Hi, I'm Mark Barrett.

I help businesses innovate with data. With 15 years experience in data science, automation and analytics I have a strong track record of turning ideas into useful tools that generate revenue and make businesses more efficient.

Data Dive Ltd.
Find me on LinkedIn
COMMON DATA CHALLENGES

Most companies sit on valuable data — they just don't use it properly. They know the opportunity is there, but they just need someone who can you unlock its value.

  • Too many spreadsheets
    Businesses are often drowning in spreadsheets, making it impossible to get a clear, reliable view of what’s really happening. When the spreadsheet creator is absent or has left the company, it becomes difficult to unpick their work for fear of breaking something critical.
    1
  • No clear data strategy
    Without a focused data strategy, companies pull in different directions and progress stalls. Decisions become reactive rather than intentional, and even well-meaning projects lose momentum. A clear strategy aligns people, processes, and technology around shared priorities - making it possible to unlock value, move faster, and build confidently for the future.
    2
  • Reports that can’t be trusted
    Leaders can’t make confident decisions because the reporting is inconsistent, unclear, or simply not trusted. Spreadsheets circulate with names like final_report_v3.1_Dec.xlsx, yet no one is sure which version is correct - or whether any of them are accurate.
    3
  • Teams working in silos
    Departments operate in isolation, meaning cross-department insights are missed and valuable data never reaches the people who need it. Often the same data is duplicated across multiple teams, but in slightly different ways, creating even more confusion.
    4
  • Manual processes everywhere
    Critical tasks rely on slow, error-prone manual work that drains time and creates unnecessary risk. If someone is off sick, others are left unable to update or complete essential tasks, creating bottlenecks across the business.
    5
  • Great ideas that never get delivered
    Innovative ideas surface all the time, but without the right support and capability, those ideas never turn into real products. Momentum is lost, enthusiasm fades, and opportunities to improve the business pass by.
    6
Creating foundations
Creating energy
I love what I do - meeting people, understanding their challenges, and building high-performing teams that deliver great work. I bring energy, clarity, and momentum, helping teams lean into innovation and become confident problem-solvers.
I help you understand where your data lives, improve data quality, overcome internal politics, and create a single source of truth. With the right modelling, automation, and visualisation in place, your organisation can finally trust and use its data.
Cloud infrastructure, modern data pipelines, dashboards, automated workflows, and machine learning–ready datasets - I build the foundations that help your teams work faster, experiment confidently, and make clear, data-backed decisions.
Bringing data together
Building your data team
Innovating with data
Data strategy & advice
Whether you’re hiring your first data role or scaling a full function, I help you identify the right roles across analytics, data engineering, data science, and AI. I support you through interviews, capability assessments, and shaping a team that adds real value and thrives.
From identifying quick wins to running hackdays, I help teams spot commercial opportunities, automate painful processes, and create intelligent tools powered by data science and AI. The goal: innovation that actually lands and delivers value.
Clear, practical guidance for leaders who want to use data to grow their business. I help you define your priorities, understand what’s possible with analytics, AI, automation, and machine learning, and build a realistic strategy the business can actually deliver.
HOW I HELP

WHY DO COMPANIES HIRE ME?

  • In summary

    • Leaders trust me.
    • Teams enjoy working with me.
    • Projects that matter get delivered.
    • I leave a lasting impact that sets you up for success long after I’ve gone.

  • Technical expertise with a people first approach


    I bring deep experience across data science, analytics, engineering, automation, and AI - but I communicate in a way that’s clear, human, and easy to engage with. I make complex work understandable, create alignment across the business, and help teams move forward together rather than in silos.

  • Award-winning experience

    • Top 50 Creative Companies in England
    • Top 50 “New Radicals” in the UK
    • Top 50 Healthcare Innovators (HSJ)
    • Created the first Open Data app to reach #1 on iTunes


  • The difference companies experience

    I’ve helped organisations unlock hundreds of thousands of pounds in new value by automating key processes, building data teams from scratch, and introducing new ways of working. Clients describe me as calm, reassuring, collaborative, and genuinely enjoyable to partner with. They value my ability to deliver fast, high-quality solutions, spot opportunities others miss, and bring clarity to complex problems.

    Check out my testimonials below...

  • My key skills


    • Friendly, approachable, and easy to work with
    • Expert-level data science, engineering, analytics, AI, and automation
    • Making complex work simple and understandable
    • Identifying commercial value quickly
    • Building high-performing, enthusiastic teams
    • Fast, prioritised deliverable - always to a very high standard
THREE WAYS COMPANIES WORK WITH ME

Your business, your people, your priorities.

Choose the level of support that works best for you. My approach is collaborative, calm, and focused on real business outcomes. I integrate with your teams so we can solve problems together and build momentum quickly.

  • One day workshops

    Sometimes you just need someone to ask, “What’s the smartest way to approach this?”


