Introducing Patricia Ikari | Careers at Megantic

Patricia Ikari is our Data Analyst. She began working with Megantic in November 2018 as a Data & Web Administrator and was promoted in 2022 to her current position. Her data analysis for our clients and company as a whole has resulted in huge impacts across all departments.

I spoke with Patty about her career growth at Megantic. Read about her journey below.

Hey Patty, how are you?

I’m great, thank you! 

How would you describe your role at Megantic?

I’m the Data Analyst here at Megantic, so my day mainly involves creating insights to develop strategic new processes and ways to improve our project management delivery. I perform exploratory data analysis for management activities and produce dashboards to identify opportunities to continue to grow the business.

What kind of tools do you use for your data collection? 

I use Google Analytics as my primary place to collect data as it is where the most comprehensive data on our client’s website performance is found. I also use Google Search Console, Semrush, and Adobe Analytics for clients on Adobe websites.

And what tools do you use for data reporting? Are you a Microsoft Excel or Google Sheets person?

Tough question! I love Microsoft Excel, I find it to be very intuitive and I’m able to create analysis to develop a dashboard later. I also use Google Looker Studio and Megantic’s custom built CRM. Looker Studio is very flexible as I can connect different sources of data, such as Excel, Google Analytics, Google Sheets and Search Console, to create dashboards and provide insights.

Can you give us your favourite Google Sheets/Excel formula?

I love the VLOOKUP formula. I use it when I need to find things in a table or a range by row. Usually when I need to combine 2 or more files in 1 through the columns they have in common.

=VLOOKUP(What you want to look up, where you want to look for it, the column number in the range containing the value to return, return an Approximate or Exact match – indicated as 1/TRUE, or 0/FALSE).

That’s a good one! Where did you learn so much about data and what piqued your interest in the first place?

I had great leaders throughout my life that taught me so much. It was around 2012 when I was a Project Manager and built a Project Management Officer together with my team lead. It was my first approach to measure performance and closely monitored the results of the area towards the strategic goals of the company. A year and a half later, I moved to a financial planning area where I was managing the results of different areas and performances of the whole company, creating KPIs, monitoring forecasts, and creating executive summary reports. At that moment, I understood the power of data in facilitating the achievement of goals and keeping the team together to achieve that objective and just because the data was clear, it gives the opportunity to take action and see the results.

How are you continuing to learn on the job and outside of work hours?

I work on my professional and networking relationships by joining meetups and groups including She Loves Data and ITBR, a group for Brazilians working in IT in Australia. I also visit medium.com frequently as a tool to read topics related to data analysis, visualisation and technology. I’ve been reading a lot about data visualisations recently and found a very comprehensive article that reviews some interesting visualisations. Check it out here.

Not just analysing data, but having the ability to tell a story out of numbers is very important. 

I also heard that you were one of the mentors in Megantic’s mentorship program this year. What did that involve and how did you find it?

Megantic’s mentorship program is an opportunity for us to provide pathways into the workforce for women in digital and promote future leaders. It provided students with a chance to learn more about what full-time work in a digital marketing agency involves and to learn specific digital marketing skills, such as campaign management, reporting, data and client interactions.

It made me really proud to be part of this and to be able to share my experience with data and how data can be used in digital marketing. Being an inspiration for the next generation and seeing their engagement was extremely rewarding.

What was the best piece of advice you have received and do you have any of your own for aspiring Data Analysts?

I once heard to stay curious and be hungry for knowledge. It’s true that this career is full of consistent learning and growth. My advice is get a mentor or join a community. No course will teach you what an experienced professional can share from their real life. 

Thanks for chatting with us Patty. We’re excited to see where the future takes you and how you will continue to grow with Megantic.