News | Cologne/Gütersloh, 11/16/2020

First Virtual ‘Data Week’ at Bertelsmann

More than 500 tech and data community colleagues will convene virtually for “Data Week,” to exchange ideas and discuss the latest trends as well as in-house collaboration projects. The NTV presenter Gesa Eberl and the comedian and YouTuber Daniele Rizzo will be hosting the four-day event from Cologne.Starting today, more than 500 tech and data community colleagues will convene virtually for “Data Week,” to exchange ideas and discuss the latest trends as well as in-house collaboration projects. The NTV presenter Gesa Eberl and the comedian and YouTuber Daniele Rizzo will be hosting the four-day event from Cologne.

This is a red-letter week for many of our colleagues in Bertelsmann’s tech and data community. Today marks the start of the Group’s virtual “Data Week,” with more than 500 participants from across all divisions. The NTV presenter Gesa Eberl and the comedian and YouTuber Daniele Rizzo will host the four-day event live from a Mediengruppe RTL TV studio. Some of the keynote speakers from within the Group will also be attending from Cologne – all of course in strict compliance with coronavirus hygiene rules. “Data Week” participants will be treated to a varied program with a wide range of sessions, workshops and lectures by renowned speakers.

“Our ‘Data Week’ gives the community insights into the Group’s major cross-divisional projects. For instance, today, Monday, they will take a closer look at the Bertelsmann ID, which supports the cross-divisional use and provision of data, the Bertelsmann Collaboration Platform for cross-divisional Tech & Data collaboration, and many other exciting projects”, says Rhys Nölke, Senior Vice President Technology & Data at Bertelsmann. Peter Lipp, Head of Analytics & Consulting at AZ Direct (BPG), emphasizes that the event will bring all of the Group’s tech & data communities together to share information about ongoing projects and learn more about new topics and groups.

Besides representatives of the Tech & Data Advisory Board, who will take part in a panel discussion, numerous top-class external speakers are expected to attend. These include Steve Rosenbaum, who heads the NYC Media Lab; Kirsten Rulf, Head of the Department for Basic Matters of Digital Policy; and Paul Nemitz, the EU’s head of data protection legislation reform. Data visualization artist David McCandless, Penguin Random House author and emotional AI expert Rana el Kaliouby, and tech expert Mustafa Isik will also participate in “Data Week.” Despite the virtual format, there are also social elements to support networking. For example, there is “lunch roulette,” where participants can virtually spend their lunch break with randomly selected colleagues. “We are looking forward to an exciting week and have an occasion to take advantage of the current situation as well: The virtual format is the only way we can give so many interested colleagues the opportunity to participate in Data Week,” says Judith Ambrosius, Director Tech & Data.