Sumathi Thiyagarajan, senior vice president of analytics and business operations for the Milwaukee Bucks, has made a big impact in a short time, colleagues say.
“In her short tenure, Sumathi has helped redefine how the Milwaukee Bucks and Fiserv Forum use data and analytics to positively impact revenue, enhance the fan experience and create sponsorship opportunities,” said Dustin Godsey, Bucks chief sales and marketing officer.
Seeing an opportunity to capture data directly from the fans to better understand their experience and implement operational changes, Thiyagarajan led the Bucks in conducting post-game and post-event surveys and engaging with the newly launched Fan Council (a cohort of 1,200 Bucks fans) to gain a deeper understanding of the team’s fans, according to Godsey.
Thiyagarajan also participates in mentoring and community-based programs for students, both locally and internationally. She created the Marquette & Bucks Fellowship Program, a one-year Bucks fellowship for students in Marquette University’s Urban Scholar Program. She also led the launch of an annual Analytics Hackathon contest, sponsored by Modine Manufacturing Co., that allows college students to solve real-world data challenges.
