Organisations have spent decades building dashboards, KPIs, and frameworks designed to make complexity look controlled. But in a world driven by AI and pattern detection, the illusion of control is becoming more seductive — and more dangerous. Business analysts now face a critical shift: metrics and machine-learning outputs can look like truth, while masking the messy human reality underneath.

In this provocative session, we explore the history of control thinking — from Taylorism to modern analytics — and reveal why organisations are more vulnerable than ever to comforting data and staged authenticity.

Through real examples and practical tools, attendees will learn how to challenge misleading patterns, expose what dashboards hide, and act as strategic defenders of reality.

Because when the numbers lie, the BA must speak for what’s real.

About the Speaker

Russell Mears currently serves on IIBA Global Board of Directors, he is an experienced business analysis leader, who has been as Head of Business Analysis at AstraZeneca. In this role, he leads business analysis efforts across HR, Legal, Global Sustainability, and Corporate Affairs, driving digital transformation and platform integration.

He has a broad background in financial services and IT, having delivered high-impact transformation projects at organizations including Equiniti, PwC, Morgan Stanley, and Lehman Brothers. His areas of specialization include regulatory compliance, process automation, CRM transformation, and large-scale outsourcing initiatives across the globe.