Join John Lewis at The AI Summit London!

Chief Data and Insights Officer — John Lewis, Barry Panayi to share groundbreaking insights on Customer and Data-centric Modern Retail at The AI Summit in June.

The headline AI event of London Tech Week, The AI Summit will be returning in June and game-changing world leaders of applied AI who will be speaking as part of this year’s programme have been announced.

Barry Panayi, Chief Data and Insights Officer at John Lewis Partnership will be sharing his expert insights in one of the highlight keynote sessions Customer and Data-centric Modern Retail on Thursday, June 16 at The AI Summit.

And Teens in AI have 25 complimentary tickets available for community members to be able to join him — available on a first-come, first-served basis, you can register for an Academic Pass and use the code TEENSINAI to waive the £495 fee.

In his session, Panayi will be sharing insights and implications of AI across the wider retail sector. AI transcends every area of business and society today and retail businesses are on the frontline tackling new challenges and changing demands. One of the keys to retail success is to be data-centric, deriving actionable insights from data and making smarter decisions to create meaningful experiences for customers.

Panayi said: “I am really looking forward to a great discussion and learning from the group during this session. Being customer-centric is what The Partnership is all about. We are famous for our service and understanding of customers.

“Data & Insight products are a crucial part of getting a deep understanding of our customers but the magic really happens when the power of our partners is combined with qual & quant research, insights and smart data products to understand what customers say, what they actually do and how we can best serve them.

“The power of data is multiplied when it combines with other sources of insight and that is what we are aiming to deliver. I am looking forward to the discussion!”

Panayi started his career as a Data Analyst, joining Proximity Worldwide in 2001. He then had spells at Vanquis Bank, EY, and Virgin before taking up the role of head of data science at Bupa in 2013.

He went on to join Lloyds in July 2018 and led the data strategy, governance and data science teams. He has also been a non-executive director of Ofgem since March last year, advising the regulator on its digital and data strategy.

The Partnership has a long history of embracing data-driven techniques, having rolled out both the MyJohnLewis and MyWaitrose loyalty programmes in 2013 and, a year later, started working with Google to improve its operation, on and off the shop floor, with productivity solutions from G Suite.

It also works with digital product testing and decision-making platform First Insight and has a contract with Eagle Eye — the real-time digital promotions specialist headed up by former Tesco chief Tim Mason — to deliver digital customer marketing.

The AI Summit — a two-day celebration of emerging technology will play host to some of the biggest movers, shakers and policy makers in applied AI and offer attendees a chance to meet the speakers and hear their success stories, giving delegates the inspiration and insight necessary to bring any AI road-map to life.

Bringing together a cross section of the global AI community, The AI Summit supports CEOs, CTOs, AI experts, data scientists, technologists, engineers and policy makers. The event programme aims to provide accurate, unbiased information that supports the development of corporate strategy and enhances AI activation for businesses.