    After an initial call, we can arrange a day or two to bounce ideas around to suggest and explore


    • opportunities in your data
    • automation ideas
    • process improvements
    • team structure
    • new product concepts
    • technical direction
    • AI & ML use cases

    The workshops are structured around creating a funnel of ideas that turns into actionable achievable and proitorised projects

  • A few days a month

    For when you need hands-on expertise without hiring full-time. This typically involves:


    • immersing myself in your projects
    • guiding teams on delivery
    • coaching managers and analysts
    • shaping data strategy
    • running hackdays
    • identifying quick wins
    • reviewing technical approaches
    • writing job specs & interviewing candidates

    You determine the speed of progress with the number of days, to build momentum, clarity, and progress every month.

  • A longer term partnership

    For businesses that want to genuinely transform how they use data. This is where I:


    • build and scale your data team
    • bring data from across the business into a central platform
    • identify and deliver automation
    • develop dashboards, KPIs, and reporting frameworks
    • introduce AI/ML into your organisation
    • run innovation sessions and workshops
    • strengthen your data culture
    • support board-level strategy and communication
    • help your teams become confident, capable, and self-sufficient

    This is where the biggest change happens — in capability, confidence, and commercial outcomes.

PRODUCTS I'VE RECENTLY CREATED
Building products is where my creativity, curiosity, and commercial thinking meet. I really enjoy learning new techniques, experimenting with different approaches, and refining ideas until they turn into useful tools. Over time I've realised that I love creating innovation, and data is the medium that enables me to bring my ideas to life. Here are some of the products I created over the last 12 months...
GetStrategy transforms scattered notebooks, half-ideas, and brain dumps into a clear, focused strategy. It's simple. It works. And there's no bloat!
To get you started, I created an AI chatbot that interviews you and turns your chat into a fully formed strategy. It creates your goal, the main objectives you need to achieve it and splits it into tasks, and bite-sized, achievable subtasks that you can tick off as you complete them. As you tick items off your list, your progress towards each element progresses too so you can see how your strategy is working. Progress flows from subtasks to tasks, to objectives, all the way up to your vision. (And yes, there's confetti 🎉)

PLUS its free for individual use, or upgrade to use it to collaborate with your team. Try it out.
VIEW WEBSITE
TESTIMONIALS
  • Paul Walsh
    Co-Founder

    Mark is a true innovator in data science, automation, and business innovation. He didn't just introduce data science into our operations; he cultivated a data-driven culture that has revolutionised the business. His contributions have been crucial to our success, making a significant impact. Mark fit seamlessly into the senior leadership team and quickly became a key player in driving the business forward."

  • Ben Davies
    Data Scientist & Astrophysicist

    Mark built our data team from scratch, fostering an incredibly positive and collaborative work environment in which everyone was inspired to do their best work.


    Mark has a remarkable knack for identifying high-impact projects that drive significant value for the business.

  • Amna Rehman
    Head of HR

    Mark's exceptional leadership shone through as he led the establishment and growth of our data team from the ground up. Under his guidance, our data team thrived, making significant contributions to our overall business operations. Mark's strategic acumen, coupled with his unwavering dedication and expertise, played a pivotal role in driving our data initiatives forward.

  • Keaton Halai
    Digital Transformation Manager

    I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend working alongside Mark! He’s full of great ideas, takes initiative and delivers his projects to a high standard.


    He works incredibly hard and always is willing to help!

  • Lucy Harrison
    Head of Digital Delivery

    I have had the pleasure of working with Mark several times over my career and have absolute no hesitation in recommending him. If you have a business looking to just make sense of their data and want to be able to capitalise on all that data by understanding its potential then please get in touch with Mark. He is one of the best in the biz

  • Danilo Fonseco
    Apprentice Software Engineer

    Mark skillset includes data science, software engineering, project management and much much more. Throughout my time working with him I have seen projects in all of these areas and Mark has excelled in all of them. He works fast and to a high standard on projects

  • Derren Martin
    Head of Valuations

    Mark is excellent to work with - very proactive & helpful. Since joining cap hpi he has developed the data science team to learn new skills that aid the business, whereas prior to him joining the main focus was on BAU.

  • Matt Thomson
    Director of Marketing

    A creative thinker combined with a deep understanding of the value of what data science can do for a business - unlocking value for customers. A rare combination and much needed these days.

  • Steve Hrywnak
    Head of sales

    Mark has a real talent in understanding complex problems and breaking them down into simple manageable chunks - These lead into creating clear, innovative solutions and successful projects. Mark uses his leadership skills to create an inclusive team - A real eye on how best to utilise his teams’ skills, pushes them to take to ownership and helps them develop as individuals.

DROP ME A MESSAGE
Call me on +44 7460 180 961, WhatsApp me or email me: mark@datadives.co.uk
I'm based just outside Leeds, UK but often travel as I'm happy to work at client offices, or remotely in my own office.

Data Dive Ltd. is a company registered in England and Wales

Company number: 13900550

VAT number: 412776007