Flybe / November 2018

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Talking Business
78 / Flight Time / NOVEMBER 2018
What’s your business
background?
I’ve been working with business
data and analytics for more
than 20 years. My very first role
was as a junior data analyst at
a manufacturing firm, where
I manually created reports on
reams of productivity data. I
knew my work was important,
but I could also see much
scope for improvement in
how I was turning data into
valuable information.
In the years that followed, I
fulfilled business intelligence
and data roles at various
companies, eventually leading
teams of data analysts,
business architects and data
warehouse developers at
some large organisations.
In 2010 I decided to
broaden my experience
even further by becoming
a business intelligence
consultant. That change gave
me the opportunity to work
at many other very large and
interesting global businesses
in the UK, Europe and North
America. Eventually, I was able
to use the experience I gained
as a consultant to create
Saltare.
When did you start Saltare?
I launched Saltare in 2016 to
help every business achieve
true business intelligence. I
had seen too many businesses
taking the wrong approach
to turning data into business
value. They would build a data
warehouse, buy reporting and
analysis software, then create
new reports, dashboards and
data visualisations.
Every time, I saw those
businesses accomplish little
other than just deploying
expensive technology. They
initially felt good about
having some impressive new
dashboards, but then they
inevitably realised that people
either weren’t using them, or
they weren’t really delivering
much business benefit.
At Saltare, when we dig
below the surface at many
businesses, we find that
they don’t really need more
reports and information – they
often need less! Reports and
dashboards on their own don’t
create business value. What
really matters is that people in
the business know what to do
with them, and actually use
them to make better decisions.
others, which each stand out
as breakthroughs in their own
right, too.
What have been the main
challenges along the way?
Our biggest challenge has
been marketing. Our services
are highly specialised, and
we can only deliver benefit to
businesses which recognise
that they have a real need
for what we do. Sometimes,
we have conversations with
business leaders who still
believe that simply deploying
technology is all that’s
necessary to create a data-
driven organisation. Creating
connections with business
leaders who understand
true business intelligence is
certainly our major challenge.
What are your plans for the
future of Saltare?
As well as continuing to help
more businesses achieve true
business intelligence, we’re
planning to continue growing
the business and expand our
offering with training services
and specialised software
that will enable organisations
to easily and effectively
catalogue their data assets.
How do you relax?
I’m a family man, so time
off is spent with my wife, our
children and our dog, either
holidaying, walking on the
beach or across Woodbury
Common. However, my
favourite pastime is skydiving.
I first tried the sport just a
few years ago and was
immediately hooked! I
completed my solo training,
and now I’ve racked up
hundreds of jumps over
my favourite dropzone in
Dunkeswell, but also in Spain
and Portugal.
5 MI NUTES W I TH…
Phil Husbands, founder
of business intelligence
consultancy Saltare
You’re based in Devon, is that
where you’re from?
Yes, I’ve lived in Exmouth for
over nine years now, and
before that I lived in Exeter and
Honiton. As well as our office in
Exeter, Saltare has an office in
London and customers across
the UK and overseas.
How has Saltare evolved and
grown since the start?
Saltare has grown into a core
leadership team of five people
and a network of associate
consultants. During that
time, we’ve been continually
revising and refining our
unique 4dBI methodology,
which is at the centre of the
way that we show businesses
how to achieve true business
intelligence.
Was there a breakthrough
moment?
Undoubtedly our first
breakthrough was when
Saltare won its first major
customer, one of the
world’s largest media and
entertainment enterprises.
Winning such a prominent
organisation as a client not
only brought us important
business, but it also validated
our belief in our work and
the value that it creates for
businesses. That organisation is
still one of our customers today
and has been joined by many
“When we dig
below the
surface at many
businesses, we
find that they
don’t really need
more reports and
information – they
often need less!”