THE OPS ROOM

Founder

THE FAFF SLAYER | Systems for changemakers, rebels & impact-focused folks to unlock ease+joy in a world that needs you most | Speaker | Author of Paradigm Playground 🖖🏼

I bring together your people, processes, and platforms (tools) to create a beautiful symphony rather than something a bored/cranky toddler does on pots and pans. 

[The verbiage is a work in progress. I outgrew what I was and haven't yet replaced it with what I am. However, I'm also not keeping boxes I don't need/want "just in case." Watch this space!]

Asmara Kazmi

Last night at Sophie Jane Lee’s book launch, Kemi Gates said:

“Take what blesses and ignore what vexxes.”

And being in that room with so many LEGENDARY women, I felt hella blessed.

(And this morning… slightly vexxed when I saw all the tags and realized how many amazing women I would have loved to squeal-hug but did not because I was too engrossed on the dance floor. Where is a TARDIS when you need one!)

From hearing the magic of Yinka, whose wisdom is always like a nutrient shot to my spirit, to seeing Sophie looking radiant, surrounded by love, admiration and support so visceral it could have been bottled.

From Laura lending me her power bank when she saw me charging my phone by the coat check and thus reminding me that those who are seen are also helped by those who care.

To walking into the library of the Royal College of Physicians and joking that I ended up there anyway. Just not the way my parents imagined, and without the debt or the burnout.

And to all the brilliant women I spoke with, laughed with, and danced alongside last night, please know the admiration was very much mutual.

Something about seeing someone else’s vision come to life so beautifully is incredibly healing.

And it got me thinking about the vision I want to materialize too.

That vision has been running in my consciousness like a permanent subroutine for years. Some parts of it decades old.

For a long time I would do “flash-forward meditations” to borrow resolve from the future-me who already knew how things turned out.

But something clicked for me today.

That moment is not a beginning.
And it is not a return either.

It is a continuation.

The woman in my vision with salt-and-pepper hair is not that different from the one writing this post.

She is just doing the same work with more of the system built around her.

And that realization did something unexpected.

It removed the pressure to “arrive.”

Because continuation does not require perfection.

Just the next step in the sequence.

So thank you, Sophie, for being so fully yourself that you help others see themselves too.

Kemi was fiercely correct when she called your work a mirror.

I have lived the beauty of it.

PS - Thank you for blessing my life with rooms like this Yinka Ewuola, Louise Blackburn, Nicola Crooks-Ramgeet, 'Ronke Kokoruwe, Vicky Quinn Fraser and Sophie Blackmore

Interventor | Correcting load misallocation in systems that intend to endure.

Susan Walsh - The Classification Guru

Fixer of dirty data ★ Spend data classification, supplier normalisation, and taxonomies ★ DataIQ100 x 2 ★DataIQ Data Champion 2022★ Author "Between the Spreadsheets" ★ Creator of COAT ★ TEDx - say NO to NO ★ DataVenger

I’m Susan Walsh, also known as The Classification Guru, a globally recognised expert in spend data classification, cleaning, and transformation. For over a decade, I’ve helped organisations fix dirty, unreliable data and turn it into insight they can actually trust.

In 2017, I founded The Classification Guru Ltd, rebuilding my career from the ground up after coming back from bankruptcy after my first business failed. What started as a solo consultancy has grown into a specialist business supporting 100+ organisations globally, particularly in procurement, sales, and marketing, where clean data underpins reporting, automation, and AI.

I work with mid-sized and enterprise organisations, consultancies, and technology providers that rely on complex, high-volume data but struggle with inconsistency, duplication, and poor structure. My clients include procurement, finance, sales, and marketing teams who need data they can stand behind, whether that’s for spend analysis, supplier management, CRM reporting, forecasting, compliance, or AI initiatives.

Keeping a business alive and growing for almost nine years hasn’t been about shortcuts or hype. It’s been built through real-world delivery, practical problem-solving, and a refusal to accept “good enough” data as acceptable. Along the way, I’ve developed frameworks and tools to help organisations embed sustainable data quality, including the COAT framework (Consistent, Organised, Accurate, Trustworthy) and Samification, a self-service supplier normalisation platform launched in 2024 to make clean, structured data accessible at scale.

I’m also an active contributor to the wider data and business community. I’m a TEDx speaker, international conference speaker, and recognised thought leader in data quality and classification. I’ve authored three books, including Between the Spreadsheets 1st and 2nd editions, and the upcoming Optimizing Sales and Marketing. I teach globally via platforms such as Pluralsight, O’Reilly, and the Analytics Institute. Through consistent, practical thought leadership, I’ve grown an engaged LinkedIn audience of 43,000+ professionals.

Alongside my commercial work, I founded the Women Who Speak LinkedIn group, a free initiative connecting women speakers with event organisers to improve visibility and representation. I hope my journey shows that you don’t have to fit a mould to build a credible business, lead in your field, or create meaningful impact.

My mission is simple: help organisations move from spreadsheet chaos to clean, organised, trustworthy data that actually works.

Founder/MD (Mistress of Data)

I love improving the quality of procurement spend data, giving teams clarity so they can make better business decisions and cost savings.

Why not let me take the pain out of laborious data issues and make your life easier?

Whether it's a small or large data set, the accuracy can be improved by identifying classification errors, conflicts or gaps. I can provide a data verification service to efficiently find and correct these in a fraction of the time it would take you or a team member.

And a crucial part of having accurate data is also working with a comprehensive taxonomy, something that can be easily overlooked. I can provide a taxonomy development service to ensure you have all the vital areas covered for the greatest visibility - job done!

If you struggle with the time, resources or willingness to tackle your data, why not get in touch to see how I can make your life easier.

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Asmara Kazmi

Susan Walsh - The Classification Guru

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The Battle

Asmara Kazmi

Susan Walsh - The Classification Guru

Followers

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Engagements

Likes

Performance Score.css-goub6s{font-size:var(--chakra-fontSizes-md);font-weight:500;color:var(--chakra-colors-gray-600);display:block;margin-top:var(--chakra-space-1);}Asmara Kazmi's LinkedIn Performance

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