Name: Lauren Gillen
Role: Senior Data Analyst at EY
What does your typical day look like?
First and foremost – coffee! I like to spend 15-30 minutes every morning planning out my day, this starts with looking through my emails for any urgent last-minute requests and checking my calendar for meetings. Then I look at new and outstanding tasks and plan my day around these.
As the team I am currently working on are based in America, we have a stand up at 2pm to discuss the status of current tasks and any blockers that need to be resolved.
What are you currently working on?
I am currently in a secondment role helping to manage a team and communicate business requirements, which means that I work on something different every day. Some days involve reviewing code and data reports, other days involve reviewing business requirements and planning out tasks for the team, but I also have days where I can get stuck into the tasks myself.
What inspired you to join this company in particular?
EY has such a good reputation in the tech field, and I had heard amazing things from friends about the company. It is fast-paced and with such an established data analytics team, there are endless opportunities for continued learning and career development.
Did you always want to work in this industry (tech)?
If I’m being honest, I always thought I would be a journalist. Maths was the only ‘technical’ subject I studied at A-level, my passion really grew from there and I ended up studying it at university. It was from then that I was exposed to different areas within tech, like coding, which I found fascinating and I knew I’d made the right choice.
What’s your favourite part about your work?
The role itself and the people I work with - I work with a group of very talented and like-minded individuals who I am continually learning from and there’s always someone willing to help when I need it!
What would you say to other people considering a job in this industry (tech)?
Go for it – now is the perfect time to join this industry with so many companies expanding, especially in Northern Ireland. There is such a wide variety of areas you can go into and there really is something for everyone! I had never considered a career which required me to code on a daily basis but now it’s one of my favourite things to do – give it a go, you might find something that you’re really passionate about.
How do you see this technology impacting our lives?
Technology impacts our lives in so many areas every day. Quite notably, in the last few years technology has allowed us to adapt our ways of working and communicating with one another. At EY, we pride ourselves in providing innovative and impactful technologies which allow our customers to effectively manage risk.
Who inspired you to work in this field?
I don’t think one person in particular inspired me to work in this field. However, I do have to give credit to my A-Level maths teacher. As a child, I was always very interested in the arts and English literature, so naturally I thought that would be the career path I would take. However, I developed a huge passion for maths during my A-Level years and my teacher noticed this in me. This gave me the courage to deviate from my original plan and pursue maths further, leading me to this point in my career.
What do you consider to be the most important tech innovation or development in recent years?
I may be slightly biased, but there have been so many amazing advances in the data world. It’s amazing what can be done now using artificial intelligence and machine learning – so many innovative and interesting developments.
What tech gadget could you not live without?
Not to be super obvious, but my phone. I use it for everything – messaging, tracking workouts, music, staying organised. There really is nothing that you can’t do on your phone these days!
