{"id":482382,"date":"2021-12-09T06:21:49","date_gmt":"2021-12-09T14:21:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/?post_type=wherenext&#038;p=482382"},"modified":"2021-12-16T11:46:25","modified_gmt":"2021-12-16T19:46:25","slug":"ali-abedini-of-td-bank","status":"publish","type":"wherenext","link":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/publications\/wherenext\/ali-abedini-of-td-bank","title":{"rendered":"TD Bank\u2019s Head of Advanced Analytics on the Art of Curiosity"},"author":501,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"sync_status":"","episode_type":"","audio_file":"","castos_file_data":"","podmotor_file_id":"","cover_image":"","cover_image_id":"","duration":"","filesize":"","filesize_raw":"","date_recorded":"","explicit":"","block":"","itunes_episode_number":"","itunes_title":"","itunes_season_number":"","itunes_episode_type":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[1001,381312,405752],"tags":[571,278902,290142,281],"department":[476792,476782],"wherenext-category":[],"industry":[],"class_list":["post-482382","wherenext","type-wherenext","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-commercial","category-cxo-priorities","category-wherenext-profiles","tag-analytics","tag-data-science","tag-financial-services","tag-location-intelligence","department-cxo-priorities","department-new-analyst"],"acf":{"short_description":"At TD Bank, Ali Abedini analyzes data with the goal of improving company performance and customer experience.","pdf":{"host_remotely":false,"file":"","file_url":""},"flexible_content":[{"acf_fc_layout":"content","content":"Ali Abedini sees data as an adventure\u2014a frontier to be explored with a team of data scientists who thrive on discovery.\r\n\r\nAs head of advanced analytics at TD Bank, Abedini looks for curiosity, collaboration, and technical acumen in the analysts he hires. His team has used <a href=\"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/en-us\/location-intelligence\">location intelligence<\/a> derived from a geographic information system (GIS) to pinpoint the best places for new bank branches and uncover better ways to serve online customers at America\u2019s eighth-largest bank by assets.\r\n<h3><strong>A Quest for Knowledge and Collaboration<\/strong><\/h3>"},{"acf_fc_layout":"sidebar","layout":"standard","image_reference":null,"image_reference_figure":"","spotlight_image":null,"section_title":"","spotlight_name":"","position":"Left","content":"<strong>Article snapshot:<\/strong> Companies willing to explore data are likely to discover valuable insight if they have an analytics leader like TD Bank\u2019s Ali Abedini\u2014curious, collaborative and adept with technology like GIS. He and his team have uncovered insight that has a direct impact on business performance and customer experience.","snippet":""},{"acf_fc_layout":"content","content":"When he was hired six years ago, Abedini saw an opportunity to integrate <a href=\"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/publications\/wherenext\/enterprise-technology-behind-big-business-decisions\/\">GIS technology<\/a> with data science to help TD Bank\u2019s business managers make crucial decisions. Eventually he would build a team of 13\u2014all of them adept at incorporating <a href=\"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/en-us\/arcgis\/products\/spatial-analytics-data-science\/overview\">data science and location analytics<\/a> in their work. Their skills and Abedini\u2019s dedication to collaboration drove demand for GIS-fueled insight among TD\u2019s marketing, online customer engagement, real estate, and branch planning groups.\r\n\r\nAbedini considers GIS skills a must for new hires in his group. \u201cWe strive to incorporate the geospatial analytics into most of our projects\u2014more than 90 percent,\u201d he says.\r\n\r\nAnother must for the data scientists on the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/publications\/wherenext\/new-business-analyst-skills-gap\/\">analytics team<\/a>: a willingness to educate their boss.\r\n\r\n\u201cThe pace is so fast, and learning every day is the new normal,\u201d Abedini says. \u201cThat's why I want to have some people around me who are constantly learning, [who] teach our team and myself about their learnings.\u201d*"},{"acf_fc_layout":"quote","image":482342,"text":"Democratizing the learning patterns across our teams is critical.  In fact, one of our mandates is that learning is business as usual.","author_name":"Ali Abedini, Head of Advanced Analytics, TD Bank","author_profession_organization":""},{"acf_fc_layout":"content","content":"<h3><strong>A Pioneer with a Practical Streak<\/strong><\/h3>\r\nWhen Abedini began the intellectual journey that would culminate in his role at TD Bank, he wasn\u2019t sure where he would land.