Bingqian Gao

MSc Economics and Management 2014

Bingqian Gao is a pioneer and role model for women in data analytics and tech. She made history as the first female Certified Expert of Alteryx in the world. Since then, Bingqian’s remarkable achievements have earned her prestigious accolades, including being named as one of the Most Influential Women in UK Tech, the Advocate of the Year and Data Leader of the Year at the Women in IT Awards, and Asian Women of Achievement.

As the Senior Director of Global Advanced Analytics at Aktana, an AI-driven company that fuels intelligent customer engagement in the life sciences industry, Bingqian firmly believes in the power of Analytics and Data Science to uncover insights and inform better decision-making. She is passionate about data story-telling, mental well-being, diversity and inclusion, and supporting the next generation of talent. Her initiative, the Women in Data Hackathon, supported over 300 women from 41 countries to learn and practise analytical skills, tangibly bridging the diversity gap in data and technology. It was recognised by the Lord Mayor’s Dragon Award in 2021 under the "Inclusive Employment Award" category and named the DEI Initiative of the Year by Women in IT Awards 2021.
She also co-founded the non-profit community Tiny Viz Talks which provides a friendly space for novel data presenters to bring more inclusion to the presenting world.

We are not defined by our past, successes or failures. I believe each of us is capable of multiple careers, and that skills accumulated in one world, when driven by curiosity and an experimental mindset, can unlock extraordinary things in another.

In 2024, Bingqian embarked on a new journey as a professional freediver and ocean storyteller. Drawing on her background in data, Bingqian supports marine conservation while her creative work receives international recognition. Her portfolio of mobula rays won the Dr Sylvia Earle Award of Excellence for Endangered Marine Animals, and her underwater wildlife photography has been published in Oceanographic Magazine and exhibited in museums and galleries internationally, including in Singapore, Spain, the UAE, the UK, and the Netherlands.