Bridging data and business decisions
I’ve been working with data for several years, and I joined Solita about a year ago. If I had to describe my role in simple terms, I’d say that I help our customers understand what their data actually means.
My work is less about building technical data pipelines and more about translating complex data into insights that support real business decisions. In many ways, I act as a bridge between data and people who don’t necessarily “speak data”.
Often, either the customer or I have a hypothesis about something that’s happening in the business, but the problem is too complex to understand just by looking at it. That’s where data science comes in. I use advanced analytics and machine learning to test those ideas, understand cause and effect, and bring everything back to the most important question: how can this help us make better decisions?
Working at the intersection of data and people
There’s no such thing as a completely typical day, but my time is usually split between two main activities. I spend a lot of time working hands-on with data: writing code, analysing patterns, and building models. But just as much time goes into talking with business stakeholders.
Being able to explain complex insights in a clear and simple way is at least as important as doing the analysis itself. If you discover something valuable but can’t communicate it to the people who need it, the insight is essentially useless. So a big part of my work is about simplifying complexity and helping others understand what the data is telling us.
Solving puzzles like a detective
What I enjoy most about my job is solving difficult problems. I like puzzles, and data science often feels a bit like detective work. You start with something that looks confusing or unsolvable, and then you gradually piece things together until a clear picture emerges.
There’s a great sense of reward in that process. You rarely solve the same problem twice, even if it might look similar on the surface. There’s always a new context, a new dataset, or a new constraint that forces you to think differently.
Learning is a constant part of the job, and that’s something I genuinely enjoy. I wouldn’t be doing this if I was afraid of not knowing the answer. Sometimes the challenge is learning a new method or technique, and sometimes it’s learning about a completely new industry or business domain.
When I run into something tricky, I usually try to solve it myself first by breaking the problem down into simpler parts. But one of the great things about Solita is that there’s always someone who has faced a similar challenge before. Knowing that support is always available takes a lot of pressure off and makes it easier to focus on finding the best solution.
Helping customers think more data-driven
The impact of data science work can look very different depending on the project. Sometimes it’s easy to see the monetary impact, but for me, one of the most rewarding aspects is helping customers become more data-driven in their thinking.
As a consultant, you’re often brought in because the organisation doesn’t yet have the skills or experience to do something themselves. That creates a great opportunity not only to solve a specific problem, but also to teach new ways of working.
On my current project with a large retail company, I’ve been working on improving how products are recommended to customers. It’s rewarding to be able to visit the website and see the recommendations generated by models I’ve worked on.
Over time, the customer has gone from barely using data in these decisions to having a much more sophisticated, data-driven approach. That doesn’t just improve business performance, it also leads to better customer experiences and more relevant offerings.
A relaxed culture with strong expertise
The culture at Solita is something I really appreciate. People are open-minded, laid-back and enjoyable to work with. I currently work partly at the customer’s office, partly at our Stockholm office and partly from home. There’s a lot of flexibility, and no strict rules about where you need to be. At the same time, Solitans actively make the office a place you want to come to.
Solita’s values – caring, passionate, courageous and easy-going – reflect the culture well. They’re not something I consciously think about every day, but they align closely with how I like to work: caring about colleagues and customers, being passionate about the work, enjoying new challenges and not taking myself too seriously.
Curiosity doesn’t stop when the workday ends
Outside of work, I enjoy running, going to the gym and playing chess. I also spend a lot of time exploring restaurants in Stockholm together with my girlfriend. We have a bit of a personal mission to systematically work our way through the city’s food scene.
I also enjoy coding in my free time, working on things that aren’t related to customer projects at all, simply because I find them interesting. For me, curiosity doesn’t really stop when the workday ends.