Lavena Patra

Meet Lavena, our Analytics Engineer

What is it about data that excites you?

I really enjoy bringing structure to complexity. There’s something very satisfying about taking messy data and turning it into something clear, useful and meaningful for other people. What excites me most is understanding the story behind the data - not only technically, but what it actually says about customer behavior, business challenges, and how people use a product. When data is done well, it helps teams make smarter decisions and build better experiences, and that’s a big motivation for me.

You’ve worked across several different industries and companies. What has that taught you?

It’s taught me how important adaptability and curiosity are. Every company has different priorities, ways of working and challenges, so you learn quickly how to collaborate with many kinds of teams and stakeholders. At the same time, I’ve realized that the best data work always starts with understanding the business itself. The real value comes from understanding the people, the product, and the problems you’re trying to solve. That’s one of the reasons Fairlo felt so interesting to me - there’s a clear mission and a real opportunity to create impact.

What are usually the first things you notice about a company’s data setup?

I usually get a pretty quick sense of whether the data has a clear structure or has accumulated layers as the company evolved. I also pay attention to the small details and edge cases, because those are often the things that create bigger issues later on if they’re ignored. A strong foundation makes such a big difference - especially in a company that wants to move fast and scale thoughtfully.

What’s something people might not realize about data engineering?

Probably how collaborative it is. A big part of the job is understanding what different teams actually need and translating that into something practical, scalable, and useful. The technical side is important, but asking the right questions and communicating is just as important if you want to build something that genuinely helps people. That’s also what I’m looking forward to most at Fairlo - building solutions closely together with the business, not just for it.