Ana Roy, Head of Analytics – Merchandise at Kmart is the first woman to be named as Australia's best analytics leader, topping a field of executives that feature women in three out of the top five spots.

In addition to Roy, Assignar's Duhita Khadepau, Director, Analytics and Data Science was named in the third slot and the ABC's Head of Audience Data and Insights, Elizabeth Moore, at five. Within the top 10, Susan Gibson, Head of Data Analytics and AI at the University of Technology Sydney was ninth.

According to IAPA Chair, Antony Ugoni, Chief Data Officer at go1: “This year we saw a greater focus on impact and outcomes of analytics effort and the implementation of sophisticated analytics-driven solutions to business problems.”

The top ten included:

1. Ana Roy - Head of Analytics - Merchandise, Kmart
2. Dhivian Govender - Chief Data, Analytics & Strategy Officer, recoveriescorp
3. Duhita Khadepau - Director, Analytics and Data Science, Assignar
4. Lionel Kho - Chief Strategy, Data and Analytics Officer (APAC), Mindshare
5. Elizabeth Moore - Head of Audience Data and Insights, Australian Broadcasting Corporation
6. Bobby Patel - General Manager - Data & Analytics, RAC WA
7. Artak Amirbekyan - Head of Data and Analytics, Transurban
8. Yalchin Oytam - Head of Clinical Insights and Analytics, SESLHD
9. Susan Louise Gibson - Head of Data Analytics and AI, University of Technology Sydney
10. Dominic O'Halloran - Head of Data and Analytics, MECCA Brands

Roy's success was due to how the forecasting and pricing models that she and her team delivered enabled the Kmart merchandising team to derive better business outcomes as everyday products at low prices, according to the judges.