Allow us to introduce ourselves

We are the 13 Bootcampers that are part of the first class of the IE Data Science Bootcamp. Before our Demo Day on December 14th, 2017, we wanted you to get to know us: where we’re from, what we were up to before the Data Science Bootcamp, and where we see ourselves applying our newfound Data Science prowess following Demo Day.

Hend Al Abdullatif

My name is Hend Al Abdullatif, and I am from Saudi Arabia. I am a Ph.D. student at the Universidad Rey Juan Carlos.  I started my career in 2001 as a teacher teaching computer science after I graduated from computer science college. I went to the USA to get my master’s degree then I came to Spain to start my Ph.D. in Human-Computer Interaction and Computers in Education which requires a lot of data analysis, insight, and prediction skills that I was lacking.

I enrolled in the Data Science Bootcamp to cultivate and refine this skill to strengthen my capability to support me during my Ph.D. studies. Even though the Data Science Bootcamp was very intensive, and I was busy with my Ph.D. research, I found it to be a great opportunity.

The Data Science Bootcamp has granted a mixture of practical skills that will not only support me during the Ph.D. studies but also will open more career prospects. Also, the Data Science Bootcamp gave me the chances to know professors and classmates whom I respect and admire and foresee collaborating with in the future. I am confident that this experience will support me during my Ph.D. research and will open more career opportunities. Even though this Data Science Bootcamp gave me a lot of skills that I can use in the future it limited my time with my kids and my free time. I had to balance the time and sacrifice a lot of time to the Bootcamp. The decision of joining the Bootcamp was a difficult one but when I entered I knew I made the right choice. From this selection, I acquired a lot of knowledge from that will enhance my research and my future. This experience was the skills that I was lacking before joining the program mentioned above.

Eric Bean

Eric has a business background with an analytical twist. Having worked at a top economic consulting firm in the US, and later a high growth technology start-up in Spain, Eric has a proven track record of implementing analysis techniques to drive business outcomes across the US and Europe. Speaking native English and fluent Spanish, Eric is looking to contribute to exciting projects in diverse and fast-paced environments.

Ángela Cabrero Romeral

My name is Angela, and I am from Spain. I got my degree in Computer Science Engineering in Spain and worked here for four years in consulting. I later moved to Mexico where I spent five years also working in consulting focused on Business Intelligence, processing databases, ETL processes, analytics, and Customer Intelligence primarily using an SQL Server. After those five years, I came back to Spain to start my International MBA at IE, which I graduated from a few months ago.

I wanted to make a career change, and I was very interested in the digital sector, as I believe it’s the future. I started doing some research, and I realized that I needed to learn about Machine Learning and to program in languages such as R and Python. So, I decided to do the Data Science Boot Camp to complement my experience and business knowledge and my technical skills learning things that will undoubtedly be very useful in my professional career.

Ignacio Castillejo Muñoz

My name is Ignacio Castillejo. I was born in Málaga, a lovely city in the south of Spain. When I was 15 years old, I spent one year in Florida as an exchange student. A few years later I moved to Madrid and started my Bachelor’s in Business Administration at the Universidad Carlos III de Madrid, where I also had the opportunity to do two exchanges, one in São Paulo, Brazil and another one in Colorado, USA. I wanted to study Business because I am looking forward to creating my own company in the future. However, I wanted to dedicate more time to specific fields. It was in the first year of college that I got interested in marketing and sales, and had the opportunity to intern in the Marketing department of a startup based in San Francisco. However, I thought that to get better within the marketing field; I could go into a little bit more depth and meet the technical side of it. So, during my exchange in São Paulo, I was able to work with the Big Data analytics tool “Alto Analyzer” as part of the Alto team in Isban Brasil. And later I became part of the Data Science Bootcamp, with the primary objective of improving my data analytics skills for marketing purposes.

Simão Duarte

Hello there! My name is Simão, and I’m from Portugal! I have a background in Aerospace Engineering, mostly specializing in Avionics, having studied at IST in Lisbon, as well as having studied Medicine. I’m currently taking care of the never-ending MSc (Master of Science) thesis.

For the past few years, I’ve worked as a strategy consultant but decided to get back to what I liked the most-tech; that’s why I’ve enrolled in the Data Science Bootcamp.

Paula Estevez Cons

My name is Paula Estevez, and I studied a Bilingual Degree in Business Administration at CUNEF, Madrid. Before joining the Bootcamp, I was working as an M&A analyst in an investment bank. I decided to join the Data Science Bootcamp because of my passion for technology, analytics, and the entrepreneurial world. This Bootcamp will allow me to change career path and open up new opportunities.

