DIVYA THOTA
Dubai
Summary
Accomplished leader in data strategy and analytics, with a proven track record at Switz Group. Expert in Microsoft Fabric and stakeholder management, driving BI modernization and achieving 85% adoption. Recognized for innovative solutions and strategic insights, enhancing decision-making and operational efficiency across multi-country rollouts.
Overview
14
14
years of professional experience
1
1
Certification
Work History
Head of Data Platforms, Analytics & AI
Switz Group
Dubai
08.2023 - Current
- I was hired to lead the group-wide data transformation for a multi-entity FMCG business that had no modern data platform, limited governance, and legacy reporting.
- I oversee Data Platforms, BI, and Analytics & AI, while also serving as the business technology lead for the Saudi based company.
- Designed and implemented a complete cloud data architecture using Microsoft Fabric, creating a scalable, economical platform suited for a family-business environment.
- Established a unified data model and onboarding framework to integrate data from multiple entities for BI, analytics, and group-level financial consolidation.
- Led a major BI migration, migrating manual reports onto Fabric/PBI.
- Took charge of the core sales invoicing system (RoutePro) despite no prior FMCG background and stabilised it through deep operational engagement.
- Identified major data-quality issues in critical masters (customer category, item grouping, etc.) and established exception reports to enforce accuracy and consistency.
- Modernised Saudi Arabia’s e-invoicing environment by migrating to cloud and enabling multi-threading, eliminating months of chronic delays. Result: 99.5% of invoices approved in under 1 minute.
- Replaced outdated consumer tablets with Honeywell rugged devices, leading the full vendor evaluation and securing a AED 1.8M investment approval. This improved invoice creation time and reduced TCO significantly.
- Analysed visit GPS vs. master coordinates to uncover that ~25% of invoices were generated outside customer locations; exposed deep data-quality gaps and behavioral insights.
- RFM-based retention analytics to identify segment shifts and support win-back strategies. Recognized as Dataiku Frontrunner Awards Finalist (AI for Retail, CPG & Luxury).
- Stales root-cause analysis combining consumption patterns and appetite signals for waste reduction.
- Identified patterns of revenue manipulation (e.g., rotation to meet targets), supporting tighter controls and business protection.
- LLM-driven complaint classification + sentiment tagging for QC mailboxes.
- Computer Vision models for stamp/signature mismatch detection & PPE compliance detection for factories.
- Price–Volume–Mix (PVM) and commercial insights for growth attribution.
- Conducted location intelligence studies for Bangladesh and Odisha, scraping competitor footprints and mapping amenities and real-estate indicators to recommend high-potential bakery locations.
- Performed product feasibility studies (e.g., eggless SKUs) using publicly available data, reviews, and sentiment signals.
- Conducted fraud network analysis using Neo4j for a major franchise case in India; insights led to arrests and formal appreciation from Kolkata police.
- Supported internal whistle-blower investigations through pattern analysis and data forensics.
- Designed a Power BI model for salary chargeback allocation based on timesheets and operational involvement across entities.
Lead Data Visualizations & Insights | Delivery Manager
First Abu Dhabi Bank
UAE
08.2019 - 08.2023
- Spearheaded the design and development of a cutting-edge, cloud-based data platform at the enterprise level, resulting in improved data availability and reduced turnaround time (from 10 hours to 2.2 hours for Group Finance department).
- Managed ~8 million AED yearly budget and achieved an impressive return on investment (ROI) of 500,000 AED.
- Led a team of 40 members, comprising data analysts, business intelligence specialists, data engineers, and support engineers, to deliver end-to-end development of data and reporting solutions while maintaining enterprise platforms (24/7).
- Achieved an exceptional 85% business intelligence (BI) adoption rate, demonstrating effective communication of complex data insights to stakeholders at all levels.
- Successfully introduced self-service BI initiatives, significantly reducing dependency on the IT team. This empowered business teams to independently create and access reports, streamlining decision-making processes.
- Established a dedicated testing team and devised comprehensive metrics to evaluate and approve reports developed by the business team for publication on the enterprise platform. Ensured rigorous performance checks, data governance adherence, and data quality alignment.
- Collaborated closely with key stakeholders across departments, including C-suite executives, to thoroughly understand business requirements and provide data-driven insights for strategic decision-making.
- Designed and architected a web-based Azure MIS solution for Abu Dhabi Exchange (ADX), enabling effective dividend management and avoiding regulatory fines through timely dividend summaries and status monitoring.
- Orchestrated the migration of around 400+ reports and dashboards as part of the on-premises to cloud (hybrid) migration strategy. Additionally, optimized queries to enhance data pipelines and reporting performance, reducing rendering time from 4 minutes to 4-8 seconds and enabling delivery of 2000+ operational reports in 2 hours.
- Developed a robust design within the existing ecosystem to migrate and archive historical data, addressing PCIDSS compliance issues and ensuring the availability of credit card statements for legal and audit purposes without introducing new banking systems.
- Implemented robust data security measures to uphold data integrity and comply with industry standards and regulations.
- Collaborated with database administrators to ensure optimal database configuration, monitoring, and maintenance for efficient data storage and retrieval.