\r\n\r\nMohammad Reza Habibi grew up in the same neighborhood as Abedini in Tehran, Iran and sat in classes with him through middle and high school. Habibi was often surprised by his friend. He remembers walking into Abedini\u2019s college computer lab in Tehran in the early 2000s and seeing a strange but impressive site: a computer with its cover off and a fan blowing on the exposed innards. Abedini was pushing the computer to its limits, feeding GIS software massive amounts of location-based data to create an early <a href=\"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/en-us\/digital-twin\/overview\">digital twin<\/a> of Tehran as part of his undergraduate work in urban planning. (See snippets of that digital twin in the images throughout this article.)\r\n\r\nHabibi, now an associate professor of business and economics at California State University, says the episode was typical of Abedini: expanding the boundaries of his knowledge without drawing attention to himself.\r\n\r\n\u201cHe doesn't really try to impress you,\u201d Habibi says of his friend. \u201c[But] I could understand how much time and effort this [digital twin work] takes. And I think there were few people who could do that in Iran at the time, if any.\u201d\r\n<h3><strong>Proving the Value of Location Intelligence with Data Science<\/strong><\/h3>\r\nSix years ago, Abedini had a chance to bring that curiosity\u2014and his location intelligence and data science skills\u2014to consumer banking when he met with Ray White. White, now TD Bank\u2019s senior vice president and head of digital sales performance, had been trying to identify the factors that indicated a great location for a bank branch\u2014or store, in TD\u2019s parlance. Until then, the process had relied more on intuition and serendipity than data, White says."},{"acf_fc_layout":"sidebar","layout":"standard","image_reference":null,"image_reference_figure":"","spotlight_image":null,"section_title":"","spotlight_name":"","position":"Right","content":"<strong>Advice on Building a Team of Location-Savvy Analysts<\/strong>\r\n\r\nFor companies looking to build or strengthen an analytics practice, Ali Abedini\u2019s advice on <a href=\"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/en-us\/lg\/publications\/building-an-analytics-team-to-support-corporate-strategy\">this <em>WhereNext<\/em> webcast<\/a> is worth a listen.","snippet":""},{"acf_fc_layout":"content","content":"\u201cIt was more of, \u2018Hey, this location is opening up.\u2019\u201d he explains. \u201cAnd then we went backwards and actually made the business case in order to support that decision or that recommendation.\u201d\r\n\r\nWhite knew TD could use a science-based approach to assess markets and identify high-potential locations, and he sensed Abedini was the right person for the task.\r\n\r\nAbedini quickly saw the potential to expand TD\u2019s use of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/en-us\/arcgis\/about-arcgis\/overview\">GIS technology and data science<\/a>. He and his team analyzed hundreds of factors that contribute to a store's performance including the time it takes people to drive to the location and the popularity of online banking in the area.\r\n\r\nThe analysis was so advanced that it produced an estimate of the amount of bank deposits a regional manager could expect at each new location. When some managers questioned the accuracy of those projections, Abedini ran the GIS model on existing stores, and it predicted current deposits with startling accuracy.\r\n\r\nThe demonstration strengthened colleagues\u2019 faith in geospatial technology and in Abedini\u2019s team. \u201cOnce you get one project done right, then people can understand the value,\u201d he says. \u201cPeople need to see it in action.\u201d"},{"acf_fc_layout":"quote","image":482352,"text":"We use GIS to ultimately create a better experience for our customers by connecting our branch planning to their needs; it's more than just dots on a map.","author_name":"Abedini, TD Bank","author_profession_organization":""},{"acf_fc_layout":"content","content":"<h3><strong>A Demanding Leader Who Learns from His Team<\/strong><\/h3>\r\nNicole Bergman, a data scientist on Abedini\u2019s team, says he is both a challenging and encouraging manager, a combination she first noticed while working on the store analysis project.\r\n\r\n\u201cHe was there to support me, \u00a0but it was more like, \u2018This is your learning platform. You're going to take it and run,\u2019\u201d Bergman says.