Make Data Sexy Again: Hard-Earned Insights from a Veteran Quant
When day-to-day operational problems arise in the front or middle offices of financial institutions, they are often wickedly difficult to diagnose and solve. Quantitative and technology experts are called in to troubleshoot key systems, pricing models, APIs, automated workflows, and other areas, but market data issues are often the main culprits.
While dealing with data issues may not be viewed as the sexiest job in an institution, it is critical to the smooth functioning of trading floors and risk departments. When the data is wrong, trading and risk decisions will be wrong as well – resulting in unintended P&L impacts and risk exposures.
What can firms do to elevate the strategic importance of market data management – and make data sexy again?
Join Numerix’s special guest Dr. Ola Hammarlid of Leading HeadQuarters on March 20, 2025 at 10am EST as he provides hard-earned wisdom on data best practices from years in the trenches as a quantitative leader at a Nordic bank.
Ola will provide a quant’s perspective on:
- How data can stall or kill important projects
- The scary reality of error propagation from bad data
- Why data management is complex – and why quality is so important
- Key principles of data management
- Dealing with data uncertainty & proxying
Featured Speakers
Ola Hammarlid, PhD
Ola Hammarlid is a seasoned expert in mathematical statistics, quantitative finance, and risk management. He holds a PhD in Mathematical Statistics and a Master of Laws from Stockholm University.
Currently serving as Head of Strategic Risk at Vattenfall and a board member of Vattenfall Insurance, Ola is also a board member of The Swedish National Committee for Mathematics under the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences. Previously, he held the role of Chief Control Officer at Swedbank and Head of Quantitative Research, where he was responsible for valuation governance, algorithmic trading control, XVA, and the development of trading solutions. He currently also runs his own consulting firm, Leading HeadQuarters, where he is educating in leadership, developing digital university educations, and consulting in mathematical finance.
Greg Murray
Greg Murray is responsible for increasing awareness of the Numerix brand in financial markets around the globe, as well as conducting strategic industry research for different departments within Numerix. Previously, he oversaw product and field marketing initiatives at the company, and he started his tenure in a sales role. Prior to Numerix, Mr. Murray worked in derivative analytics sales roles at other software firms, and he held derivative trading positions for seven years as an option market-maker and proprietary trader across a variety of asset classes.
