Looking back on Week #1

by Neil Lord

How would I describe the first week at The Data School? I would have to say intense but fun!

It was quite overwhelming; lots of new people to meet, lots of information to take in, lots of theory to learn, lots of presentation skills practice (the thing I dread the most) and lots of karaoke songs to sing!

There were several guest speakers; Tom Brown founder of The Information Lab, Dan Raines Account Manager at The Information Lab, Rob Radburn Zen Master from Leicestershire County Council and final James Eiloart Senior VP of EMEA sales at Tableau.

Out of all the speakers that came to speak to us this week, James Eiloart’s talk was the one that has stuck with me the most. He regaled us with the history of Tableau and where it is heading but the one thing that stood out the most was the company mission statement “Help people see & understand their data”. This is the foundation for everything Tableau do, it sets the culture for the company and ultimately drives every decision they make.

Therefore, I believe, Tableau stand out amongst their competitors. This strong sense of purpose makes them thoughtful and considerate of everything they do. Whereas other companies may be focused on profit, Tableau are focussed on the mission and profit is generated as consequence of producing such an awesome product.