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Celonis Academy Learner Spotlight: Amina Mrad is unlocking the power of data with process mining
Amina Mrad has always loved data and how by analyzing it we can do great things.
“When I discovered Process Mining and the power it has to combine data with business insights, I thought it was more powerful than any automated solution on the market,” she told me.
Mrad is a Process Mining Manager and Team Lead at Apolix, a Process Mining consultancy based in the Netherlands. She’s responsible for Apolix’s international clients and supports customers across multiple industries. Mrad and her team work with clients to create a Proof-of-Value (PoV), map their process flow and then develop a long-term strategy focused on specific business objectives. Apolix is a Platinum Celonis Service Partner.
I spoke with Mrad about her current role, how she got interested in Process Mining, her learning experience with Celonis Academy and being a Celonis MasterClass winner. We also shared a few golf insights…her about how the game teaches patience and precision and me about how not to forget your 7 iron on the green as you rush to finish the back nine in the fading sunlight.
Tell me about your professional journey, how did you get where you are?
Amina Mrad: My professional journey started 4 years ago at a large multinational industrial and consumer goods company in Düsseldorf, Germany. I started as an intern in the Finance department and very quickly took over a Process Mining project. The main goal was to strategically position Process Mining as a valuable, sustainable technology in the organization.
Amina Mrad, Process Mining Manager and Team Lead, Apolix
Subsequently, I dedicated 6 more months of research in order to write my master thesis at Henkel about the combination of Process Mining and RPA. Being a hot topic at the time, a lot of stakeholders found comfort in helping me design my solution. The use case was to investigate the implementation of bots which was done based on process documentation and process interview previous years. My work had a huge impact on deciding on where exactly to implement bots in the future and made a few stakeholders revise their previous decisions and perhaps adjust these a little bit.
From there, I got my first job at Deloitte where I started in the Process Mining department as a consultant. Very quickly, I specialized in multiple Process Mining tools and gained experience in working with different industries and analyzing various processes. I was also responsible for the internal global enablement of Process Mining focusing on scalability. That’s where I built a good basis for building, cleaning and transforming data in SQL and making complex data models. I also learned goal-oriented dashboarding and at last, how to analyze the front-end data showcased in order to generate value.
After 2 years at Deloitte, I moved to my next challenge and that’s where I am right now.
How did you first get into Process Mining and execution management, and what was it that attracted you to this technology?
Amina Mrad: I always loved data and the aspect of being able to analyze data and do great things with it. But I also worked at a couple of big companies and feel that I am very business oriented. When I discovered Process Mining and the power it has to combine data with business insights, I thought it was more powerful than any automated solution on the market.
Celonis Academy offers over 300 free, online courses to help professionals and students learn the process mining, process management, and execution management skills that employers are looking for.
How would you describe Celonis Academy?
Amina Mrad: User friendly, powerful, convenient. It is definitely a great [starting point] to understand what Process Mining is capable of and to use it in any way possible.
Which course(s) would you recommend to other Celonis learners?
Amina Mrad: I think every user has a different target group therefore depending on what exactly your role is you can define which course to take.
When you aren’t working, how do you unwind? What are some of your hobbies?
Amina Mrad: I played semi-professional tennis, and I still play on a team for fun. It is a good way to keep up the team spirit. I also play golf in my free time. With golf, you learn patience, precision and most of the time, the golf course is situated in beautiful surroundings. I think sports and social events are the best things you can do after work to regain energy and to stay healthy.
Celonis Academy Learner Spotlight
If you're #CelonisCertified and would like to be considered for a future Learner Spotlight, we want to hear your story. Please reach out to us at academy@celonis.com.
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