In this episode, co-hosts Emma McGrattan and Ole Olesen-Bagneux sit down with Tim Wiegels, Executive Data Advisor and former VP of Data at FreeNow. Known for his brutally honest and refreshingly pragmatic take on building data teams, stacks, and cultures, Tim shares lessons from a career spanning gaming, mobility, and high-growth tech.

Together, they explore:

• Tim’s journey from bioinformatics PhD to startup veteran and strategic advisor.

• Why he believes your first hire shouldn’t be a data scientist—or even a data engineer.

• The rise of the analytics engineer and why Excel skills still matter more than most admit.

• The myth of the all-knowing centralized data team—and how to rethink service, ownership, and collaboration in real-world enterprises.

🎧 Tune in for an unfiltered, field-tested look at what it really takes to move organizations from spreadsheet chaos to data-driven confidence.

Hosted on Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.