IBM Sales Leader Trades Knowledge With Kellogg Faculty
The following article was originally sourced from the piece “Trading Knowledge” on Kellogg’s News & Events page.
Florian Zettelmeyer, faculty director of Kellogg School of Management’s Program on Data Analytics, led the 10-person committee to IBM in Columbus, Ohio to talk big data on a Faculty Immersion Trip.
IBM Retail Software Sales Leader Robyn Zeeman is a big player in the game of modern data analytics, helped curated this excursion and discuss that topic.
“I reached out to Eric Anderson, Chair of the Kellogg Marketing Department, and worked with him to identify areas of collaboration, one of which was experiential learning,” Zeeman said. “That led me to Rick Wilson, Clinical Associate Professor of Marketing, who needed technical assistance in implementing Web-to-commerce technology for the classroom. Through this engagement, IBM executives, including myself, served as panel members and guest lecturers to provide students with updates on trends in the retail industry and smart commerce. The faculty immersion trip was the logical next step. “
Zeeman explained the success that businesses have had in addressing the challenges that big data presents.
“Companies have a lot of ways to approach big data, but many organizations lack an overall plan,” she said. “IBM believes that applying analytics to big data is where our clients will get the biggest benefit and we’re really good at understanding what portions of the data are relevant.”
Zeeman, a Kellogg alum, was then asked what IBM was hoping to gain by connecting with Kellogg faculty.
“I wanted to see how IBM could benefit from an academic perspective,” she said.
And what exactly did IBM get out of thisthe faculty immersion trip?
“Kellogg Professor Florian Zettelmeyer made a fascinating presentation on data analytics, and we learned a lot from his approach, his research, and applications for his work,” she said. “In fact, the entire day was filled with conversations that had the effect of expanding everyone’s perspective on data analytics and ways that businesses can harness their information. Based on the success of this program, we’re looking for additional ways to collaborate going forward.”
