Business-first assessment
Map how operations work today, identify where fragmentation creates risk and delay, and define what must be governed for the program to succeed.
Enterprise transformation delivery, grounded in operational reality
Global Data & BI Inc. partners with executives who need systems that stand up to audit pressure, board oversight, and day-to-day operational constraints. We design and deliver data, BI, AI, and automation as integrated capability, aligned to how decisions are made and how risk is governed.
+$725M
Client Value Generated
323% IRR
Average Return on Investment
+100
Projects Delivered
Origin
How we started, and why we care about what fails in production
We started as engineers on the business side of the house: instrumentation specialists in oil and gas, process engineers in manufacturing, supply chain analysts watching reports arrive three days late.
We designed control systems that were supposed to be the eyes, ears, and nervous system of production plants. Sensors as senses. Valves as muscles. Control systems as brains. Beautiful on paper.
Then we realized we were spending our days copy-pasting. Endless specs from paper to screen. Catalogs of instruments, valves, cables. The business side was stuck in the same loop: finance waiting for month-end reports, supply chain drowning in Excel files that never matched.
The disconnect between IT and business was stark. IT teams didn't know what the company produced or who the clients were. Directors spoke in abstractions that got lost in translation.
We could translate. Business pain into measurable terms. Wasted hours into wasted money. Abstract problems into concrete solutions.
So we switched sides. Joined IT with a mission: make technology serve operations, not the other way around. Our first question to any IT team: "Do you know what we produce and who our clients are?" That simple question changed conversations from technical jargon to customer impact.
We also became cultural translators, bridging not just business and IT, but American and French engineering teams, low-context and high-context communication, headquarters and field operations across dozens of countries.
And we delivered. Global platforms. Business functions rebuilt from the ground up. Systems that actually made work easier.
Then we hit the wall.
"We'll get there in five years."
"That sounds very futuristic."
"Those ideas are unattainable right now."
We'd proven these systems could be built. We'd deployed them. They were working. But when we described what we'd done to others, they heard science fiction. Internal politics and risk aversion kept organizations from moving.
That's when we realized: readiness isn't about time. It's about decision.
Some organizations spend years planning for a future that never arrives. Others see what's possible, decide they're ready, and figure it out as they build. The second group wins.
So we left to work with companies who've made that choice. Who don't need five years to believe what we've already built. Who see transformation as a decision, not a distant destination.
The best way to predict the future is to invent it.
We exist to help leaders make that decision with clear trade-offs, systems that can be governed, and delivery that holds up under real constraints.
Our Approach
Operational engineering that drives measurable results
We translate complexity into decisions leaders can own, then we build the foundation so those decisions survive governance, adoption, and audit pressure.
Full-spectrum engineering
Architect data, BI, AI, and automation as one system. Technology-agnostic delivery focused on definitions, controls, integration, and operational ownership.
Implementation and results
Build systems operations actually uses. Adoption, runbooks, monitoring, and governance are engineered in, so capability remains after go-live.
Operating Model
Built for multi-stakeholder, multi-region delivery
Large organizations do not fail because they lack tools. They fail because they cannot align definitions, enforce controls, and sustain change across teams. We design delivery to function across governance and compliance realities.
Executive-grade clarity
Translate complexity into decisions leaders can own, including sequencing, risk trade-offs, and what must be true for success.
Systems you can govern
Data controls, metric definitions, lineage, and auditability are engineered into the foundation, so numbers hold when it matters most.
Operational ownership after go-live
Roles, runbooks, monitoring, and practical adoption are designed for continuity. The goal is durable capability, not a one time build.
Delivery under real constraints
Stakeholders, timelines, integrations, and compliance constraints are treated as first class inputs, so programs hold up under pressure.
Why Programs Fail
Common failure patterns in high-stakes transformations
Programs rarely fail because the tool was wrong. They fail when governance, definitions, and operational ownership are not engineered early, and the organization pays later in risk, cost, and delay.
Board questions get sharper, reporting stays fragile
Leadership materials take days to assemble, key metrics cannot be reconciled quickly, and oversight becomes narrative-driven instead of evidence-driven. Audit and compliance discover inconsistencies after decisions have already been made.
"Revenue is up", until the audit says otherwise
Definitions differ across teams, spreadsheet formulas become policy, and dashboards built without controls quietly degrade trust. Compliance reviews reveal mismatches, undocumented logic, and inconsistent calculation methods.
Systems ship, operations bypass them
A platform exists, but the workflow does not change. The organization keeps running on extracts, emails, and exceptions because operational ownership was never engineered.
Implementation succeeds, operations struggle to maintain
Without designed continuity, monitoring, and operational ownership, systems become brittle after go-live. Teams revert to workarounds, and capability degrades over time as context and ownership are lost.
Leadership
Experience built in environments where reliability is non negotiable
Enterprise transformation is an execution discipline. It requires technical depth, operational judgment, and the ability to run delivery across stakeholders who do not share the same incentives, definitions, or context.
Zahra Fathisalout
Founder & CEO · Eng. · HEC Paris (Business and Corporate Strategy) · MIT (AI and Machine Learning). Board Member
Zahra founded Global Data & BI Inc. to bring engineering-grade discipline to transformation programs that too often degrade into reporting churn. Her work spans multi-region delivery across finance and operations, manufacturing, healthcare, supply chain, and higher education, with a consistent focus on systems that can be governed and operated after go-live.
When leadership needs to move from retrospective reporting to operational decision systems, and from AI interest to production-grade delivery, that is where we operate.
How We Work
Operational engineering, with executive-grade clarity
The goal is simple: reduce ambiguity early, so delivery is predictable, governance is clean, and results are measurable. We translate complexity into decisions, sequencing, and a system your organization can operate.
What a strategy call is for
From the client's seat, a strategy call is a way to reduce uncertainty before committing budget, credibility, and time. You should leave with a clearer view of what is feasible, what is risky, and what must be decided first.
1
Clarify what decision must be made, and what the organization needs to see to make it.
2
Identify where risk accumulates, including audit exposure, process fragility, and hidden dependencies.
3
Separate foundation work from reporting and pilots, so sequencing is rational.
4
Define success in operational terms, not only project milestones.
Typical Inputs
You do not need a perfect spec. You need enough clarity to sequence decisions and avoid predictable failure modes.
System landscape: ERP, CRM, data platform, reporting stack
Critical metrics: what leadership and audit need to trust
Operational workflows: where manual work and exceptions live
Constraints: timeline, governance, capacity, compliance realities
Next Step
Bring your constraints, we will bring structure
If you are facing fragmented reporting, audit pressure, operational inconsistencies, or a transformation roadmap under pressure, a short conversation can clarify what should be decided first, and what sequencing reduces risk.