PWC On The Hunt For 1,000 Data Scientists
Some in the industry might still be questioning what a data scientist does that is different from a traditional data professional but accountancy giant PwC is in no doubt; it plans to hire up to 1,000 of them to boost its acquisitions business.
The company, which already employs 500 data scientists in its $5bn (£3.45bn) global deals operation, plans to triple that number over the next 18 to 24 months, in recognition of increasing client and buyer demand for advanced data-driven insight when making an acquisition or divestment decision.
PwC global head of deals John Dwyer said the investment will allow the firm to boost the development of its services and deliver transformational insights to clients throughout the deal cycle.
Dwyer said: “The combination of technology and strategy will be key to how the deal landscape evolves in the next ten years.”
PwC said it is looking for data engineers, statisticians and machine-learning experts from different sectors, including technology, healthcare and scientific academia. The deal business includes transactions, restructuring and forensic services.
Henri Leveque, who has been promoted to the global deals leadership team after being appointed head of data and analytics last year, said, “The deep insights that can be driven through the sophisticated analysis of high-volume data are playing an increasingly vital part of deal execution. Buyers now expect to understand risks and opportunities in far greater detail before making significant investment decisions."
