Australian cricket captains Steve Smith and Meg Lanning joined all-rounder Ellyse Perry and fast bowler Pat Cummins at Commonwealth Bank’s Sydney offices as it turned into a cricket ground for them to display their world-class skills at an exclusive event for business clients today.

Cricket Australia’s General Manager of Team Performance, Pat Howard and CBA’s MD Telecommunications, Media, Entertainment, Technology and Retail (TMETR), Nick Aronson discussed how CBA and Cricket Australia drive performance for business customers and elite cricketers through the sophisticated use of data and insights. 

“We know that data is everywhere – you can build it, you can acquire it, you can obtain it through partners but all of this data is useless if you don’t know how to ask the right questions to derive insights,” Mr Aronson said.

“In the same way that the data helps Steve Smith prepare for an Ashes series, or to get Meg Lanning back on the field, we work with our clients to develop data driven insights that help them make more informed decisions about their business.

“As Australia’s largest bank, we have unique insights into the spending habits of 13.9 million everyday Australians and see 40 per cent of all transactions that happen in Australia. We can identify patterns and flows to provide valuable insights for us but also for our clients,” Mr Aronson said.

 “Cricket Australia realised the importance of data and insights in ensuring our players, coaches and all related staff are at their best and fully informed when players step on the pitch,” Cricket Australia’s Mr Howard said.

“At Cricket Australia, we develop insights from data which is integrated into our decisions. This includes player’s skills, health and wellbeing, team selection and opposition analysis, to name just a few. 

“We share a similar approach to CommBank and understand that developing the right insights from data is crucial to your performance whether it’s in sport or business.”