Name: Eléonore Charles
Position: Data Science Consultant
Worked at Orange Business since: September 2021
Based: Brussels, Belgium

Can you tell us a bit about yourself and how you first came in contact with Orange Business?
My name is Eléonore, I am 25 years old and work as a Data Science Consultant at Orange Business, Digital Services. I discovered the former Business & Decision, now Orange Business, through a person I knew from university, who is now a colleague of mine. I was searching for a Data Science consultancy company and upon learning about Orange Business (formerly Business & Decision) I thought it would be a great fit for me as it seemed like a very dynamic and innovative company.

You joined the company through our Academy, can you tell us about your experience?
I joined via the academy and participated in the training program for Data Science. There were several intense and interesting weeks where I explored new tools and technologies in training sessions, and it definitely helped me feel better prepared for my first mission. The training covered not only Data Science but also Data Engineering, Data Visualization and soft skills. The academy provided a solid understanding of the various tools I have encountered during missions, it offered a great opportunity to connect with fellow newcomers, meet people within the organization and engage with different trainers.

Can you tell us a bit about your position as a Data Scientist Consultant and what your responsibilities are?
As a Data Scientist Consultant, I assist our clients in artificial intelligence related projects. On a day-to-day basis, I typically process and analyze data, build machine learning models and use programming languages such as Python or R. I also utilize cloud technologies like Azure or GCP. I would say that the main bit that differs in my job between missions is the type of data I work with. It can be tabular data, text data or even images.

Can you tell us a bit about your current mission?
Currently I am involved in a really great project for a social enterprise called Tenaka, dedicated to Marine Ecosystem restoration. Our goal in the project is to develop a solution to monitor biodiversity near coral restoration sites. Together with a Tenaka partner, we are developing underwater cameras to detect and quantify marine species such as fish, invertebrates, sharks, turtles, and rays. The goal is to better quantify the impact of the restoration efforts on marine life. In this project, I am responsible for creating the artificial intelligence model to identify these different species. It is a gratifying project, combining both very cool computer vision techniques and a fascinating topic.

What interests you the most about your work and the technologies that you use?
One of the aspects I enjoy the most is the mental stimulation my job provides. I love the challenge of navigating through complex programs to reach a goal. Additionally, I appreciate the dynamic nature of working in a field that is constantly evolving, offering continuous excitement in discovering and learning new things. Lastly, the diversity in my role as a consultant, working on different missions, truly stimulates me.

What education did you have prior to joining Orange Business?
I studied Business Engineering at ULB (Université libre de Bruxelles) and pursued a special programme during my master’s, allowing me to do two exchanges in Oslo and Melbourne. During these exchanges I could choose my courses and decided to focus on Data Science related courses as I had an interest in the topic and wanted to discover it further. Due to challenges of studying during COVID my stay in Melbourne was cut short and I had to leave after one month and follow the course online. However, I did get to know Oslo a bit more during my time there.

What is the latest training you have taken?
The most recent training I completed was an online course for building applications using generative AI which is a very interesting topic.

Have you had experience with Generative AI projects?
Yes, I have had some hands-on experience with Generative AI projects. I have worked on the development of various internal initiatives, including a chatbot designed to assist clients after a webinar, and some variants of retrieval augmented generation (RAG) chatbots. Finally, I have also worked on a proof of concept for a client linked to automatic information extraction from pdfs.

What do you personally enjoy the most about working at Orange Business, the Digital Services business line?
One of the things I appreciate the most is the opportunities for growth and learning that the company provides, whether through diverse projects, collaboration with colleagues, or attending training sessions. The continuous flow of knowledge and experiences contributes to my personal and professional evolution.