Welcome to Aden Group’s Career Insights blog, where we tell the story of our people, what they are do and why they are do it. In this entry, we meet Marius Wu, who is part of Aden’s Strategy & Transformation team. With a background in digital transformation consulting, Marius is now working with teams across Aden group to leverage innovations in management technology, especially AI.
How would you describe your work with Aden, in a simple way?
Generally, we can say that I lead transformational initiatives at Aden, exploring the potential integration of AI to simplify processes and enhance efficiencies across various departments. And although I am not an AI data scientist, I am interacting with the technology quite a lot in my work. For example I might be using AI to create dashboards, run data analysis, develop data visualization apps, or working with different teams to develop an AI strategy and tools that addresses their pain points.
Complete the sentence: “If I weren’t at work right now, I’d be ….”
Honestly, I really am into what I do. So, if I weren’t at work right now, I’d probably be on a deep dive into one of my big interests which is ESG investment research. Primarily, I’m looking at ways to utilize AI-powered natural language processing to quantify and compare sustainability disclosures from companies, and automatically adjust parameters in investment analysis models.
What do you like about working at Aden?
I find the culture and approach at Aden very attractive. The company has a very forward-looking perspective, especially about engaging with and finding new opportunities in emerging technologies. Besides that, Aden Group is a place where you have an opportunity to be a part of meaningful change that shapes the future of the company. You have a nice balance of support and independence, so that if there is a problem and you have an idea how to solve it, you are encouraged to take the initiative, take ownership, and bring your own ideas to the table.
How did you get involved in AI?
Well, in fact I’ve been interested in this for a long time. My starting point was with ML (machine learning) back when I was in university. That became a focus in my studies, and from there I became a digitalization consultant. At Aden, though, I’ve really able to go farther into this field, and work on implementing AI across our different departments and teams. Of course, this has become a huge area of interest recently because generative AI, but even before that, Aden Group was quite active and engaged on ways to apply AI to building and energy technologies.
Can you tell us about one of the AI projects you’ve been involved in?
Sure. For example, we have been working on a project to develop a procurement intelligence application with AI capabilities for real-time cost efficiency insights. One of the main challenges was that we had millions of data points – way more than could be manually logged and extracted. But we saw a chance with AI to jump over this hurdle and transform it raw data into structured data that the team can use to make better decisions and have the key data analytics tracked in a dashboard.
Should people be afraid of AI’s impact in the workplace?
I can understand why some people feel anxious, but ultimately, AI is a tool to amplify our capabilities, not overshadow them. It offers us a chance to elevate our work, discover efficiencies, and focus more on strategic tasks.
You also have a training certification in Agile methodology. Do you see a lot of overlap between this and AI?
In many ways, yes. Because Agile promotes adaptability and responsiveness, and being Agile means we can pivot when needed. Adopting a business Agile approach breaks down traditional waterfall workflows into smaller valuable tasks. AI and Agile complement each other well. While it’s challenging to use AI to directly transition from point A to point B, by employing the Agile methodology, AI can be integrated into each segmented phase, leading to continuous and iterative improvements.
From your point of view, what is the best reason to work at Aden?
It’s about impact. Working at Aden means you are at the nexus of innovation and change. And it really is a unique platform to drive impact and shape the way industries will operate in the future.
