Data in dialoguePractical insights into data-driven professions: What does a data scientist do at OTTO?

14 December 2023

Photo: UHH/Scharfenberg

In the Data in Dialogue event series, economists and social scientists present their data-driven working environment and talk about their personal career path to their current profession.

Anneke Schwier, Head of Consulting and Analysis at the IfaD Institute, and Dr Thorsten Hecke, Head of Analytics and Insights at Techniker Krankenkasse, kicked off the series on 27 October 2023.

On 8 December 2023, Dr Christopher Blake gave an insight into his job as a data scientist in OTTO's Dynamic Pricing Team. Together with his team, he develops and implements demand forecasting models that are used to price the online retailer's products. He also discussed the basic technical skills that he considers relevant for starting out as a data scientist, such as knowledge of the database language SQL or skills in working with programming languages such as Python or R. Beyond basic data skills, however, he emphasised the importance of a personal interest in working with data and the resulting willingness to familiarise oneself with new areas.

We would like to thank Dr Christopher Blake and all the other speakers once again for the interesting presentations and the authentic answers to the numerous questions from the students!

Statista will be a guest at the last event on 26 January 2024 from 4 to 6 p.m. - all interested parties are welcome!