\r\n\r\nIn the early stages of that project, Bergman helped Abedini understand the nuances of TD\u2019s sales data. His willingness to learn impressed her. The project delivered useful insight to colleagues, and in its wake, Abedini\u2019s team faced a hazard of success\u2014a deluge of requests for new insight.\r\n\r\nAs the inquiries rolled in, Abedini noticed that Bergman was trying to juggle several projects at once. On a particularly hectic day, he intervened, asking her to do a simple exercise with him. First, she timed herself writing a specific phrase followed by a series of numbers. Then she repeated the process, except this time she interspersed the two, writing a letter, then a number until the sequence was complete.\r\n\r\nIt took her far longer, and Abedini asked how she had felt during the second run. \u201cMy anxiety was through the roof,\u201d she told him. His message: \u201cPeople need to stop trying to multitask because it really is not effective. If you need help prioritizing, we'll prioritize.\u201d"},{"acf_fc_layout":"quote","image":482362,"text":"The difference between the conventional statistics and geospatial analytics is that within the GIS, we see the output of our work right away.  That keeps the team excited and motivated to do more. ","author_name":"Abedini, TD Bank","author_profession_organization":""},{"acf_fc_layout":"content","content":"<h3><strong>Turning Data into a Strategy for Improved Customer Experience<\/strong><\/h3>\r\nIn his role as a collaborator, Abedini worked with colleagues in TD Bank\u2019s digital division to optimize the website experience for online customers. Some customers were using the website to sign up for checking or savings accounts that weren\u2019t a perfect fit, and in some cases that led to overdraft fees and even closed accounts.\r\n\r\n\u201cWhen you go in the store, you are interacting with humans, and they explain to you the different features\u2014\u2018Here is the overdraft fee policy; here is the minimum balance,\u2019\u201d Abedini says. But online, customers might not read all the information associated with each account.\r\n\r\nThe company wanted to ensure that online customers understood the products and could quickly gauge which were a good fit.\r\n\r\nAbedini and his team used GIS technology to mine insight from the physical world and apply it to the digital realm. In collaboration with the web team, and with the help of GIS analysis, they were able to help customers making informed decisions about the products and services. \u201cIt creates a good customer experience,\u201d Abedini says."},{"acf_fc_layout":"quote","image":482372,"text":"When [colleagues] present something about GIS, there's something in it that makes everybody excited. It doesn't matter if you've been in the field for 2 years, 30 years; once you use GIS, it's a new way of understanding the world. ","author_name":"Abedini, TD Bank","author_profession_organization":""},{"acf_fc_layout":"content","content":"<h3><strong>A Leader Who Is Always Learning<\/strong><\/h3>\r\nComputing power has increased since the days when Abedini was in college and had to cool his machine with a fan to manage data-heavy projects. The pace of business has increased, too. But some business fundamentals remain.\r\n\r\nFor Abedini, one enduring tenet is the importance of learning. \u201cEvery week, you need to learn something new,\u201d he says.\r\n\r\nHe created a forum for TD Bank\u2019s advanced analytics team to share insight, outside news, and sparks of inspiration.\r\n\r\n\u201cIt doesn't necessarily have to [involve] geospatial data analytics,\u201d he explains. \u201cThis is just an open forum [so] we know how society is changing and we learn about that. Because when you think about the customers\u2019 needs, that actually will help you to think more current.\u201d\r\n\r\nAnother core tenet Abedini relies on to fuel his GIS and data science work is one that propels elite businesses beyond simple data management toward data excellence and insight. It has earned Abedini and his team the trust of colleagues throughout TD Bank.\r\n\r\n\u201cKnowing when and where,\u201d Abedini explains, \u201cis a key to understanding what and why.\u201d\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<em>*Note: The opinions expressed in this article are the author\u2019s own and do not reflect the view of TD Bank.<\/em>"}],"references":null},"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v25.9 (Yoast SEO v25.9) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Ali Abedini of TD Bank Shares His View on Combining Data Science &amp; GIS<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Ali Abedini of TD Bank employs curiosity and collaboration as he and a team of data scientists push GIS technology to new heights.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" 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