One of the most impactful experiences of the MS in Business Analytics program is the Capstone Consulting Practicum. This 12-week engagement was designed as an experiential learning course that provides students with the opportunity to work on a real business challenge for a real company, applying technical and professional skills honed throughout the academic year. For the duration of the practicum, a company sponsor serves as both client and mentor for a team of students. Sometimes, sponsors choose to return year after year or choose to work with multiple teams. One such individual is Sarah Logman of Ipsos North America, who not only sponsored for a second consecutive year, but took on three teams of students for the spring of 2024!
The Perfect Mix
Sarah has spent over two decades working in Data Science and Analytics across a variety of clients and industries. She fell in love with statistics in high school and is super passionate about consumer behavior. She says, “I’ve been lucky enough to combine those things across my career working at the cross-section of marketing, analytics, and customer experience to help clients more proactively run their business.” At Ipsos North America, Sarah is currently Senior Vice President of Experience Analytics and Innovation.
“A Day in the Life”
For Sarah, a typical workday involves a lot of teamwork, whether it be within the analytics team, across the Experience Service line, or even across Ipsos. She meets with her people and clients to discuss the best ways to leverage analytics to accomplish their business objectives when it comes to customer experience. There is also a bit of time for experimentation and innovation, which is her favorite part. Outside of work, Sarah is an endurance athlete, so she spends her free time running, biking, and swimming. She also enjoys spending time with her dog, Belle!
Mentorship and Inspiration
Sarah has found that the best part of mentoring students is their enthusiasm and seeing the growth across the project. “They are so eager to learn and come up with truly unique ways of solving our clients’ business issues. I get inspired seeing their approaches and how they think about how to solve what’s been placed before them.”
For graduates moving forward as they navigate their careers, Sarah advises them to learn why math works and be able to explain the outcomes to people who may not have an analytics background, adding, “as low code/no code analytics gets more popular this will be the key to advancing a career in analytics.”
Sarah’s partnership and mentorship are greatly appreciated. As the program grows, she has been a valuable contributor, providing insightful feedback and participating in new engagements.
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