And the 2020 BA of the Year Winner is…….

Posted by AssistKD News Editor

This week sees the European BA conference in full swing with one of the regular highlights the BA of the Year Award. 

This year saw a range of high calibre entries, so much so that the judges selected 8 rather than the normal 5 finalists. The 8 finalists attended an interview day on September 4th and from this talented field we are pleased to announce the winner is Taz Wafa. 

Many congratulations to Taz particularly in the face of such strong competition.

Taz is a BA Manager with the Bank of England. He realised early in his career that too many projects were driven by technology and not derived from business needs, which caused him to seek a career in business analysis. He feels that BAs add most value when they are independent, representing the best interests of the business, and offer impartial and objective advice based on thorough analysis, research and understanding of the real business problems and issues.

In selecting Taz as the winner, the judges highlighted:

"An outstanding BA practice leader, a true ambassador for the profession and a team manager who prioritises his people's health and well-being."

The other finalists are as follows along with the judges' summary of their achievements. 

STEVEN ASQUITH

"Thinks out of the box, drawing on experience outside business analysis to develop highly creative solutions, which engage a wide range of stakeholders with differing needs and personalities, in the midst of a rapidly changing environment."

WILLIAM GALL

"A resilient, empathetic change professional with a vision for how the BA roles in his team could evolve to support the strategic direction of the organisation.

SEAN MURPHY

"Established a BA Academy with a goal not only of raising professional standards, but supporting people's development through IIBA mentoring programmes."

JAY NAIR

"A T-shaped BA who has a proven ability to support the full project lifecycle, a special interest in AI and the impact it will have on the BA role of the future." 

NEAL RICKETTS

"Instrumental in promoting the indispensability of BAs in Agile projects within his organisation. Committed to continuous improvement, ensuring BA skills remain relevant and supporting young BAs through their first steps into the profession."

GARY RIVENBERG

"A dedicated, creative and passionate BA, who is both a thought leader and advocate for design thinking, as a method for co-creating value with the end user." 

PILAR SCULLION

"A forensic Senior BA with a rare ability to deliver highly complex data in a way which is accessible to her stakeholders. One of her ambitions is to use her experience to boost the confidence of up and coming BAs."

Thanks to all who were involved and helping to make this a real showcase of exceptional BA talent.  

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