A MALMESBURY woman has been named as one of Women in Data's top 20 ambassadors for 2019.

Janet Snedden, who has a career in marketing and data analytics spanning more than 30 years, was named as one of the Twenty in Data and Technology.

She is highly regarded as an expert within her field, and has helped world-leading brands to thrive, including Jaguar Land Rover, Emirates, Lloyds Banking Group, Unilever and Diageo.

Talking about her inclusion achievement, Ms Snedden said: “It is an honour to feature in this year’s Twenty in Data and Technology.

"With only one female for every five men entering the industry, there is an urgency to redress this imbalance, not least because historic bias baked into data sets today needs to be carefully handled to avoid perpetuating this into the future.

“Women also bring important skills to the data and technology sector, such as empathy, balance, creativity and collaboration. As we grapple with the application and ethics of artificial intelligence in today’s digital economy, it is important that there is diversity in driving the agenda for how we harness data for good.

"I am proud to be recognised as a leader in driving that agenda forward and I very much hope that I can succeed in inspiring other women to advance their STEM careers in analytical disciplines.”

Rachel Keane, co-founder of Women in Data UK, added: “Twenty in Data and Technology was created to showcase women for their success, innovation, leadership or courage. Janet Snedden is another fine ambassador who will be a visible example to inspire women at all stages of their careers."

In 2017, Ms Stedden established CustomerKIND, consultancy that draws upon her experience to help brands put customers first and be more digitally-aware.

For the first time for Twenty in Data and Technology, Janet is joined on the 2019 list by her sister, Chrissie Fletcher, whose separate inclusion as one of the 20 recognises her achievements as a statistician.

Sarah Hooper, who nominated Ms Stedden, said: ": “Janet is a legend in our industry, highly respected for pioneering a data-driven approach to marketing and helping clients to achieve advantage via analytics.

Against the backdrop of a male-dominated leadership group, she has stood out for her integrity and bravery in tackling important challenges whilst galvanising teams across disciplines to get results.”