More than 360 people attended the 2023 Business Analytics Symposium, held on March 29 at the Community Choice Credit Union Convention Center in downtown Des Moines. The annual event is hosted by the Debbie and Jerry Ivy College of Business.
Iowa’s premier analytics event brought together analytics professionals and executives from some of the nation’s leading insurance, financial services, marketing, and manufacturing companies. This year’s symposium featured three keynotes from industry leaders:
- Robin Anderson, state chief economist for the Iowa Department of Revenue, joined Steven Elmore, chief economist at Corteva Agriscience, and Peter Orazem, University Professor of economics at Iowa State University, for a wide-ranging conversation about the post-COVID economy, including inflation, the labor market, and recent bank failures.
- Shannon Terry, senior vice president and chief advanced analytics officer at Nationwide, shared how the company applies advanced statistics, artificial intelligence, and machine learning to some of its hardest problems.
- Louis DiModugno, managing partner at the consulting firm Data Curiosity LLC, delivered the Campanile Keynote, sponsored by PwC. He examined how societal, market, and regulatory forces are driving the need for responsible artificial intelligence.
DiModugno’s talk focused on the need for algorithmic fairness and bias detection and intervention in recruiting. “Responsible AI, at its core, is simply good data science, governed by key guiding principles from strategy to execution,” said DiModugno.
Between keynotes, participants enjoyed breakout sessions from an impressive lineup of speakers on the cutting edge of analytics. The symposium provides a high-quality professional development opportunity for analytics professionals at all career levels.
The 2023 symposium was sponsored by PwC, John Deere, EMC Insurance, Dotdash Meredith, Nationwide Insurance, Principal, and the Iowa State University Center for Industrial Research and Service. Additional partnership support was provided by the CFA Society Iowa.
The Ivy College of Business offers several academic programs in business analytics, including bachelor’s and master’s programs as well as a graduate certificate.
