IBM Champion Spotlight: Ann-Grete Tan

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IBM Champion Spotlight: Ann-Grete Tan

By Namitha K posted Wed August 28, 2024 04:53 AM

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Ann-Grete Tan, (also known as A.G.) is a Principal at Tensor Research. As an IBM Champion for four years, A.G. has consistently demonstrated her commitment to promoting IBM Planning Analytics and fostering a better understanding between technology and business. Among the various aspects of IBM Planning Analytics that she appreciates, her favorite lies in its ability to simplify and streamline complex business data; “IBM Planning Analytics, formerly known as TM1, which can be described most simply as a secure database for all that complicated business data and logic that normally lives in spreadsheets. I love Planning Analytics because it can transform people’s work lives, replacing tedious manual tasks that took days with a one-second button press, so they can spend more time doing high-value analysis (and spend more time with their families!). And the best part is that Planning Analytics can often make a difference in days or weeks, not months or years!”

A.G.'s enthusiasm for IBM Planning Analytics stems from its singular combination of scalable performance with the flexibility needed for financial and business data analysis. Even more exciting is the growing use of IBM Planning Analytics to incorporate sustainability and ESG data into strategic planning processes and help companies on their journeys to sustainable long-term success.

A.G.'s advocacy extends beyond mere product promotion, as she also enjoys writing blog posts and engaging in speaking opportunities at industry conferences. She adds; “I like writing blog posts because I enjoy the process of organising ideas and connecting dots in a way that I hope is helpful to others. I have also been fortunate to have had some great speaking opportunities, for example last October I presented at the Association of Financial Professionals (AFP) conference in San Diego (7000+ attendees) about how their existing planning software (e.g. IBM Planning Analytics) can be used for integrated sustainability and financial reporting use-cases. It went well, and they have invited me to submit a speaking proposal for another one of their events. I enjoy contributing to the Community as well though my schedule makes it difficult to do so as consistently as I would like. I love how the broader IBM community is so positive and supportive of each other, and it’s been great forming relationships with my fellow IBM Champions, and beyond!”. These activities enable her to share her insights and experiences with a wider audience, helping others understand the transformative potential of IBM Planning Analytics.

In addition to her writing and speaking engagements, A.G. takes pride in her role as a mentor to a new generation of IBM Planning Analytics experts. Over the past 15 years, she has trained, nurtured, and developed almost a hundred new professionals who possess a unique blend of business understanding and technical expertise. She takes immense satisfaction in witnessing her former mentees surpass her in terms of competence, passion, and drive.

When asked about her motivation for giving back to the technology community, A.G. emphasises her desire to act as a bridge between technology and business. She feels that IBM Planning Analytics, while possessing unparalleled capabilities, may sometimes struggle to resonate with non-technical users; “IBM has made a tremendous investment in IBM Planning Analytics, a technology platform that has helped many companies manage their businesses better by adding automation, agility and accuracy to their planning and reporting processes. While there are a growing number of competitors appearing on the market, IBM Planning Analytics has unique capabilities in terms of flexibility, power, and performance that no other technology can replicate. This is why many of the largest companies in the world run their businesses on IBM Planning Analytics. The reason I became an IBM Champion was to evangelise on behalf of this amazing product and ensure that IBM doesn’t forget that its customers are not programmers or developers but business people typically working in the Office of Finance for the CFO. This is not a constituency that IBM usually priorities, and so I try to help in two ways: (1) By acting as a bridge to translate technology terms into the language of business, and (2) By constantly reminding IBM product management that the product must be built for their customers to use, without them having to rely on developers as intermediaries. Historically IBM Planning Analytics was always “owned by the business”, and it is important that this should continue to be a possibility even as its technical capabilities expand”.

If she were not working in technology, A.G. would have pursued a career in research and academia. However, she is happy that fate led her to in IBM Planning Analytics, as it has given her opportunities to make a real impact.

A.G. has also dabbled in IBM's AI capabilities, particularly with the Watson piece of IBM Planning Analytics with Watson.

“I have some experience using IBM Planning Analytics with Watson and have been researching IBM’s broader AI capabilities as well. I love how IBM is focusing on AI governance and committing to building on open source solutions to make AI accessible to developers and smaller businesses. The challenge for many businesses is to figure out how to convert the potential of AI into real business value. This is an area I am very interested in, especially as it pertains to bringing together financial and sustainability data and models. Most businesses already have a good view of their business through a financial lens (e.g. Do they have enough cash? Which business units are meeting growth targets? etc), but the addition of the sustainability lens adds a powerful new dimension for both risk and opportunity analysis (e.g. Are any sites at risk from extreme weather events, and how will this affect insurance costs? How much is employee turnover costing us? Will switching to renewable energy sources save us money? etc). This can get complicated because it’s a lot of diverse data but AI can potentially help on several fronts”.

Upcoming events include A.G.'s presentation at IBM TechXchange in October 2024, where she will discuss "AI Assisted Integration of Sustainability and Financial Data Management & Modeling." In this session, she plans to shed light on how IBM Planning Analytics can serve as the perfect platform for integrating sustainability and financial data strategies, with the ability to integrate with IBM Envizi and serve as a spring-board for leveraging AI to help businesses be more successful, while also contributing to building a sustainable planet.

Read the blog to know more about A.G.’s session!

Lightning round:

What would be your superpower and why? My childhood and youth spent in Asia, Europe, and Africa. It’s a superpower because it helps me make connections with people from different backgrounds!
Ice cream or cake? Cake.
Cats or dogs? I prefer dogs.
Summer or winter? Both. I love to ski, road-bike and mountain bike, and I do all these as often as I can.
Morning or evening? Neither 😊I need a LOT of sleep.
eBook or paper book? Mostly eBooks because they are so portable. But I love the feeling of a paper book too.
TV shows or movies? Movies.
A night out or a night in? Mostly a night in. Especially after skiing 😊
Cannonball into the pool or dip a toe in first? I am a toe-dipper.
Go-to karaoke song? You do not want me to sing but if you insist “Let it be” (The Beatles) because I think I can manage it.
Drive or fly? If I can drive in under 5 hours, then drive.