CRU GROUP
DATA-DRIVEN COMMODITIES DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION
Will Blake , Director of Technology & Analytics at CRU Group , discusses how data and data analytics are driving change in commodities
WRITTEN BY : MATT HIGH
PRODUCED BY : CAITLYN COLE
The digital transformation of every industry sector means that an immeasurable amount of data is being generated by businesses , industries and consumers worldwide every day . The effective harnessing and analysis of that data can generate significant value to companies through the greater understanding and insight of trends , and better prediction and forecasting that allows robust strategies to be delivered .
The latter is where CRU comes in . The London-headquartered company uses data to offer unrivalled business intelligence on the global metals , mining and fertiliser industries through market analysis , pricing assessments and consultancy services . The content and insight provided by CRU gives a complete view of the commodity market , enabling operators and industry participants to make critical business decisions .
Understandably , delivering such a comprehensive suite of services requires a robust and innovative technology and analytics strategy . Will Blake is responsible for driving this strategy . Will is a highly experienced technology leader , having spent more than 15 years at CRU and , previously , close to two years working as a geophysicist in a seismic exploration team . Data has been an overarching theme throughout his career , as he explains : “ Geophysics is a data intensive role that requires the handling of large volumes of information – the oil industry was really one of the first that exploited the value of data in this way , so that experience has certainly given me a greater understanding of the challenges around information and data , as well as how we can effectively solve the issues our customers face .”
During his 15 years at CRU , Will has witnessed data , and the effective analysis
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