Doing it for ourselves – and others

Phaedra Kortekaas is Managing Director Benelux at SAS, a global leader in data and AI. With SAS software and industry-specific solutions, organisations transform data into trusted decisions. Phaedra will be delivering a keynote at the RightBrains Celebration Event this year, and we sat down with her to unravel and explore the golden thread throughout her career – her passion for analytics.

Driven by curiosity

Phaedra's love of analytics is deeply rooted in an intrinsic curiosity about the unknown. Whether it's the mysteries of the deep sea, the complexities of the human brain, or the vastness of space, her drive to understand the world around her has always been at the heart of her career. As a child, she found joy in playing with technological tools like Meccano and Lego. “I have to admit, I often used them as the basis to build houses for my Barbies, so I had a nice balance,” she laughs.  Her interest in tech eventually led her to pursue studies in neuroscience and neural networks, focusing on memory and learning functions in the human brain during her PhD. She later shifted into consulting, where she worked for 23 years and eventually led IBM's Consulting organisation in the Netherlands. In her current role at SAS, Phaedra’s day-to-day responsibilities include managing the sales organisation and ensuring that the company meets its key performance indicators (KPIs) - and connecting with potential and existing customers.

Exponential innovation in the age of AI

Throughout her career, Phaedra has witnessed numerous innovations in the field of analytics. While the basic principles of mathematics, data, and analytics have been around for a long time, it is the almost unlimited computing power brought about by the cloud that has accelerated innovation. According to Phaedra, this speed of innovation has created an organic need for companies to apply AI at scale, navigating challenges such as basic data hygiene, availability, and ethical considerations. In her role, Phaedra aims to make analytics accessible and consumable so that companies can go beyond experimentation and understand its true value.

The sky is no longer the limit

Two fields in which the applications of AI show potential that particularly excites Phaedra, is within the space of healthcare and manufacturing. From small optimisations like managing resources in a hospital to machine learning fast-tracking clinical trials and finding statistically relevant parallels in vast data points, AI will change the game. “AI’s optimisation ability will be of particular value to fossil fuel companies who are under scrutiny in terms of their emissions within the framework of the sustainability agenda – even though we have not yet achieved a full energy transition, we can optimise fossil fuel usage dramatically through the use of AI,” Phaedra explains. “AI is becoming a systemic technology that has, and will, significantly impact how companies and societies function. I’m proud to call myself an eternal AI-optimist,” she adds. Phaedra believes that everyone should bring their authentic selves to a gender-balanced table to raise valid questions, offer diverse perspectives, and bring their natural or learned strengths for the good of the technology.

From reluctant role model to proud advocate 

When Phaedra was appointed as one of the first Dutch women at one of her previous jobs at a consultancy firm, she was surprised with how many female peers came forward to express support and who were inspired by her success. Where she was initially a reluctant role model, she has learned to embrace this particular identity as a role model to her female peers, as a leader, and a representative of her field and discipline. Her advice to women navigating their careers is to sit down and think critically about who their sponsors and advocates are. “Your true sponsors are the people who speak favourably about you, your abilities and your potential when you are not in the room,” she explains. In her experience, she has seen many women putting in a lot of hard work for the job, the role, the project or the colleague - but not for themselves. To mitigate this, she advises others to carve out some time each week to not only consider their sponsors and advocates, but also:

• What is it that I want next?
• Am I on track to get there?
• What do I need to get there?

“Everyone has some kind of ambition. If you never express it, make it known, and mobilise to make it happen, you will check out.” Phaedra is proud to be delivering a keynote at the RightBrains Celebration Event in November, because she believes that awarding - and celebrating - women in digital technology can offer some much-needed validation for female talents and leaders. “Everyone can do with a boost to their self-confidence, and the support that sisterhood offers. Let’s leverage that and learn to do it all – for ourselves and others like us.”

Register now to see Pahedra in action at the RightBrains Celebration Event on 7 November at Yacht HQ in Diemen. Enjoy an awesome afternoon of keynotes, panel discussions and celebrating the nominees of the annual RightBrains Awards!