Currently building at ScottishPower · Data & AI CoE

Nasir Arafat

Big Data Engineer & Data Architect specialising in data governance and applied AI. Director at Syncplex Lab CIC — digital inclusion and AI literacy across Scotland.

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raw data→ pipeline→ governance→ insight

Track record across ScottishPower Mordor Intelligence CDOXUK PyData DataNext Europe The Data Lab

Profile

Ten years turning operational data into governed, trusted intelligence.

Microsoft Certified Data Engineer with a background in applying Big Data and analytics to drive innovation and efficiency in the renewable energy sector. Focused on data analytics, technical leadership, and continuously improving data-driven strategy.

Ten years of combined industry and academic experience across the data domain, with a track record of implementing advanced analytics solutions and business intelligence tooling — delivering strong data products and building a healthy data culture in service of strategic goals.

Active in thought leadership through CDOXUK, Network Group, PyData, and DataNext Europe, and mentors through The Data Lab. A qualified First-Aider, and recipient of the British Council GREAT Scholarship and the King's Award for Voluntary Service.

Community & recognition

Mentor, The Data Lab
Contributor, CDOXUK & Network Group
Speaker, PyData & DataNext Europe
British Council GREAT Scholar
King's Award for Voluntary Service

Credentials

MS Certified: Data Engineer Azure Synapse AWS Redshift Power BI & Fabric First-Aider

Syncplex Lab CIC — Director

Nasir Arafat — Director, Syncplex Lab CIC, leading community innovation, digital inclusion, and AI-driven empowerment across Scotland.

Syncplex Lab CIC is a Community Interest Company focused on digital inclusion, AI literacy, and community innovation. The organisation supports underserved communities through accessible technology programmes, open-source learning, and collaborative civic projects.

Company No. SC805410 · Community Interest Company

Stack

Core technical expertise

Data cloud platforms

Azure SQL, Azure Data Factory, Azure Synapse Analytics, AWS Redshift, Data Lake

Big data engineering & governance

Synapse, Power BI, MicroStrategy, Informatica, Oracle — advanced analytics & reporting solutions

Data architecture & development

Data migration, Azure DevOps Services, data modeling, schema development, end-to-end analytics

Data science & AI

Machine learning, predictive analytics, anomaly detection

Track record

Experience

ScottishPower — Data SME in CoE · 3 yrs 8 mos

ScottishPower, Renewables CoE April 2023 — Present

Data Engineer — Data & AI, Renewables CoE

Big Data Engineer · Data Architect · Data Governance · Cloud & BI Strategist

DigitalHub (UKIT) April 2022 — March 2023

Technical Lead — Big Data & Analytics

Leading teams to implement advanced analytics solutions across the organisation.

Data leadershipLeading analysts & consultants on advanced analytics & reporting

Analytics & governanceSynapse, Power BI, Fabric, MicroStrategy, Informatica

Process automationImproving KPI implementation to drive best value

Self-service analyticsSelf-serve reporting concepts that improve efficiency

Data & AI literacyMicrosites and training as part of digital engagement

Agile leadershipLeading stand-ups and Agile project scrums

Mordor Intelligence — Data Science Excellence · 4 yrs 11 mos September 2020 — March 2022

Data Scientist & Process Analyst

Led data science projects including an anomaly detection engine and a lead classifier engine
Scouted technological solutions and finalised optimal approaches for projects
Assisted team leads in setting up design, architecture, and execution steps
Set up training documents and monitoring mechanisms to evaluate progress

Mordor Intelligence September 2018 — September 2020

Data Scientist

Built predictive models using historical data to forecast business performance
Mapped the customer journey end-to-end and suggested improvements
Produced and tracked performance metrics across all organisational levels
Led objective-oriented mini-projects with direct revenue impact

Community

Speaking at data panels & roundtables

DataNext Architecture Europe — Panel

CDO Network UK — Roundtable on Data Governance

Datakirk Panel on Data Literacy

CDOX Panel on Data Governance

PyData Glasgow — scalable ETL pipelines with Azure Synapse & PySpark

DataNext Conference — "From Governance to Readiness"

Progression

Career progression timeline

2013 – 2014

Software Engineer — Intern

Summer internships at HCL Technologies and Jamia Hamdard.

2017 – 2018

Data Analysis

Data & Business Analyst at Mordor Intelligence.

2018 – 2022

Data Science & Analytics

Data Scientist & Process Analyst roles at Mordor Intelligence.

2022 – Present

Data Engineer

Leading Big Data & Analytics at ScottishPower CoE.

Education

Education & qualifications

University of Stirling

MSc Big Data (Computing Science & Mathematics)

2015 – 2016

Coventry University

British Council Global Leaders Programme — Leadership & Strategies for Managers and Entrepreneurs

2021

Jamia Hamdard

BTech, Information Technology

2011 – 2015

Credentials

Certifications & professional development

Amazon Redshift Essentials

Advanced data warehousing and analytics on the AWS platform.

Azure Synapse Analytics

Introduction to Microsoft Azure Synapse Analytics.

Data Engineering Foundations

Core principles and best practices in data engineering.

AWS Essential Training

AWS Essential Training for Developers.

Microsoft Certified Data Engineer

Azure Data Engineer certification.

Big Data Analytics Conference

Whitehall Media Big Data Analytics Europe Conference.

Recognition

Honors & recognition

British Council GREAT Scholarship Award

Prestigious scholarship recipient for academic excellence, 2015–16.

King's Award for Voluntary Service

MBE-equivalent recognition — the highest award given to UK volunteer groups.

Annual Appreciation Award

Recognised for exceptional collaboration and teamwork.

Superior Performer

Acknowledged for outstanding performance and contributions.

Credit in Science

Academic recognition for excellence in scientific studies.

Get started

Let's talk data.

Open to conversations on data architecture, governance, and building teams that turn raw data into reliable decisions.

Contact me → Connect on LinkedIn Visit AI Inclusion UK