We are excited to feature Jiradej Ekthumrong, Data Analytics Principal at The 1, in our Speaker Interview series. As a previous speaker at The Data Demystified Summit Bangkok 2024, Joe joined the Panel Discussion | [Big Data Visualisation] How to Turn Complex Data into Clear Insights, where he shared valuable perspectives on transforming complex datasets into meaningful business intelligence. With a practical approach to data strategy, Joe offered insights into aligning analytics with business goals, improving data quality, and exploring the evolving role of AI in enhancing customer experiences.
We’re excited to announce that the Data Demystified Summit is returning to Bangkok on 7 October 2025! As a sister summit of The MarTech Summit Series, this in-person event will once again bring together top data leaders, innovators, and decision-makers for a full day of high-impact networking and knowledge sharing.
About The 1
The 1 is Thailand’s leading digital lifestyle and loyalty platform, committed to creating more personalised, seamless, and rewarding experiences for its members. Powered by data and innovation, The 1 connects millions of users with Thailand’s top retailers and service providers, delivering value across both online and offline touchpoints. Through advanced analytics, AI, and strategic partnerships, The 1 continues to shape the future of customer engagement in Southeast Asia’s evolving retail landscape.
Quick Q&A with Jiradej Ekthumrong
Could you please give us a quick introduction of yourself?
My name is Jiradej Ekthumrong, and I’m currently the Data Analytics Principal at The 1 Central. In this role, I lead and support efforts to optimise business strategies and enhance the customer experience through data-driven insights. My focus is on transforming complex datasets into clear, actionable intelligence that drives meaningful impact.
In addition to analytics, I’m also part of The 1 Data team, driving innovation across our company and broader ecosystem. This includes leveraging AI and automation to unlock new opportunities, improve operational efficiency, and create more personalised customer experiences. I’m passionate about the potential of data to not only inform decisions but to help shape the future of how businesses connect with people.
From your perspective, what are the most critical components in successfully turning large, complex datasets into clear and actionable business insights?
One of the most critical components is having a clear understanding of the business objective. Before diving into the data, it’s essential to align on what the business is trying to achieve, what decisions need to be supported, the expected timeline, and what kind of insights are needed.
Once these elements are defined, we can set the scope of the analysis and identify the key data points needed. With the amount of data available, it’s easy to generate a wide range of insights, but without a well-defined objective; those insights may be irrelevant or difficult to act upon.
A clear scope also ensures that the analysis stays focused, efficient, and resource-effective. Without it, projects can easily expand beyond the original plan, leading to delays and unnecessary complexity. Ultimately, it’s the combination of strategic alignment, targeted analysis, and disciplined execution that turns raw data into insights that truly drive business impact.
What are some real-world challenges you’ve encountered in maintaining data quality and consistency across multiple systems, and how did you overcome them?
One of the key challenges in maintaining data quality is integrating data from different sources and ensuring it is standardised to minimise inconsistencies, misaligned metrics, or duplicate records. Data from various systems or partners often differ in how they are stored, labelled, or interpreted, which can create complexity when trying to bring everything together.
Another major challenge is simplifying and aggregating this data for analytical purposes, whether it’s for extraction, analysis, or visualisation, while still ensuring accuracy and consistency across the board.
To overcome these challenges, it is important to first understand the “raw” data from each source and how it is collected. This helps us determine the best way to combine datasets, whether through aggregation, normalisation or by standardising naming conventions and data formats.
Equally important is collaboration. As data analysts, working closely with data engineers, tech teams, and business stakeholders ensures a shared understanding of data availability, potential, and limitations. Clear communication across teams helps maintain data accuracy and ensures that insights are both trustworthy and aligned with business needs.
As AI and automation continue to evolve, what future capabilities or trends in data analytics are you most excited to adopt or explore?
As data analysts, we are constantly striving to move beyond descriptive analytics toward predictive and prescriptive insights. That means not just understanding what has happened but anticipating what is likely to happen and identifying the best actions a company can take. I believe the continued evolution of AI and automation will play a key role in helping us achieve more accurate and actionable predictions.
I am excited about the use of generative AI in analytics. It opens the door to analysing more complex and previously underutilised data sources such as voice calls, chat logs, or unstructured data that were once too detailed or difficult to process. These insights can deepen our understanding of our service performance and help us better identify and meet customer needs.
I’m also very interested in the growth of real-time data processing and augmented analytics. These advancements are making it faster and easier to analyse data as it happens, allowing businesses to respond more quickly to shifts in the market or customer behaviour. At the same time, augmented analytics is making data and insights easier to access and understand for more users, not just data analysts but also decision-makers and business teams.
What upcoming developments in your industry are you most excited to explore?
Aside from advancements in AI and automation within data analytics, I’m particularly excited about how the retail industry will leverage AI to enhance customer experience. In the past, many companies have adopted basic automation to interact with customers, mainly through online platforms such as chatbots or recommendation engines.
With recent improvements in AI, I am looking forward to how new technologies can create more seamless and personalised experiences across both online and offline touchpoints. There is potential to integrate AI into the physical retail journey, whether through smart stores, real-time personalisation, or intelligent customer service. This could significantly transform how customers interact with brands in the future.
Jiradej Ekthumrong reminds us that meaningful insights begin with purpose and collaboration. His perspective on building clarity through focused analysis, stakeholder alignment, and emerging technologies like generative AI and real-time analytics highlights how data professionals can drive business impact across industries. As we look ahead to The Data Demystified Summit Bangkok 2025, we’re proud to spotlight past speakers like Joe, who continue to shape the conversation around smarter, more actionable data practices. Thank you, Joe, for your contribution and continued inspiration to the data community.
Join Us Now!
The Data Demystified Summit is returning to Bangkok on 7 October 2025! Held at the Fuji Grand Ballroom, Hotel Nikko Bangkok, the summit will explore the latest in Customer Data Governance, Data Monetisation, and Customer Data Management. Expect actionable insights, myth-busting discussions, and practical strategies to tackle 2025’s most pressing data challenges. Join us in the heart of Bangkok for a dynamic and forward-thinking event designed for English-speaking data professionals across industries.
We are looking forward to meeting you in Bangkok on 7 October 2025!
➡ Get tickets now! https://datademystifiedsummit.com/bangkok-registration/
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