Join Data Talks

In this episode of Data Talks, Wolfgang Fengler sits down with Michael Joseph, the legendary CEO who built Safaricom into one of Africa’s most successful companies and helped pioneer mobile money and digital inclusion across the continent.

From being “sent to fail” in a challenging market to creating a multi-billion-dollar enterprise that redefined how people connect, Michael shares candid insights into leadership, risk-taking, and why trusting your instincts can sometimes outperform data itself.

They explore the early days of Kenya’s mobile revolution, the power of serving consumers at the base of the economic pyramid, and why “never underestimate Africa” remains his lasting message.

Tune in for a conversation that blends business wisdom, digital foresight, and the story of a leader who helped shape an entire nation’s technological destiny.

🔗 Learn more at worlddatalab.com
Data Talks is produced by World Data Lab, bringing global data to life through insights, conversations, and stories that matter.

Join Data Talks

Host Wolfgang Fengler speaks with Jesús Crespo Cuaresma, Head of the Department of Economics at the Vienna University of Economics and Business and a long-time collaborator of World Data Lab (WDL). They discuss Crespo’s journey into economics, the art and science of forecasting, and the future of socioeconomic modelling in an uncertain world.

The episode captures the essence of why data matters: using rigorous yet humble science to make sense of the future, balancing complexity with clarity, and optimism with realism.

🔗 Learn more at worlddatalab.com
Data Talks is produced by World Data Lab, bringing global data to life through insights, conversations, and stories that matter.

Join Data Talks

In this episode of Data Talks, Wolfgang Fengler speaks with Marta Bowles, Chief Communications Officer at NIQ, about how high-quality data, and the AI built on top of it, is reshaping decisions for brands and retailers. Marta traces her path from CPG and direct selling to leading communications at a global consumer-intelligence company, reflecting on what’s changed (and what hasn’t) in the marriage of marketing, data, and technology.

They dive into why Gen X is an under-served growth engine (and how much spending brands may be leaving on the table), how younger generations expect personalization by default, and why granularity, down to panels, SKUs, and omnichannel behaviors, matters more than ever. Marta also shares NIQ’s platform shift, the role of human judgment alongside AI, and practical ways companies can use data to move faster and smarter.

Topics: generational spending (Gen X vs Gen Z), data quality as AI’s fuel, omni data and panels, IPO-era transformation, and career advice for the next generation entering insights.

🔗 Learn more at worlddatalab.com
Data Talks is produced by World Data Lab, bringing global data to life through insights, conversations, and stories that matter.