STAR Rtn. Ronald Martinez: The Analytics and IT Guy Who Makes a Big Difference in the Business World

In this interview, STAR Rtn. Ronald shares the nature of his job, the most rewarding as well as the most challenging part of it. Read on and find out how this ‘agent of change’ is bridging the gap between management and technology, and how he is making a difference by providing actionable recommendations to executives and stakeholders to improve businesses. On a lighter note, find out his interests and hobbies, and what he did when he appeared on national television.

Business analytics is changing the way the companies work and thrive. Many businesses integrate new technologies to record, monitor and utilize data to improve processes, streamline operations, increase efficiency, personalize marketing and identify new business opportunities, among other benefits.

Meet STAR Rtn. Ronald Martinez, an expert in analyzing data trends, delivering data-driven recommendations and introducing change to businesses.

Rhea Vitto Tabora (RVT): Business analytics and IT systems – what drew you to these fields?

STAR Rtn. Ronald Martinez (RM): Being in analytics and IT, I think, was the result of what was going on back in the 90s. I ventured into IT just after the dot.com bubble burst in 2000, not because this idea failed, but because of what was technically accomplished and the potential disruption it could enable in the future. The infancy stage of the internet was the world of my youth. At that time, I was curious to understand how business and tech could intersect, so joining P&G was a fortunate first step for me to see how a business institution of its size and class would apply all these emerging technologies. In hindsight, luck and timing were also on my side as my personal situation and what roles were available at that time aligned perfectly.

RVT: What is the most rewarding part about your job?

RM: The most rewarding part about this job is when new insights and learnings uncovered through our work is understood and actioned by the business. When we elicit 'Aha's' from a group or see things done differently because of a new learning, then we are able to add value. So, when we do get it right, an organization can improve its capacity, reliability, and effectiveness and can impact results in a larger, more sustainable, and more meaningful way.

RVT: How about the most challenging?

RM: The most challenging part of this job is changing minds and winning hearts. Analytics is still a black box to many and there are still countless businesses out there today who still operate based on gut, political agenda, or anecdotal information. Culture is a key challenge and shifting it is the most critical pre-step towards fully maximizing and unleashing the opportunities analytics can help enable.

RVT: What was the most interesting project you have worked on? What was the most innovative recommendation you have presented to your upper management?

RM: I'd say the most interesting project I've worked on (as well as the most innovative one) was setting up Gillette's big data analytics capability. When I was leading analytics for Gillette in Boston back in 2017, we had mounting pressure from tech start-ups disrupting our business and aggressively taking valuable market share (i.e., Dollar Shave Club, Harry's, Amazon Basic), learning about the competition where they were winning, and with which consumers were critical pieces of information, we needed to build the most cost effective and penetrating competitive response action plan. To meet the challenge, our big data solution was set up utilizing millions of data points across dozens of data sources to help paint the North American eCommerce competitive landscape. Anonymized and syndicated data on everything from news/magazine circulation routes, retail store outlets POS data, ethnographic and psychographic information, emailed receipt mining/data scraping, and government census data, to name a few, were consolidated to a point where we could triangulate competitive information enough to know where to drop samples, which stores to promote, and which areas and type of copy to run advertisements in. This level of precision and set of insights, in the hands of data-driven leaders, allowed us to maximize investment ROI and effectiveness of our programs.

RVT: What are your favorite and least favorite technology products, and why?

RM: My favorite tech product is also my least favorite, a love hate relationship that many can relate to. It would come as no surprise that product would be the smart phone (since 2007, the year the first iPhone came out). It has disrupted the way we go about our lives and has connected us in ways never seen throughout humanity's history. It has given us countless applications that have made us more productive and effective, at work or leisure. All the world's information were at our fingertips. On the flipside, I've given up my privacy to use it and kept myself connected to work 24/7 – you win some and you lose some, I guess!

RVT: What do you think would you be doing if you weren't at your current profession?

RM: Throughout my childhood, something was always being built around me – a home, an office, or any of the countless renovations done to it. I was fascinated by architecture and interior design and thought for quite sometime that I’d be doing this. I thought the history, art and technical skill involved in building design was beautiful and interesting!

RVT: What are your interests and hobbies? What do you do when you are not at work?

RM: I love anything outdoors. I love hiking or skiing when out in the mountains, and I love scuba diving and surfing when I'm out on the water. These pandemic days, however, I enjoy playing golf instead, given the limited options. When indoors, I love to try cooking different recipes I find interesting on YouTube, listening to my records and playing video games.

RVT: What are you passionate about?

RM: Apart from my craft, I'm also passionate about people – understanding, coaching, and helping them grow. I believe developing others also allows us to learn just as much about ourselves as we go through the process. Beginning in 2020, I've also developed a passion for health and fitness – putting in the time and discipline to reverse decades of abuse I've put my mind and body through.

RVT: Please share something about yourself that your fellow Rotarians might not readily know.

RM: I've danced on live national television. It was a great demonstration of the talent or credentials I did NOT have. Why did I get on the show you might ask? You can say I did it for love. My wife was a part of this dance group and they needed back up – the rest is history.

RVT: What inspired you to join the Rotary Club of Manila?

RM: PDSA Jason Bogovich invited me to one of its RCM membership meetings sometime early 2018, shortly after I had just moved back to the Philippines. And then again, I was invited to one of its Oktoberfest socials, the year after. Sitting through the program and meeting the various members throughout those two occasions, I particularly noticed the unique culture of the group – a culture founded on mutual respect and a shared passion for giving back to the community in meaningful ways. With what's going on in the world today, I thought being part of the solution and being among like-minded friends would be a knockout combination!