Edward Gibbs

Prior to joining Kubrick, I completed an integrated Master’s degree in Chemistry at the University of Nottingham, whilst also co-founding a start-up called Smibbs Skincare, a natural skincare brand targeting specific types of dermatitis. Tennis was also a huge part of my life, with an intense university training and conditioning schedule to prepare for competition in the national league each week.

I think my experiences in sport have shaped the way I look at data. A lot of my training was centred around harnessing on-court data, which gave us in-depth feedback which is not obvious to the naked eye. This analysis allowed us to make more informed decisions in order to optimise our strategy, but also showed me that unlocking the value of data - being able to not only understand but utilise such information in a meaningful way - is a powerful skill which is not easy to acquire. So, combining this sporting experience with my own recognition of the incredible opportunities that await junior professionals in this industry, it was an easy decision to begin my career in data and tech. And data is set to become even more valuable to corporations, particularly as COVID-19 has been such a huge catalyst for many businesses to accelerate the shift a data-led approach for major decision-making.

First and foremost, I wanted to join Kubrick because their offering is super competitive within both the immediate and wider industry. As one of few consultancies to offer salaried training for four months, it seemed like a no brainer to get paid to improve my knowledge and skills with industry-leading trainers. I also found the opportunity to gain exposure to some of the biggest companies really exciting. Kubrick’s portfolio of clients is extensive, with clients in virtually every industry out there. This tells me that the recognition of having Kubrick on your CV is significant and will be a huge asset wherever you decide to take your career.

The number of new skills I gained throughout training and have continued to develop since being on client site has been immense. Training is an incredible platform from which you can transfer a number of technical skills to client site, where you inevitably will become a subject matter expert in your field. Opportunities to gain qualifications and certificates are available once on client site also, so you can shape your development to where you see your career heading.

One of the best things about training is getting to work with a bunch of other people who all end up in different industries and clients. This definitely helps to expand your network and also give you support when you start with a client or need to pick up some new skills whilst with your client. The nature of the training programme and atmosphere it creates means you become great friends with everyone doing it with you, making that transition to the client and potential relocation much easier if you have fellow members of the cohort in the same position.

Client projects can be quite literally vital on a grand scale. The project I’m most proud of whilst working with a major supermarket was the COVID protocols we facilitated with the government throughout the national lockdowns. We combined our customer data with government data in order to find any EDV (elderly, disabled and vulnerable) customers who had shopped with us in the past so as offer them a priority slot for their online grocery order. We identified over 750,000 people who fell into this category, who we could ensure always received an order slot, so they didn’t have to leave the house in peak times of pandemic.

More than ever, we need experts in managing, utilising, and engineering data for insights and analytics purposes. With such a large proportion of data completely untapped across global organisations, it’s going to become more important than ever to find value in this data and give these organisations the market edge in their field. The technical skills taught at Kubrick are the foundations to any career within data and next-generation technology, so it’s important to get started early in your career on developing these skills. I would definitely recommend Kubrick to anyone considering applying. It’s a great place to become a well-rounded consultant and it definitely accelerates your career within the industry. Kubrick will always support your ongoing development and even offer a relocation package if you’re required to move out of London for a client.