From IT Engineer to Analytics Leader: Lessons from a Trailblazing Journey

The world of data is experiencing a seismic shift. As organizations scramble to harness the power of their burgeoning data assets, the demand for skilled analytics professionals has skyrocketed. A recent report by McKinsey Global Institute estimates that by 2025, the US alone could face a shortage of 250,000 data scientists.

Amidst this backdrop, many professionals are eyeing analytics as a lucrative and fulfilling career path. However, for those coming from traditional IT backgrounds, the transition can seem daunting. How does one bridge the skills gap? What does it take to succeed in this competitive field? And what does the future hold for aspiring analytics leaders?

To answer these questions, we turned to someone who has walked this path and emerged as a trailblazer – Ritesh Mohan Srivastava. Currently the Head of Analytics at Yatra.com, one of India‘s leading online travel companies, Ritesh‘s journey from IT engineer to analytics leader offers valuable insights and inspiration.

The Awakening: Seeking More from a Career

Ritesh‘s story begins like many others in the IT industry. After graduating with an engineering degree, he landed a comfortable job at a multinational corporation. However, comfort soon gave way to restlessness. "I had some other dreams," Ritesh recalls. "I wanted to do an MBA from outside India."

When personal and financial constraints put this dream out of reach, Ritesh was at a crossroads. He realized that his current role, while sufficient, was not fulfilling. It was time for some serious introspection.

This phase of self-reflection is crucial for anyone contemplating a major career shift. It takes courage to step out of one‘s comfort zone and admit that the current path is not aligned with one‘s aspirations. For Ritesh, this honest confrontation with his own desires was the first step towards transformation.

The Discovery: Analytics as a Beacon of Opportunity

Driven by a newfound clarity of purpose, Ritesh began exploring alternative career paths. His search led him to the field of analytics, which at the time was still a nascent but rapidly growing domain. "I had no idea about Business Analytics," Ritesh admits. "But the more I researched, the more fascinated I became."

Indeed, the world of analytics held immense promise. A 2014 study by IDC predicted that the global big data and business analytics market would grow from $122 billion in 2015 to $187 billion in 2019, a compound annual growth rate of 11.7%. Analytics was emerging as a key differentiator for businesses across industries, from retail and finance to healthcare and manufacturing.

For Ritesh, analytics presented a perfect blend of his existing technical skills and his untapped business acumen. He recognized that to capitalize on this opportunity, he would need to invest significant time and effort into mastering the intricacies of this multifaceted field.

The Commitment: Betting Big on Education

Convinced that analytics was his calling, Ritesh took a bold leap. He quit his job and enrolled in a full-time postgraduate program in Business Analytics at Praxis Business School. "I was taking a risk," he acknowledges. "But I knew that to succeed in analytics, I needed a strong foundation."

His choice of Praxis was a strategic one. The institute was among the pioneers of analytics education in India, with a comprehensive curriculum spanning statistics, data mining, machine learning, and more. The program also boasted of experienced faculty, industry tie-ups, and a robust placement record.

Ritesh‘s decision to invest in a formal education in analytics is instructive. While the field values hands-on experience and self-learning, a structured academic program can provide the scaffolding needed to build a strong conceptual base. It can also plug critical gaps in one‘s knowledge, especially for those transitioning from other domains.

The Praxis Journey: Immersive, Intense, Transformative

The year at Praxis was a crucible that tested Ritesh‘s mettle. The program was designed to be an immersive, hands-on experience, with a grueling schedule of lectures, labs, case studies, and projects. "The curriculum was intimidating at first," Ritesh shares. "Advanced statistics, machine learning, econometrics – it was a lot to take in."

But brick by brick, concept by concept, Ritesh built his expertise. He credits the support of his professors and peers in making the learning journey enriching and enjoyable, despite the rigors. Long nights spent debugging code, brainstorming ideas, and preparing for presentations forged deep bonds and invaluable skills.

Ritesh‘s experience underscores the importance of choosing the right learning environment. A program that combines academic rigor with practical application, and a cohort of motivated peers, can be transformative. It‘s also a reminder that growth lies outside one‘s comfort zone.

The First Steps: Cutting Teeth in the Real World

Armed with his newly minted skills, Ritesh embarked on his analytics career through campus placement at 3i Infotech. As part of a budding analytics team, he worked on client projects using Excel and R, building predictive models and crafting data narratives.

This first role was a crucial proving ground. Ritesh quickly realized that while his education had provided a solid bedrock, the real world presented its own challenges. Clients had specific business problems that needed solutions, not just elegant models. Data was often messy and incomplete. Timelines were tight and stakeholder expectations were high.

But Ritesh persevered, learning to navigate the complexities of real-world analytics. His stint at 3i, though short-lived due to organizational changes, gave him the confidence to take on bigger challenges.

The Global Stage: Building a Recommendation Engine at Lowe‘s

Ritesh‘s next role took him to Lowe‘s, a Fortune 50 home improvement company in the US. As part of the team at Nabler, a Bangalore-based analytics firm, he worked on building a product recommendation engine for Lowe‘s e-commerce platform.

This project was a turning point in Ritesh‘s journey. It exposed him to advanced machine learning techniques, big data tools, and agile development methodologies. It also gave him a taste of working in a global, cross-cultural setting.

"The work culture at Lowe‘s was an eye-opener," Ritesh shares. "The emphasis on data-driven decision making, the seamless collaboration between teams, the focus on continuous improvement – it was inspiring." The experience shaped Ritesh‘s own leadership style and vision for analytics.

