Latest SAS, Teradata Analytic Hero: David Schmitt, IHG

InterContinental Hotels Group analysts now spend less time gathering data and more on value-driving analytics for faster insights and peak performance.

CARY, North Carolina — SAS and Teradata (NYSE: TDC) introduce the latest member of the League of Analytic Heroes: David Schmitt, under the super-heroic persona of “Exploris,” is Director of Interactive Marketing Operations and Analytics at IHG (InterContinental Hotels Group). David joins the award-winning community of database specialists and data scientists immortalized for implementing superior analytic database solutions from business analytics leader SAS and Teradata, the data solutions leader focused on big data analytics and data warehousing.

Schmitt, aka Exploris, led an analytics program helping IHG global sales and marketing teams continue to drive more revenue. IHG, one of the world’s largest hotel companies, had been manually analyzing revenue performance of its seven hotel brands - including InterContinental® Hotels & Resorts, Hotel Indigo®, Crowne Plaza® Hotels & Resorts, Holiday Inn® Hotels and Resorts, Holiday Inn Express®, Staybridge Suites® and Candlewood Suites® – up to 30 metrics and 50 associated variables. Analysts were spending 80 percent of their efforts assembling data and 20 percent doing analytics.

IHG has already developed strong analytical capabilities for their channels that attract guests to hotels, including Priority Club® Rewards, which will be renamed IHG® Rewards Club effective July 1, 2013, the industry’s first, largest and fastest growing guest loyalty program -- with 71 million members; guest marketing; call center optimization; and revenue management. Schmitt was tasked with finding an integrated view that would better inform how IHG could continue to generate more revenue. His group needed to quickly integrate huge volumes of data from disparate sources and analyze numerous variables to achieve deeper insights.

David’s heroic team burst the bonds of limited desktop productivity tools, converting IHG’s analytic operations to enterprise-level force. At last, they could integrate multiple existing data sources with sophisticated new ones, resulting in an immensely larger dataset of over 5000 variables. Today, IHG analysts spend less time gathering data and more on value-driving analytics, like predictive modeling, for faster insights and enhanced performance

IHG has also improved its data-driven culture. The centralized dataset provides a common fact base for analysis across multiple teams. Together, analysts from key stakeholder teams evaluate performance by reviewing the corporate scorecard and identifying new hypotheses to test them with analytics and develop new strategies.

Schmitt rounds out the SAS and Teradata analytic hero squad, joining heroes Rick Andrews, (Illumino), of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), Cardinal Health analytics director Lisa Conley (Predicta), Medibank’s Frank Caputo (Megavox) and eBay’s John Scheibmeir (MagnaComm).

Launched in March 2012, the SAS and Teradata talent search for Analytic Heroes has celebrated the best-of-the-best analytics specialists, teams and companies – masters at integrating analytic solutions from SAS and Teradata to produce stellar insights and extraordinary business value.

The League’s leader, Dr. Insight – aka Bill Franks, Teradata Chief Analytics Officer – says, “The Analytic Heroes program from SAS and Teradata has successfully identified a core group of innovative data analysts who are helping their organizations economically – cutting costs, detecting fraud, fighting crime and even protecting lives. They also identified revenue-raising opportunities. We know of many others who are likewise taking the analysis of detailed data to epic levels. Protecting individuals from things like credit card or insurance fraud, or the ability to identify medical risks is invaluable. Analytic heroes make that possible every day.”

About SAS
SAS is the leader in business analytics software and services, and the largest independent vendor in the business intelligence market. Through innovative solutions, SAS helps customers at more than 60,000 sites improve performance and deliver value by making better decisions faster. Since 1976 SAS has been giving customers around the world THE POWER TO KNOW®.

About Teradata
Teradata Corporation (NYSE: TDC) is the world’s leading analytic data solutions company, focused on integrated data warehousing, big data analytics, and business applications. Teradata’s innovative products and services deliver data integration and business insight to empower organizations to make the best decisions possible for competitive advantage. Visit teradata.com for details.


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SAS and all other SAS Institute Inc. product or service names are registered trademarks or trademarks of SAS Institute Inc. in the USA and other countries. ® indicates USA registration. Other brand and product names are trademarks of their respective companies. Copyright © 2012 SAS Institute Inc. All rights reserved.Teradata is a trademark or registered trademark of Teradata Corporation in the United States and other countries.