ROSANDA MILATOVIĆ SKORIĆ, SAS GENERAL MANAGER FOR THE ADRIATIC REGION

In Data We Trust

With experience of 46 years, SAS is the founder and future of advanced analytics and the global leader in advanced analytics and artificial intelligence. Currently operating in 150 countries, SAS clients include 88 of the top 100 Fortune 500 listed companies

Our software has been installed on more than 80,800 websites because we believe that analytics should be experienced by everyone, no matter if their role is data scientist, business analyst or executive - says SAS General Manager for the Adriatic Region Rosanda Milatović Skorić. In order for people to thrive in the future, it is our duty, as leaders, to promote data literacy, both in the corporate world and in society at large

How come SAS is the leader in analytics? What makes you so superior?

I believe that this position stems from our realization that it is not data alone that drive an organization, but data-informed decisions. After the shock of the global pandemic, and in the midst of increased volatility in global markets, we understand that we are not only in the business of developing software and solutions (no matter how innovative they are) but, most importantly, on a mission to build people’s confidence in making informed decisions and finding insights in the data. At the same time, we invest in building data analysis technologies that are explainable, transparent, free of bias and fair, to enhance public trust in data-driven decisions, and to convey this trust to business organizations and public institutions.

Who are the users of your products and services?

We determine daily the power that machine learning and AI have in making the world a better place; from our very beginnings, when SAS dedicated its expertise to agriculture for better crops, until the break-out of Covid-19, when our algorithms were placed at the disposal of governments to combat the pandemic, we know for sure that data can drive us towards a better world and a future of equal opportunities.

We are present in industries that are fundamental to the digital transformation of nations, such as the financial services, telecommunications, life sciences, critical infrastructure, and education. We also support governments around the world in combating fraud, encouraging tax compliance, ensuring the fair distribution of social benefits and providing high quality services to citizens. We also provide analytical support to Smart City initiatives around the globe.

Your company strives to ensure digital literacy is accessible to everyone, as you believe this is an essential life skill. How important is it to know how to collect, interpret, understand and use data?

The unbiased nature of data and algorithms can certainly lead to an inclusive future of equal opportunities. But they can also create another discrimination, between data literate people and those not acquainted with data. In order for people to thrive in the future, it is our duty, as leaders, to promote data literacy, both in the corporate world and in society at large.

Since the beginning of our journey, we have paved the way for this kind of future with a vast array of simple solutions, user-friendly for the majority, but also smart enough to meet the highest expectations of the global economy. We believe in the power of ecosystems and share our vision of the Democratization of Analytics and AI, because the migration of analytics applications to the public cloud also marks an opening of these environments to profiles of nonspecialists. For example, SAS Viya is an open platform that any company can use to accelerate its digital transformation, no matter what systems and applications it already uses.

We are also actively investing in enhancing data literacy as a skill for everyone, and especially for the generations who are about to enter the business world. In this context, we are proud of our strategic collaboration with universities across Adriatic region, such as the Faculty of Organizational Sciences of University of Belgrade, as we aspire to help future leaders develop the skills needed to solve tomorrow’s problems.