Sanja Franic
Data & AI Transformation | Executive Advisory
About
I work with leadership teams to shape and deliver data and AI transformation, from defining value creation strategies to establishing the technology, product and organisational capabilities needed to deliver them.My career spans scientific research, technology consulting and enterprise transformation leadership. From computational genetics research at Oxford to seven years at QuantumBlack and leadership of enterprise-wide transformation agendas, I bring scientific rigour, strategic judgement and a strong technical foundation to the challenges of business transformation.I work at board and executive level on strategy, investment and organisational direction, while staying closely involved with the product and technology teams responsible for translating ambition into results.
Recent work
Leading an AI transformation within a PE-backed financial services platform
Restructuring a data organisation during a leadership transition in a scaling IT services company
Introducing customer value modelling within the marketing function of a PE-backed marketplace
Developing a client-facing data science offering within a professional services firm
Restructuring a data organisation during a leadership transition in a scaling IT services company
During a leadership transition, a scaling IT services company faced significant key-person dependency and a fragmented data setup. Supported the stabilisation of the data function, defining a target organisational and data structure and leading knowledge transfer to reduce risk and enable continuity.
Introducing customer value modelling within the marketing function of a PE-backed marketplace
Despite significant marketing investment, a leading online marketplace had no view of the long-term value of acquired users or a way to link marketing activity to value. Established customer value modelling as a core capability, building a scalable LTV framework and underlying data structures to link activity to future value and support ROI-based decisions.
Developing a client-facing data science offering within a professional services firm
Strengthened the data science offering of a professional services firm, developing a scalable analytics solution for client use and leading internal upskilling to support broader data science work.
Leading an AI transformation within a PE-backed financial services platform
Leading the transformation of a PE-backed financial services business into an AI-first market leader. Partnered directly with the Chief AI Officer to launch a £30m, five-year transformation, moving an acquisition-heavy, traditionally operated business toward an AI-first model where every interaction, acquisition and piece of expertise makes the firm smarter, more efficient and easier to scale. Built the five-year value creation roadmap spanning 65 strategic initiatives and AI use cases; established the new technology operating model and organisational structure for a ~100-person technology organisation; and led Technology Strategy & Application Architecture and Digital Product functions.
Bio
2025–present: Third Horizon Advisory — Founder & Director
2024–2025: JMAN Group — Principal, AI Lead
2017–2024: QuantumBlack (McKinsey) — Senior Data Scientist, Engagement Manager
2015–2017: University of Oxford — Postdoc, Computational Genetics
2008–2014: VU Amsterdam — PhD, Statistical Genetics
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