Databricks Doubles ANZ Headcount Signalling Growing Demand for Generative AI in the Region

Databricks, the Data and AI company, on the heels of its Series I fundraise of over US$500 million, today announced it has more than doubled its headcount in Australia and New Zealand over the last two years and plans to continue hiring over the next 12 months. 

To support growing customer demand across the ANZ region, Databricks now employs a team of over 150 employees across ANZ. The company also revealed that it is one of the fastest-growing software companies globally with over U$1.5 billion revenue run rate. 

Databricks pioneered the data lakehouse, which unifies data, analytics and AI on a single platform so that customers can govern, manage and derive insights from enterprise data and build their own generative AI solutions faster.

Data-forward companies in ANZ are harnessing the value of their data and applying AI to optimise their business operations and drive innovations through the lakehouse platform. They include NAB, Atlassian, Tabcorp, Alinta Energy, Australian Red Cross Lifeblood, and Predelo, among others that utilise Databricks’ technology to manage their data. In the last year alone, Databricks has seen considerable growth in ANZ customers, with notable brands including John Holland Group partnering with the company to improve their data processes. 

With its unique vantage point of the data and AI landscape, Databricks hosted its Data + AI World Tour in Sydney on 19 and 20 September. Bringing together local experts, customers and partners, the sold-out event attracted over 1,000 attendees and focused on trends, challenges and case studies. Some of the speakers included on the line-up were Tabcorp, Suncorp, Endeavour Group and more.

“Data is a massive enabler for Tabcorp as we raise the game to create more personalised and responsible gambling experiences for our customers. The Databricks Lakehouse platform is the backbone of our data and AI strategy - with it, we are able to eliminate duplication of data across multiple platforms in silos onto a single unified architecture that supports both batch and real-time data processing at a lower TCO. We're using data to uplift many aspects of our business from, personalised customer experiences, fraud detection, to responsible gambling," said Matt McKenzie, General Manager Technology - Strategy, Architecture, Data & Engineering, Tabcorp. 

“We have worked with Databricks for a number of years to build foundational capabilities for Atlassian’s platform that help us handle data securely, process, and analyse it, which we rely on in our work with AI,” said Sherif Mansour, Head of Product for Atlassian Intelligence. “As we train and tune our own AI models, we also are using a variety of Databricks’ technology, such as MLflow to help us manage our model development. Databricks' tools and expertise help us move quickly to adapt in a fast-moving space,” Mansour added.

"We are powering our data strategy with Databricks' Lakehouse, driving business-critical use cases including customer 360, fraud detection, and digital personalisation. The Lakehouse is the backbone of our data modernisation program and enables us to meet our goal of making data like electricity, always on and easy to use for teams across the bank," said Joanna Gurry, Executive, Data Delivery, NAB. 

This announcement follows the appointment of Adam Beavis as Vice President and Country Manager for Australia and New Zealand (ANZ) last month. In his new role, Beavis is spearheading the adoption of the data lakehouse across a range of industries, including retail, enterprise, FSI, digital natives, government and natural resources, mining and utilities.

“As businesses of all sizes look to drive greater insights by leveraging their data, Databricks wants to ensure that they are supported by teams that understand their local needs and requirements,” said Adam Beavis, Vice President and Country Manager for Databricks in ANZ. “Today, organisations across multiple sectors recognise the absolute criticality of harnessing the power of their data to drive business growth. We are committed to supporting them every step of the way on their data journeys and as they increasingly adopt AI technologies.” 

Data + AI World Tour:

Databricks comes to Australia and New Zealand for its Data + AI World Tour, a multi-city tour in more than 30 cities across 5 continents. You can register for upcoming events in Auckland and Brisbane below:

Auckland Data + AI World Tour

Brisbane Data + AI World TourTo learn more, follow Databricks on Twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook.