Evo February Spotlight: Andrea Sperduti

Meet Andrea

This month, we’re going to get to know one of our data scientists, Andrea, a bit better.

Tell us a little about yourself, Andrea.

So I’m from Rome. I lived there basically since I was born, and I did my bachelor’s and masters’ degrees in Physics at the Tor Vergata University in Rome. Then, I decided I wanted to leave Italy to go abroad and try a new experience. That’s why I moved to Sweden in 2016 for my PhD.

When I moved to Sweden, I was not really sure what would happen. It was my first experience abroad, and everything was super new for me. But it went well. I ended up staying there for five years because that’s how long a PhD program lasts in Sweden. It was not just research, actually, but it was a proper job, which was a surprise at first. In Italy, you just focus on your PhD research and study, but at the university in Sweden, I also had other duties, like teaching, designing courses, and supervising bachelor’s students.

It was really fun! I met many people, and I’m still in touch with them. It was a significant experience.

What do you do for fun?

I’m basically a sports addict. I love a lot of sports. I used to play volleyball at the national level in the B League when I was in Rome. I’ve been playing volleyball for more than 15 years. When I moved to Sweden, I tried to keep playing, but the job was overwhelming, and I had to stop. So, for now, I just go to the gym. I like to go hiking. In winter I love skiing. I guess you could say that if it’s sports-related, I’m always up for it!

I love to read books and keep track of all the books I’m reading. I’m the kind of person who goes to bookshops and buys a stack of books and then gets home and realizes I have a bunch of books from other visits that I need to read! But it’s excellent; it keeps me busy.

I have a lot of passions, really. I’m in Mensa. I like to watch movies. I try to be as active as I can.

What do you do at Evo?

I’m on the Product team, working as a data scientist. It’s my first “real” job experience, if we’re not counting the PhD. I’m mainly working with the Supply Chain and Markdown tools on the Product team. We deliver clients tools that can recommend prices for particular items for particular sales campaigns and related things.

Right now, I’m interfacing with the greater world of replenishment. Replenish is Evo’s capital-t Tool, so that’s exciting. I basically collaborate with other data scientists on my team, but I also interface with Benedetto, Giuseppe, and Viola, who are from the Client team.

How’d you end up at Evo and not in a more physics-centric job?

When I was in the phase of my life where I was trying to understand what I wanted to do after my PhD, I saw the advertisement for the job at Evo. But I really didn’t have a lot of understanding about data scientists’ work. I only knew how to use these particular tools applied to physics. It was pretty new for me to apply them to a different field, especially the business world. So I wasn’t sure it was the right fit. I didn’t know who I was going to meet or what the company would be like. I just thought I’d try to see if I could get it.

But immediately, it felt right. When I did the initial test and spoke to our HR, I was already quite curious to meet more people at Evo. When I had the opportunity to meet Pietro and Elena, our lead data scientists, I was already so happy to join Evo. It has such a young environment, and everyone is so committed to what they do. People have so much experience with data analysis and a scientific approach to their work. I felt like it was the place where I wanted to be.

So many people had a background very similar to mine: a PhD in science and then moved to something different. So I felt like it could also work for me. I really wanted to be a part of Evo and immediately took the offer. After almost eight months at Evo, I can say that it was the best choice for me.

What do you love about your job?

I’m the kind of person who likes to put my hands on the code. I like to add some things to the code to make a tool better. When a client wants a new feature, we need to write down our thoughts and do a lot of planning to create something new. That’s what I like about this job. Coding is just something I really enjoy.

I also try to learn something new every day. I’m not the kind of person who likes to do the same thing over and over. I prefer to do several new things and solve problems in new ways because that’s how you learn. That’s also why I like this job. You definitely have new tasks often.

What’s the coolest thing you’ve learned since working at Evo?

The coolest thing I’ve learned is definitely using SQL, the programming language for databases and reading tables. This is not something you learn when doing a PhD, especially in science. When it comes to business problems, you have a massive amount of data stored somewhere, so you need to know SQL. I think it’s really cool.

Here at Evo, we have a lot of people who are super skilled at SQL, so every day, I’m learning something new and applying it to some unique tool or situation.

What’s the biggest challenge you’ve faced at Evo?

Coming from a scientific background, I’d never faced the business side of things. The biggest challenge for me was taking the client needs and actually putting them into the code. I knew how to use the tools, but there was a transition into thinking about it from the client perspective. It’s something that I had to learn because it wasn’t my background: trying to understand what the client wants and transforming it into efficient code.

At Evo, we are really lucky as a data science team. We have such a friendly Client team. They act as a bridge between the clients and us and make the work so much easier. So now it’s become more manageable, but it was my biggest challenge initially.

What excites you about Evo’s future?

I’d like to see Evo have a huge amount of very important clients. Big companies that need better supply chain and markdown strategies. That is where I see Evo growing in the future. That’s our passion, and it has to be followed for a bright future.

From a personal perspective, I’d like to grow inside the company and develop many skills that can be useful for the future. I’d like to become more and more important to the company by taking on big responsibilities. Because if you have big responsibilities, it means you’re good at your job and making a difference. That’s what I’d like to see in the future.

What is it like working on the Evo team?

My teammates are amazing. The people on the Product team are so nice. Every time you need help, do something wrong, or something isn’t working, the second you write it in the chat, they rush to answer you. They are really good about doing this, and they are always so helpful. It’s very nice to work with them.

When I’m here in the office, it’s even better. You can take a coffee break, tell a joke, and have fun with them. It’s really, really nice. Of course, it’s also true for the Client team and Operations and Marketing. Having a mix of people in the office and chatting makes everything better.

What advice do you have for anyone interested in becoming a part of the EvoFamily?

If you want to join the Evo team, you need to be enthusiastic, especially about working with data. You also need to be flexible because you will end up doing a lot of different things at the same time. You need to have the mentality that lets you easily switch from one topic to another one.

Of course, you also need to be a nice person. You need to be a kind person who likes to work with other people and enjoys the company of your teammates.

As for the skills, keep in mind that it’s not always necessary to have all the possible technical skills you will use on the job. You can also learn them when you are working. That’s important to remember.

Anything else you think people should know about Evo?

I don’t know; not really. I really like working here. It’s an excellent environment. I’m looking forward to going to my first EvoCon in the summer. I think it’s really all just a positive experience.

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