Sailor excels in newfound passion

For a passionate data buff, Army Data Hub is the place to be.

CAPTION: Chief Petty Officer Karen Lewis performs her role as a Navy Business Analyst. Story by Flight Lieutenant Marina Power. Photo by Leading Aircraftwoman Paris Rigney.

After a successful 24-year career in the Navy, followed by seven years as a reservist, Chief Petty Officer Karen Lewis found her true calling in business and data analytics.

Growing up in Hervey Bay, Queensland, Chief Petty Officer Lewis had no idea where her career would take her.

Now back to her favourite part of Australia, living in Arundel on the Gold Coast, she enjoys the convenience of working remotely and doing the job she loves.

It all started with a curious mind and Microsoft Excel. For those brave enough to delve deep into the mystical queries and formulas of Excel, a whole new world can be opened up.

For Chief Petty Officer Lewis, it all began with a pivot table – an easy enough function in Excel that groups data and allows for basic analysis.

It introduced her to the vast possibilities of data analysis tools she later found through initiative, Google searching, YouTube and a logical mind.

From the basics to advanced, she mastered Excel and is now progressing to SQL databases and data engineering.

Now on continuous full-time service and working in a triservice environment at the Army Data Hub as a business analyst, Chief Petty Officer Lewis is surrounded by like-minded data enthusiasts.

In a team environment where knowledge sharing is the modus operandi, Chief Petty Officer Lewis ensures data project owners are well versed in the necessary processes in the Army Data Hub project space.

She brings stakeholders’ projects to fruition by bridging the gap between the business and data engineering requirements, ensuring all projects are delivered effectively and resources used efficiently.

“Sometimes it’s almost liaison type of work,” Chief Petty Officer Lewis said.

“As part of the Army Data Hub operations team, we listen to the stakeholders’ requirements and provide guidance to how we can assist them with their project, even when the project owner may not know exactly what they want.

“We then work with our data engineers and developers to find the best way to deliver the project.

“That is where my passion for data and good communication skills really come through as I become the conduit between the Army Data Hub and the project owners, assisting them with all requirements from the on-boarding of their project to the deployment of their solution into the production environment.”

With Chief Petty Officer Lewis’s support, projects are delivered and the customer walks away with detailed project documentation.

“Maintaining an oversight of the project from an operations perspective, managing stakeholder relationships and putting to use my technical skills, means I am also best placed to prepare project documentation,” she said.

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