Data is among the most valuable resources in an organization, and data analysts extract insights from said data to make smart business decisions. Analysts, however, can only work so fast. To extend the capabilities of Shashank's team of data analysts, they developed a proof-of-concept based on machine learning to automate the analytics process and significantly accelerate the generation of actionable insights. Shashank Kalanithi is a Senior Data Analyst at Nordstorm in Seattle, Washington, United States. In this episode, you'll hear about his journey to becoming a Data Analyst despite having a Chemistry degree, his role on the Nordstorm Strategic Analytics Team, and their exciting project on building an automated machine learning platform that augments the abilities of individual data analysts.