Meet... Alexander Thamm
Alexander Thamm | Founder and CEO @ Alexander Thamm GmbH
Alexander Thamm, is founder, CEO and pioneer in the field of Data and AI. His mission is to generate real added value from data and to restore Germany’s and Europe’s international competitiveness. He is a founding member of the German AI Association, a wanted keynote speaker, and author of numerous publications. In 2012 he founded [at], the first data science consultancy in Germany. Today, the company is one of the leading Data and AI consultancies in the German-speaking region.
#7 questions to Alexander about him and the DATA festival…
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# With which three words would you describe the DATA festival?
Data & AI, Leading community, Joy
# Why did you want to launch the DATA festival?
5 years ago, data & AI wasn’t as much of a topic for European conferences as it is today. The ones focused on data & AI where either pretty boring with people in suits or not in Europe.
We wanted to create something cool and innovative for people to join and share their passion for data in a more festival-like and open and playful atmosphere. A safe place where the people really doing data & AI on a daily basis could share their successes and more importantly their failures. I was personally fed up with conferences where everybody shares fantastic ROI’s and high level results, where as an expert from the frontline you could easily see it’s fake. We are bringing together the “real” data AI community – people who have an impact with a slight focus on Europe.
And go deep, have advertising and vendor-content as low as financially possible.
# What was your best DATA festival-moment over the last years?
I love our parties – we had a 4.95 of 5.0 evaluation last time in Munich – so I am not the only one who enjoyed them so far. Looking forward to March 2022 where we (fingers-crossed) can meet again.
Also, I was stoked to have more than 2000 people on our last online event – adding online events to our portfolio was great to reach more people and win some new bright minds for the community. Like Divya from Zattoo for example!
# How would you like to have an impact on the DATA community?
I strongly believe that data & AI will change the world for good. Humanity is facing a lot of global issues like climate change and pandemics. Data & AI today is like the Internet before the Millenium – maybe even more of a disruptive potential than the Internet. It lies in the hands of a few “enlightened minds” who understand that and are generating huge profits and impact with this new technology already. Sharing this power – charged with human-centered ethics – will be elemental to create a democratic and sustainable future. The power of data & AI cannot ly in the hands of a few companies like in the US or dictated by the government like in China. Also, I would love to see Europeans to catch up in the race for data & AI.
# What is your passion besides DATA?
My Son Leonard and my wife Cordula. Everything with a board under my feet and being outside in nature.
# What is your festival must have?
The great people, open and honest sharing, the joint spirit of pushing the industry forward
# If I would not be working with DATA, I…
would not be living in the present.