Sander Klous

We are Big Data

Sander Klous holds a PhD in High Energy Physics and worked on a number of projects for CERN, world’s largest physics institute in Geneva. He received several grants and awards related to high performance distributed computing and has numerous publications in this area. He contributed to the research of the ATLAS experiment that resulted in the discovery of the Higgs Boson (Nobel prize 2013). Currently Sander Klous is Managing Director Big Data Analytics of KPMG in the Netherlands, he is globally in charge of the KPMG Data & Analytics technology strategy and is professor in Big Data Ecosystems at the University of Amsterdam. His book “We are Big Data” about the future of our information society was runner-up in the management book of the year election of 2015.

We are Big Data

Everything is measurable, from our heartbeat during our morning run to the music we listen to and our walking patterns through department stores. With data we can make impressive analyses to e.g. prevent traffic jams, suppress epidemics, or offer tailor made medicine. A new information society arises, interwoven with technology. Nevertheless, serious resistance exists against the rise of this new society. People fear their privacy is in jeopardy and want to put a seal on their data. In this presentation Sander Klous will demonstrate the inevitability of a continuously growing role of data in our society, a role that does not need to be threatening. Putting a solid foundation for responsible application of data analysis would provide us with a future full of interesting opportunities.