Workforce decisions are increasingly data-driven. But according to Anthony Holly, senior director of strategic advisory at Magnit, that is not always the same as being insight-driven.
At the Global Talent Strategy & Intelligence Conference, Holly will make the case for going beyond reports and dashboards. He believes the real value of data lies in how it is translated, explained and acted upon.
“You can give someone a number, but that does not mean anything unless they understand the story behind it. Data needs context. Without it, it is just another slide.”
Holly’s team supports more than six hundred global clients, helping them interpret labour market data in a way that actually moves decisions forward. Whether it is pay rates for software engineers or supply trends for logistics staff, the challenge is rarely the absence of data. The challenge is helping stakeholders make sense of it in real time.
One of the tools he uses is Giant, a labour market platform that offers insight into European workforce dynamics. “It gives you access to real benchmarks and trends, but the value comes from knowing what to do with it. That is where strategy begins.”
During the pandemic, Holly and his team built crisis dashboards within days, connecting workforce data with public health data to help clients identify risk zones and act quickly. More recently, they applied that same approach to track wildfire evacuations in California and advise clients which employees were affected. “That is not about pretty graphs. That is about protecting people and continuity.”
“Business intelligence is not about real-time numbers. It is about real-time relevance.”
Holly sees this role expanding in the coming years. From climate data to regional cost shifts, the goal is not just to report on the present but to help prepare for the future.
“Clients do not just want to know where their workforce is today. They want to know where they should hire next year, what it will cost, and how to stay competitive. You cannot get that from a spreadsheet alone.”
He will share more about this approach at the Global Talent Strategy & Intelligence Conference this September in Amsterdam, where he joins other global experts to explore how data, AI and strategy intersect in the evolving world of work.
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