- Developed and delivered regular reports, dashboards, and visualizations, effectively conveying intricate data findings in a clear and actionable manner to stakeholders at all levels.
Senior Analyst / BI Developer
Al Habtoor Valtrans Group
Dubai
04.2018 - 08.2019
- Prepared comprehensive financial reports, including profit and loss statements, cash flow statements, and balance sheets, by orchestrating end-to-end ETL data pipelines. This involved collecting, formatting, and analyzing financial data from diverse sources.
- Utilized data integration to construct extensive databases that amalgamated information from internal & external sources, thereby facilitating efficient data analysis and visualization.
- Modeled and automated employee and fixed asset dashboards, offering immediate insights into performance metrics and enabling data-driven decision-making.
- Worked with the Head of Budget and Analysis to drive forecasting and budget preparation efforts. Compiled reports on financial performance metrics and trends, translating data into valuable insights and recommendations for cost optimization and revenue enhancement.
Senior Analyst
Inveso
India
04.2016 - 04.2018
- Developed an encompassing suite of metrics to quantify and monitor growth across the global institutional business. This entailed defining key performance indicators (KPIs) and constructing an enduring framework for continual analysis and tracking.
- Designed and automated dashboards tailored for the board of directors, furnishing visual representations of crucial data and amplifying the efficacy of decision-making processes.
- Collaborated closely with global relationship managers, furnishing them with reports, presentations, and data analyses that fortified their client interactions and strategic undertakings.
- Managed a team of 15 associates in robust data mining endeavors for Salesforce, unearthing insights that bolstered sales effectiveness.
- Successfully standardized a range of reports on a global scale as part of a pilot batch, instating consistency and heightened efficiency. Additionally, documented process flows, procedures, and ISO-related manuals, contributing to enhanced knowledge sharing and the adherence to best practices.
- Generated VBA codes to automate the updating and consolidation of Excel workbooks, resulting in substantial time savings and heightened productivity levels.
Group Lead / Senior Process Analyst
Broadridge
India
04.2014 - 04.2016
- Led data quality and enrichment operations.
- Managed new hire trainings, and accuracy improvements.
- Won innovation award (Ideathon) for proposing process improvements.
Process Analyst → Senior Analyst
Bank of America
India
09.2011 - 04.2014
- Conducted fraud detection on US check transactions.
- Promoted twice within 18 months.
- Delivered training, audits, and weekly knowledge sessions.
- Received multiple top-performer awards (K1/K2/K3).
Education
Executive Programme - Business Analytics
IIM Calcutta
11.2022
Bachelors - commerce, Computers
Osmania University
04.2011
Skills
- Data Strategy
- Analytics Roadmaps
- Stakeholder Management
- C-suite Engagement
- Microsoft Fabric
- Azure Architecture
- BI Modernization
- Data Quality
- RFM Segmentation
- Root-Cause Analysis
- CV exception detection
- Graph Analytics (Neo4j)
- Power BI
- Executive Dashboards
- Operational Reporting
- Program Management
- Vendor Management
- Budget Ownership
- Multi-country Rollouts
Certification
- Microsoft Excel Expert
- Microsoft Power BI Data Analyst Associate
- Microsoft Azure Data Engineer
- Microsoft Fabric Analytics Engineer
- Certification in Agentic Systems & Design (IIT Roorkee – In progress)
Accomplishments
- Recognized by Dataiku as Finalist in Frontrunner awards.
- Recognized with an award by the FAB Group CEO for the successful implementation of an enterprise modern data platform.
- Garnered two shining star awards for exceptional contributions: one for developing a web-based MIS portal for ADX and another for migrating credit card statements.
- Received an award acknowledging my embodiment of the FAB GT behavior 'Ownership' from the Group CTO.
- Received multiple HI-Five awards from diverse departments including Central PMO, Human Resource, L&D, Risk, and Group Finance, all in recognition of my commitment to seizing opportunities and prioritizing customer satisfaction.
- Commended by clients for efficiently delivering a data mining project within a short timeframe at Invesco.
- Earned over 25 Ace awards and achieved third position among 2000 Broadridge racers for consistently exemplifying core Broadridge values and delivering exceptional performance.
- Acknowledged with an Out of Box thinking award for devising an automation solution for quality review processes at Broadridge.
- Presented with a Gold award for maintaining a remarkable 98% quality rate and for identifying fraud trends that contributed to minimizing bank losses.
- Named K-Performer of the month for more than 10 months during my tenure at Bank of America, showcasing sustained excellence in performance.
Personal Information
Title: Head of Data Analytics & AI
Experience
14+ years in Data, BI & Advanced Analytics
Timeline
Head of Data Platforms, Analytics & AI
Switz Group
08.2023 - Current
Lead Data Visualizations & Insights | Delivery Manager
First Abu Dhabi Bank
08.2019 - 08.2023
Senior Analyst / BI Developer
Al Habtoor Valtrans Group
04.2018 - 08.2019
Senior Analyst
Inveso
04.2016 - 04.2018
Group Lead / Senior Process Analyst
Broadridge
04.2014 - 04.2016
Process Analyst → Senior Analyst
Bank of America
09.2011 - 04.2014
Executive Programme - Business Analytics
IIM Calcutta
Bachelors - commerce, Computers
Osmania University