran brings her deep fascination with numbers and analytical rigor to solve practical business challenges. With a foundation in Actuarial Science and professional experience in the life insurance industry, she has sharpened her skills in valuation metrics, system optimization, and cross-functional teamwork. At the Centre for Business Analytics, Meiji is dedicated to leveraging her data-driven insights to effectively tackle real-world business challenges.
Student
Leah is a dedicated Master of Business Analytics student at Melbourne Business School, with a solid background in Economics and Finance. Specialising in econometrics, particularly in causal models and time series analysis, she enjoys exploring the relationships behind data trends. Leah has gained experience in machine learning, natural language processing, and data visualisation, and is comfortable working with tools like Python, R, Tableau, and SQL. She approaches data challenges with curiosity and a focus on practical outcomes, aiming to apply her skills to help businesses make informed decisions through analytics.
Student
Taking a career break this year to upskill, Harry is completing his Master of Business Analytics at Melbourne Business School, where he was elected as a Student Fellow by the Centre for Business Analytics. With over 5 years of experience across diverse industries, Harry excels at translating complex data into actionable business strategies. Focused on becoming a Product Manager specialising in data, he leverages data-driven insights to shape solutions that drive real business impact.
Past Student Fellows
We would like to acknowledge and thank our past Student Fellows for their hard work and dedication to business analytics projects and initiatives.
- 2023
- 2022
- 2021
Francis Baah Amponsah
Francis is a Computer Engineering graduate in business analytics, currently employed as a Student Fellow for the Centre for Business Analytics. Previously, he worked as a data analyst in the oil retail industry. He is keen on improving decision-making systems and processes through data analytics and reverse engineering.
Winston Peng Gao
Winston Peng Gao is a trilingual expert in business analytics, accounting, and finance, holding dual master's degrees and a bachelor's degree. His diverse work experience ranges from real estate development and sales consulting to treasury and financial analysis roles, underlining his commitment to driving stakeholder value using technology and mathematical insights.
Niveditha Nagasubramanian
Niveditha graduated with a Bachelor of Computer Science and Commerce specialist. Her previous experiences include working as a Technology Risk Associate and as a Data Analytics Consultant. Her passion for solving complex business problems using data has led her to pursue a Masters in Business Analytics, where she hopes to develop advanced data analytics skills to address challenges in various industries.
Nico Purnnomo
Nico brings his love of analytics and decision making into day-to-day business problems. With his economics and finance background, as well as experience as a product manager, he is excited on getting exposed to exploring and harnessing data supported solutions.
Rachel Nguyen
Rachel is currently pursuing a Master of Business Analytics at MBS. Her educational foundation is rooted in both Computer Science and Finance, earning her an undergraduate degree that combines technical prowess with financial acumen. Her passion lies in leveraging data-driven insights to make impactful decisions in the business world.
Jack Lin
Armed with a Bachelor of Commerce, majoring in Economics and Finance, Jack harbors a profound passion for tackling business challenges. Fueled by a love for analytics, he is keen to deploy a blend of technical and analytical skills to develop data-driven solutions for complex business issues. Eager and ready, Jack is poised to transform business strategies with smart analytics.
Kelly Chen
Kelly graduated with a Bachelor of Commerce degree, double majoring in Accounting and Finance. She gained valuable experience working in auditing and consulting. Eager to build upon her strong foundation, Lixian is currently expanding her skill set to include advanced analytical capabilities. Her goal is to address complex challenges in various industries, blending her financial expertise with a fresh analytical approach to drive practical solutions.
Jerry Yang
Jerry is an actuarial science graduate pursuing a master’s in business analytics who values data-driven decision-making grounded in empirical truth. With diverse experience in insurance, finance, policy-making, and alternative investments, he leverages rigorous analytical thinking to address cross-industrial challenges and opportunities.
