Zilinka Jiang awarded Actuaries Institute AI scholarship

Zilinka Jiang has been named the recipient of the 2024 Actuaries Institute Women Leaders in AI / Data Science Scholarship, a collaboration between the Actuaries Institute and Chief Executive Women (CEW).

This scholarship provides Ms Jiang the opportunity to attend the Executive Program in Leadership at Stanford Graduate School of Business in the United States, aimed at enhancing leadership skills in data science and Artificial Intelligence (AI).

With 15 years of experience, Ms Jiang has been pivotal in leading transformative data-driven projects across telecommunications, retail, and finance. She is currently the Executive Data Science at Quantium and has made significant contributions to AI and data science at a global level.

Ms Jiang noted some of her key accomplishments, which include transforming hospital planning during the COVID-19 pandemic, creating a personalisation engine for a US bank, and optimising insurance portfolios. Her work has been influential in mentoring and guiding over 100 data scientists around the world.

"Through this scholarship, I hope to gain new insights and skills that will help me scale data science excellence within our organisation. I am focused on building high-performing teams that can deliver innovative AI solutions while also fostering an inclusive culture that encourages diverse talent to thrive. My goal is to drive outcomes that improve the lives of everyday Australians through data-driven decision making," said Ms Jiang.

"I am incredibly excited and honoured to have been awarded this scholarship. It is a wonderful recognition of my journey so far, and I look forward to using this opportunity to grow as a leader and create an even greater impact in the field of data science. This win is not just for me, but also for the team and the women in STEM I hope to inspire to pursue their dreams of leading in this field," she added.

The award highlights the significance of nurturing leadership in AI and data science, particularly as these fields continue to contribute to addressing pressing global challenges such as climate change and inequality.

Actuaries Institute CEO Elayne Grace stated, "This scholarship is a testament to our commitment to fostering female leadership in data science and AI. It is essential to support and develop leaders who can harness the power of data and AI to address the pressing challenges of our time. We are proud to support Zilinka Jiang in her journey and look forward to the impact she will make."

Ms Jiang is scheduled to be a plenary speaker at AI.Con 2024: Data to the Power of AI, an event hosted by The Actuaries Institute in Sydney on 7 November 2024, which will focus on innovation in data and AI. Among other notable speakers is Dr Cassie Kozyrkov, the former Chief Decision Scientist at Google.