Upskilling for Leadership: An Executive Education

As Ritesh progressed in his career, he realized that technical skills alone would not suffice. To be an effective analytics leader, he needed to hone his business acumen and managerial skills. This led him to pursue a one-year Executive Program in Business Analytics and Intelligence from the prestigious Indian Institute of Management, Bangalore.

The program exposed Ritesh to the strategic aspects of analytics – how to align analytics initiatives with business goals, how to communicate insights to non-technical stakeholders, how to build and lead high-performing teams. It also plugged gaps in his knowledge of emerging technologies like AI and IoT.

Ritesh‘s decision to invest in executive education underlines a crucial point – the importance of continuous learning. In a field as dynamic as analytics, one cannot afford to rest on one‘s laurels. Upskilling is not a luxury but a necessity, especially for those in leadership roles.

The Startup Experience: Driving Analytics at CarDekho

Ritesh‘s next role as Senior Manager – Analytics at CarDekho, an online automobile marketplace, brought fresh challenges. He was tasked with setting up the analytics function from scratch, which meant wearing multiple hats – data engineer, data scientist, business analyst, and project manager.

"It was an entrepreneurial role," Ritesh explains. "I had to conceptualize projects, pitch them to the leadership, secure resources, and then execute end-to-end." This experience honed his skills in stakeholder management, influencing without authority, and working with lean teams and tight deadlines.

It also exposed him to the nuances of analytics in a startup environment. Agility, experimentation, and a keen focus on business impact were key. Ritesh learned to prioritize ruthlessly, automate where possible, and deliver quick wins to build momentum and credibility.

Scaling the Summit: Leading Analytics at Yatra.com

In 2016, Ritesh took on his most significant challenge yet – heading the analytics function at Yatra.com, one of India‘s largest online travel agencies. The role encompassed the full spectrum of analytics, from data engineering and warehousing to descriptive and predictive modeling.

Leading a team of 20+ analysts, Ritesh drove key initiatives like customer segmentation, churn prediction, dynamic pricing, and marketing mix optimization. He also established best practices around data governance, model validation, and result tracking.

But the role was not without its trials. "Travel is a complex domain," Ritesh shares. "There are multiple products, channels, and customer touchpoints. Stitching together a coherent data story is a challenge." Add to that the pressures of a hyper-competitive market, shifting consumer preferences, and the occasional black swan event, and you have a perfect storm.

Ritesh navigated these choppy waters with a combination of technical expertise, business savvy, and people skills. He credits his team‘s success to a shared vision, a culture of experimentation and learning, and a relentless focus on customer-centricity.

The AI Imperative: Adapting to a New Era

As Ritesh looks to the future, he is keenly aware of the disruptive potential of artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML). "AI is not just a buzzword," he asserts. "It is fundamentally changing the way we approach analytics."

Indeed, AI and ML are unleashing a new wave of innovation in analytics. From automating data preparation and feature engineering to enabling more sophisticated modeling techniques like deep learning and reinforcement learning, AI is enhancing every stage of the analytics lifecycle.

According to a 2020 Gartner survey, 45% of organizations reported deploying AI, up from 25% in 2019. The COVID-19 pandemic has further accelerated AI adoption, with companies leveraging it for everything from demand forecasting and supply chain optimization to vaccine development and contact tracing.

For analytics leaders like Ritesh, this means staying on top of the latest AI/ML advancements and understanding how to harness them for business value. It also means upskilling teams in AI techniques, investing in the right tools and infrastructure, and fostering a culture of responsible and ethical AI use.

The Path Forward: Advice for Aspiring Analytics Leaders

For those looking to embark on a similar journey, Ritesh offers some sage advice:

1. Assess your aptitude: Analytics requires a unique blend of quantitative, technical, and business skills. Take an honest look at your strengths and weaknesses and chart a learning path accordingly.

2. Invest in the right education: Whether it‘s a full-time degree, an executive program, or online courses, invest in acquiring the foundational skills in statistics, programming, and domain knowledge. Keep upskilling as the field evolves.

3. Start with small projects: Cut your teeth on real-world projects, even if they are small in scope. Participate in online competitions, contribute to open-source projects, or take on pro-bono work to build a portfolio.

4. Network relentlessly: Attend industry events, join online forums, and connect with thought leaders on social media. Build relationships with mentors, peers, and potential employers.

5. Develop a business mindset: Analytics is not just about building elegant models. It‘s about solving business problems and driving impact. Understand the business context, communicate insights effectively, and align your work with strategic goals.

6. Embrace lifelong learning: The analytics landscape is evolving rapidly, with new techniques, tools, and use cases emerging every day. Cultivate a habit of continuous learning through reading, experimentation, and knowledge-sharing.

The Road Less Traveled, The Difference Made

Ritesh‘s journey is a testament to the power of passion, perseverance, and purposeful reinvention. From a restless IT engineer to a seasoned analytics leader, his story arc is one of constant learning, bold bets, and meaningful impact.

In a world awash with data, organizations are seeking talented professionals who can turn raw numbers into actionable insights. Analytics, with its potent blend of left-brain logic and right-brain creativity, offers a unique opportunity to shape decisions, drive innovation, and create value.

For those willing to venture off the beaten path, the rewards are plentiful – intellectual stimulation, competitive compensation, and the chance to make a real difference. And as Ritesh‘s journey shows, the road less traveled can indeed make all the difference.

As the great data scientist John Tukey once said, "The best thing about being a statistician is that you get to play in everyone‘s backyard." In the ever-expanding playground of analytics, there‘s never been a better time to jump in and get your hands dirty. The game is afoot, and the future belongs to the intrepid and the curious.