Anand Melige CEO - DECIDYN SYSTEMS

Anand Melige is the CEO of DeciDyn Systems, a company focused on providing technology enabled business analytic solutions. Anand has 17 years experience in leveraging data and analytics to drive various critical business solutions at major corporations such as Citigroup, GE and American Express. Most recently, Anand Melige was a Senior Vice President at Citigroup where he was responsible for risk management analytics and infrastructure for Citicards NA, North American Credit Card business of Citigroup. In that capacity, Anand was responsible for end-to-end business intelligence and deployment solutions for Risk Management processes across all product and business lines at Citicards.

Prior to joining Citibank, Anand Melige was a Senior Vice President at GE where he helped establish an offshore analytic competency for various GE businesses in both GE Capital and Manufacturing businesses. This was the first off shored analytic team to be established in India. In this capacity Anand consulted with various business leaders in GE in developing and deploying cost effective data analytic solutions across their businesses. He also assisted them in leveraging the India analytic team to drive various business processes including Risk Management, Marketing, Operations, Logistics, Sales and Business Development. Anand also worked at American Express in Risk Management focused on analytics and risk policy for the student market.

How do you think the Analytics has changed in the last 10 years?

I think the last ten to fifteen years have been a critical milestone in the relatively short but promising history of Business Analytics. We have witnessed an amazing growth in analytic technology during this period where corporations across several industry verticals have clearly recognized the value analytics can provide in not only driving compelling business solutions, but also help differentiate themselves to Customers, Investors and Regulators. Most importantly, these corporations have established analytics as a critical differentiator in providing both business and customer value across every customer interaction and business process. But, in my opinion, the best is yet to come. This is where we will see the convergence of analytic technology and the information technology.

What do you see as the future of Analytics in the next 10 years?

Leading off the previous response, I would say we are in throes of a confluence of analytic and information technology. This will be the ground where traditional information technology companies and companies focused on business intelligence will fight the next battle for supremacy. Google, Yahoo and Amazon are showing us the path. Analytics, increasingly tempered by non human intervened analytic processes, will be a major technological differentiator for businesses that intend to leverage customer behavioral and external data to drive critical business decisions.  I am extremely curious to see where the development of semantic web will lead us. While the possibilities are astounding, as more recent technological developments have shown us, it will be the incremental customer and business value provided by new technology that will ultimately decide the fate of these technological innovations.

What are the major challenges you see for the Indian Analytics Industry?

Indian analytics industry needs to quickly wean itself off of the business model heavily dependent on labor cost arbitrage.  This is a major challenge for the Indian Analytics industry.  It needs to differentiate itself based on analytic expertise, business relevance and innovation. Developing innovative business solutions leveraging analytics will help sustain the growing industry.

What does it take to be successful in an Analytics Industry?

Good analytic skills, good understanding of business and industry, critical understanding of technology and platforms where analytic solutions are deployed and a consultative mind set are critical ingredients for success in this industry.y

What will be your advise to budding analytics professionals in India?

Get the basics right and not be swayed by analytic fads. Consultative and creative approach to business problem solving yielding simple solutions can almost certainly land you on the right side of the street.