In 2016, I first met The Information Lab team at the Tableau Conference in Austin and reconnected with them at the 2018 Tableau Conference in New Orleans. My journey with The Data School began in March 2019, when I had an initial discussion with Tom Brown about the program's potential expansion to the US during a business trip to London. I visited their office at 25 Watling St., and that conversation set the stage for what was to come.
Following an agreement in principle to get involved, either as a consultant or eventual employee, I dedicated a year to working with Tom to prepare for the launch of The Data School in New York. We were ready to kick off in late February 2020, but the COVID-19 pandemic brought significant challenges. Instead of shutting down the project, Tom and I decided to keep the faith and just slow things down dramatically instead. Over the next 18 months, I immersed myself in the company and got to know our UK-based colleagues, working to drive local US-based interest in The Information Lab and The Data School program through establishing future recruitment partnerships and seeking to sell UK resources into local US placements.
In October 2021, after extensive efforts in developing our partnership with Tableau, we secured our first US-based client, The Vanguard Group. This milestone, along with the lifting of the COVID-19 travel ban, allowed us to begin hiring for the US team in New York. Initially, we grew the team by migrating UK team members across the pond and so began the many visa application processes.
During the first half of 2022, we further accelerated our recruitment partnerships and brought in our first cohort to The Data School New York in June, quickly followed by a second cohort in October. By the end of the year, our team had expanded to 21 members, marking a significant transformation in just over 12 months.
In 2023, we continued to grow our Data School consultant numbers and moved to our new home at Civic Hall near Union Square in Manhattan in the October. This move was particularly exciting as it truly felt like our forever home. During this year, six more UK team members joined the US team, and we began hiring local talent for the Recruitment, Sales, and Technical Consulting teams. We ended the year with a robust team of 70.
Over the past five years with The Information Lab, I have worn many hats: Go-To-Market Strategist, Business Planner, Hype Man, Counselor, Sales Guy, Partnership Builder, Immigration Specialist, Office Manager, Line Manager, Confidant, Hiring Manager, Friend, Leader, Student, Problem Solver, Deep Thinker, and now, the Proud Managing Director of a fantastic business.
This journey has been transformative, and I am incredibly excited about what the future holds. We have an amazing team and immense potential for further success this year, 2024, and beyond!