DataRobot invests in Europe

Surging demand for AI drives new research and development centres, expansion of regional offices, and recruitment of key leadership positions.

  • Friday, 8th November 2019 Posted 4 years ago in by Phil Alsop
DataRobot will invest millions more into Europe to meet the growing demand for AI in the region. The company, headquartered in Boston, has already opened new research and development centres in Copenhagen and Munich, employing dozens of software and data engineers and data scientists. The two facilities support DataRobot’s growth plans and the ongoing development of its Enterprise AI platform which is used by Global 2000 companies.

 

AI now tops the lists of technologies that executives view as a “game changer” for their organisations, ranking ahead of data analytics, cloud, blockchain, mobile, the internet of things, and Robotic Process Automation. Yet in Europe, AI adoption is still lagging and private investment in the region is far behind North America and Asia.

 

DataRobot recently opened a new regional headquarters in London, triple the size of the previous office space, in the heart of the Square Mile.  This commitment will support a number of new hires, including sales and Customer Success roles for a growing number of European-based customers. Simon Blunn, who joined DataRobot in 2018 from Qlik, leads the region as the VP and GM of EMEA.

 

“We’ve seen the interest in AI and more specifically, DataRobot, increase significantly in the region over the last 18 months,” said Blunn. “By expanding our European-based team and the support we can provide, we can even better serve our customers and ensure they’re driving real business value from their AI investment.”

 

Key Leadership Additions

 

DataRobot also hired Christian Thiede as Vice President, DACH. Thiede will lead sales efforts in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland. He brings over 15 years of enterprise software and analytics experience to the role.

 

To complement the team in Europe, James Lawson has also joined as AI Evangelist. Lawson will help further educate the market on the opportunities AI creates, and advise business executives - and the government - on how best to deploy AI successfully. He was previously a founding member of European operations at WorkFusion and the Global Head of Strategic Markets.

 

“I’ve joined DataRobot at a really exciting time, as there are so many untapped opportunities for businesses to deliver better services and improve efficiency with AI,” said Lawson. “DataRobot is the category leader, so is particularly well positioned to support these opportunities. I look forward to furthering the acceleration and adoption of AI across Europe.”

 

To guide the enhanced customer success capability, Nilanga Fernando joins as VP of AI Success. Fernando brings over 15 years of experience in digital transformation and customer success to this newly created position. Succeeding with AI is easier when supported by knowledgeable partners who have implemented it before - overcoming common blockers, enabling widespread adoption, and delivering a return on investment.

 

Building on its rapid growth in the region, DataRobot will host several European-based AI Experience events in Europe this year, including roadshows on November 14 in Stockholm, November 19 in Paris, and November 26 in Madrid. These events provide users with a hands-on experience to learn how AI is impacting every facet of business, featuring talks from DataRobot executives, industry thought leaders, and customers.