Analytics & AI Leadership

Azim
Khan

Director, Analytics Centre of Excellence at Robi Axiata. 20 years turning data into decisions across telecoms, aviation, and digital business. Recognised among Asia's top 100 analytics leaders.

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Azim Khan

About

Turning data into decisions that matter

I work at the intersection of analytics strategy and organisational change. Over 20 years, I've helped telecoms, aviation, manufacturing, and digital businesses unlock the value hidden in their data — not just technically, but culturally.

Currently at Robi Axiata in Dhaka, I lead the Analytics Centre of Excellence where my team is driving AI literacy across the organisation and building next-generation predictive models for network planning, customer intelligence, and digital operations.

I hold an MBA from IBA, University of Dhaka and a BSc in Computer Science from IUT. I've lived and worked across Bangladesh and Malaysia, and I bring that cross-cultural perspective into everything I build.

I believe the real work in analytics leadership isn't in the models — it's in creating the conditions where data becomes a shared language across the business.

AI Strategy & Literacy
Designing enterprise AI programmes that move beyond hype — building genuine capability across people, process, and platform.
Analytics Leadership
Leading high-performance analytics teams, from data engineering to executive insight translation.
Strategic Foresight
Connecting data signals to business futures — helping C-suites navigate decisions with confidence, not just dashboards.
Cross-Industry Perspective
Telecom, aviation, manufacturing, digital — pattern recognition across industries is a rare advantage in analytics leadership.

Career

2022 – Present
Director, Analytics Centre of Excellence
Robi Axiata Ltd · Dhaka, Bangladesh
Leading enterprise AI strategy, AI literacy programmes, and advanced analytics across one of Bangladesh's largest telecoms. Driving data-led transformation including site planning models using satellite imagery and next-generation credit scoring systems.
2019 – 2022
Head of Analytics & Digital Intelligence
Banglalink · Bangladesh
Built and led the analytics function, establishing data infrastructure, BI capability, and predictive modelling programmes across commercial and network domains.
2016 – 2019
Mobile Centre of Excellence & IoT Analytics
Hilti · Regional
Led IoT analytics capability for the mobile CoE, integrating field data from connected tools into predictive maintenance and asset intelligence platforms.
2013 – 2016
Analytics Transformation
AirAsia · Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Drove analytics transformation across ASEAN operations, working across commercial, operations, and digital business units to embed data-driven decision-making.
2007 – 2013
Analytics Leadership
Axiata Group · Malaysia
Early career analytics roles progressing through Axiata HQ, establishing foundational expertise in telecom data, subscriber intelligence, and cross-market analytics.

Writing

I publish on Substack — longer thinking on AI strategy, analytics leadership, and the future of data-driven organisations. A few recent pieces below.

AI Strategy
Why AI Literacy Programmes Fail (And How to Fix Them)
Most enterprise AI literacy efforts stop at awareness. The ones that create real change do something fundamentally different.
May 2026 · 5 min→
Analytics Leadership
The Translator Problem in Data Teams
The hardest thing in analytics leadership isn't building models. It's closing the gap between what the data says and what the business hears.
Apr 2026 · 4 min→
Telecoms
Network Planning in the Age of Satellite Data
How combining satellite imagery with social data at 100m grid resolution is changing infrastructure investment decisions.
Mar 2026 · 6 min→
Career
From Analyst to Executive: The Transition Nobody Talks About
The skills that make a great analytics leader aren't the ones that got you there. A reflection on what changes — and what to let go.
Feb 2026 · 7 min→

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Now

A snapshot of what I'm focused on right now — inspired by Derek Sivers' Now page idea. Updated periodically.

Last updated: May 2026 · Dhaka, Bangladesh

At work

Scaling AI across Robi

Running AI literacy workshops across business units and finalising a measurable productivity framework for our AI rollout. The hardest part isn't the technology — it's changing how people think about their own work.

Building

Site Planning Model

Combining satellite imagery, Facebook, and Google data at 100m × 100m grid resolution to optimise network infrastructure investment. One of the most technically interesting problems I've worked on.

Reading & thinking
  • How AI agents will reshape analytics workflows
  • The intersection of data strategy and C-suite communication
  • Long-term wealth building in emerging markets
Life

Back in Dhaka

Settling back in after years abroad. Watching my son Sarhan navigate the Edexcel programme and getting to know my newborn daughter Sarwah. Family first, always.

Recognition & Speaking

Recognition
Top 100 Analytics Leaders in Asia
Analytics India Magazine
MBA
Institute of Business Administration
University of Dhaka · IBA
BSc Computer Science
Islamic University of Technology
IUT · Bangladesh
Topics I speak on
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Enterprise AI StrategyFrom vision to execution: building AI capability that outlasts the pilot phase.
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Data Leadership & CultureBuilding analytics teams that earn trust and drive decisions across the organisation.
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AI Literacy at ScaleWhat it actually takes to upskill a 1,000+ person enterprise on AI — and measure it.
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Analytics in TelecomsNext-generation use cases in network planning, customer intelligence, and digital operations.

Contact

Let's think together

Whether you're working through an analytics challenge, exploring a speaking engagement, or just want to exchange ideas on AI and data leadership — I'd like to hear from you.

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Dhaka, Bangladesh