Tim Zhuo
Tim is a graduate with a Bachelor's degree in Actuarial Science. His curiosity for numbers and analytics guides his interest in addressing real-world business challenges. With an appreciation for data-driven decision-making, he is on a journey to explore how data can contribute to practical solutions in the world of business.
Tom Manirat
Tom graduated with a Bachelor of Engineering from UNSW Sydney. His diverse experience ranges from petroleum engineering to hospitality management around Australia. He is keen to use problem-solving skills from his professional career to accomplish business success. Tom had experience using programming languages to solve analytical problems in his area of expertise. He is passionate about predictive analytics, determining insights, creating business strategies, and bridging the technical and business skill gap in helping companies make data-driven decisions.
Bill Agung
Bill brings an Industrial Engineering background focused on improvement and optimisation. His previous experience includes roles in consulting, business development, and research — and is now aspiring to leverage data to unlock hidden business value across various industries.
Oliver Fonsboel
Oliver is a commerce graduate in business analytics and finance, currently employed as a Student Fellow for the Centre for Business Analytics. He hopes to develop an improved relationship between analytics teams and decision makers to further data driven decision making.
Ernest Fu
Ernest is a recent econometrics graduate with a special interest in time series modelling. Prior to joining the Centre for Business Analytics, he worked as a Marketing Analyst with a focus on customer relationship management.
Joanne Gao
Joanne graduated with a double major in Business statistics and Marketing. Prior to starting Master of Business Analytics, she worked in the FMCG industry as a Brand Marketing intern.
Jolin Guan
Jolin is a science graduate with a major in data science. Her interest in business analytics began during her time as an Assistant Researcher working on stock market anomaly detection. She is passionate about bringing analytical thinking into real-world problem solving and making data-driven decisions.
Gabriel Guo
Gabriel is a data science graduate passionate about exploring the potential value of real world data. He previously worked as a big data engineer in Huawei and is currently a Centre for Business Analytics student fellow.
Junze Li
Junze graduated with a Bachelor of Mathematics and Information Technology, and her previous experience includes event management, tutoring, and mentoring. She is now a passionate business analyst looking forward to solving business problems.
Amir Maltzman
After serving in the Israeli Air Force, Amir received baccalaureates in Economics and Mathematics. He has a curious mind, loves to communicate, and is excited about the benefits the future of data analytics can bring.
Andrew Liongosari
An aspiring data professional with a passion for combining business and analytics, Andrew completed a Data Science degree and undertook internships in technology and financial services before joining Melbourne Business School.
Annie Liu
Annie has previously worked in the financial services industry as a financial and business analyst and is currently pursuing a pathway towards data via completing the Master of Business Analytics program at Melbourne Business School.
Bowen Xu
Bowen is currently completing his Masters of Business Analytics degree while contributing to the multiple Centre for Business Analytics projects as a student fellow.
Coco Wu
Coco is an actuarial graduate, Master of Business Analytics candidate, and student fellow at the Centre for Business Analytics. She is hoping to use data to help organisations better serve the community.
Dhruv Piers
Dhruv Piers is currently completing his Masters of Business Analytics degree while contributing to the 2021 Analytics Impact Index as a student fellow.
Leon Isaacs
Leon aims to develop into a leader capable of moving firms through periods of disruptive innovation. His previous placement experience has included roles at EY and Suncorp. Most recently he has worked on improving the global MBA Rankings of Melbourne Business School.
Lizzy Prosselkova
Lizzy has extensive experience in Consumer and Retail Advanced Analytics. While a student at Melbourne Business School, Lizzy teaches undergraduate students in Statistics and Econometrics, and assists in Data Science research.
Monica Hadi Wijaya
Monica is in charge of Centre for Business Analytics Social Media Marketing. She has recently worked on the 2021 Analytics Impact Index. Prior to her Master of Business Analytics, Monica completed a degree in Actuarial Studies.
Thomas Song
With previous consulting experience, Thomas Song has engaged in various data analytics projects as both a Master of Business Analytics Student and a Centre for Business Analytics Student Fellow.