Azadeh Faridi

Hi! My name is Azadeh Faridi, and I am originally from Tehran, Iran. I moved to the US to do my Master’s and Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering at the University of Maryland. I then moved to Barcelona and worked as a visiting professor and a researcher at Universitat Pompeu Fabra (UPF). My research during my Ph.D. and also my years at UPF was on Wireless Communications. I am also passionate about games and find them an excellent medium for learning. That is why two years ago, I started learning about the process of creating video games and started making my first mobile game; a multi-level math puzzle currently in its pre-launch phase. My attraction to Data Science began when I realized how it could help me put my passion in reverse-engineering the human psyche (both as an educator and a game designer) as well as my analytical and programming skills into practical use, all in one place. I am interested in the applications of Data Science in social contexts, from gaming to social networks. I feel fortunate that the first edition of the Data Science Bootcamp came out right at the moment that I needed it, and I am very glad that I was able to join my brilliant classmates on this journey. I have been enjoying the intensive setup of the Bootcamp and am looking forward to starting my career as a Data Scientist after the Bootcamp.

Morane Gabriel-Regis

My name is Morane Gabriel-Regis, and I am originally from Martinique, but I have lived in France, the United States, and China as part of my Master’s in International Marketing & Business Development. I started my career in the cosmetics industry working in Business Development-oriented positions at LVMH and L’Oreal in Paris. I then wanted to reinforce my knowledge about the retail sector. Hence I joined Danone Channel Category Development department in Belgium. These experiences made me realize how crucial the comprehension of data is to the implementation of impactful strategies.  I decided to seize the opportunity to enroll myself in the IE Data Science Bootcamp to enhance my profile with technical skills to be able to reach more accurate insights. My objective is to continue my career in business within companies improving their competitive advantages using data-driven strategies.

Lorena Gil López

My name is Lorena Gil, and I am originally from Burgos (Spain). I got my degree in Computer Engineering at the Universidad de Burgos, obtaining the extraordinary award. I also have a Master’s in Information Technology Advisory and Consulting from the Universidad de Burgos, where I graduated with honors.

My very first work experience was an internship in the City Council of Burgos. I later joined CSA as a Software Development Engineer,  but mainly during this period, I worked for the Bank of Burgos. However, I had the feeling that I needed a change in my professional career. In 2013 I decided to work for Asti, a company that produces automated guided vehicles, during my first years I was in charge of the new design of Asti Software processes and products, and now I am the Digital Transformation Manager for the company. So, that the reason why I decided to take the plunge and join the Data Science Bootcamp, to have more knowledge about how to use the machine learning techniques to transform our AGVs into incredibly intelligent machines.

Filipe Neves

My name is Filipe Neves, I’m 35, and I come from Lisbon, Portugal, and my background is Computer Engineering. Around a year ago after around eight years of web development I felt the need for a change, and to work on different scopes (data being one of them), so I quit my job as Team Leader in a marketing agency and started working on my own as a freelancer.

I had some contact with data-driven decision making back in college, and I really liked it back then, but I opted for web development, so the data topic has been on standby for a while. When I saw the Data Science Summer Challenge disclosure, the data appeal kicked in, so I didn’t think twice and applied for it.

I have a two-year-old baby boy, I’m expecting a second son, and I love practicing sports, mainly surfing and football.

Sara Rodríguez López

My name is Sara Rodríguez, and I was born in Madrid 27 years ago. I studied an MSc in Telecommunications Engineering and an MSc in Biomedical Engineering at the Technical University of Madrid (Universidad Politécnica de Madrid). During three years I worked in a research group transforming data from different type of medical images into useful diagnostic information. After this first experience, I realized how much value one can extract from data, and I decided to continue growing at Indra/ Minsait. I have had the opportunity to deal with data from a vast variety of sources: telecom and insurance companies, satellite images, airlines. However, I felt the need of generating more profound insights in my analyses, and thus I enrolled in the Data Science Bootcamp. I have improved my coding skills and learn some new methodologies that I am looking forward to applying over real data!

Sven Schulte

My name is Sven Schulte. I am from Germany and pursued a Bachelor’s degree in Finance before going to HULT International Business School for an International Business Master. During this time I stayed in San Francisco, Boston and Dubai. After graduation, I joined a German automotive supplier as assistant to the CEO, which allowed me to learn how a CEO is leading a company as well as working with a lot of different departments. Two years ago I joined our family business, a German home appliances brand, where I started in Project Management before taking over our B2B division as Head of Sales. The Data Science Bootcamp is an excellent opportunity to add new technical skills to my background and allow me to push the transformation of our company. I am looking forward to identifying data-driven business cases and create new growth opportunities while at the same time focusing our decision making more on data insights.

Want to meet us in person?

Join us for the IE Data Science Bootcamp Demo Day for the Fall 2017 intake on Thursday, December 14th, 2017 at 5 PM CET. For more details, read up on the Demo Day event here. And, if you’re sure you want to attend, get your ticket here; remember, space is limited!