Building Leadership Range in a Data-Driven World

From analytics expertise to leadership impact: Alex Romocea on applying Ivey learning with his global team

As Director, Analytics Enablement, Data & Analytics at HSBC, Alex Romocea leads a global team working across Hong Kong SAR, Mainland China, India, and the UAE. His team brings together product owners, data analysts, business analysts, and developers working in one of the fastest-moving areas of business today. 

Alex's Ivey learning journey began with Leading Creative Innovation, followed by Strategic Planning and Decision-Making and Leadership Communication and Influence. This fall, he will return for AI Strategy for Competitive Advantage, continuing to build the leadership, strategy, communication, and AI capabilities needed to lead in a rapidly changing data environment.

For Alex, continuous learning is not simply about keeping up with new tools or technical skills. It is about becoming the kind of leader who can recognize talent, support diverse teams, and help people solve complex problems together.

Can you tell us about your role and what motivated you to participate in Ivey Executive Education programs?

My work focuses on data & analytics, so I need to keep improving both my technical and leadership skills. Data analytics is a very fast-paced environment, especially with everything happening in AI. You need to be able to adapt to changes in trends and tooling, and good leadership means recognizing where effort should be invested and supporting talent in driving innovation and upskilling.

You cannot live in a bubble and assume that whatever you are already doing at work is good enough. It is important to gain exposure to different experts, perspectives, and ways of thinking. For me, that was a big part of the motivation: personal development tied to my team's success.

There was also the appeal of having access to strong in-person executive education in Hong Kong. We have access to internal dedicated training and online learning platforms, but I have always found that learning is amplified when you’re in a room with people from other industries and an academic is driving the conversation.

The first Ivey program I attended was excellent. The lessons were strong, the cohort was great, and I am still in touch with people I met there. That made me want to continue.

What brought you back for multiple Ivey programs?

My first Ivey program was a very strong experience. The cohort was excellent, the faculty were highly engaging, and the learning felt immediately relevant to the kind of work I do.

After Leading Creative Innovation, I continued with Strategic Planning and Decision-Making and then Leadership Communication and Influence. Each program gave me something different: new ways to think about innovation, better structure for decision-making, and practical tools for communicating and influencing across different styles and stakeholders.

Because I work in analytics and data, AI is a natural next area of focus. The pace of change is very fast, and I want to keep building both the technical understanding and the leadership perspective needed to help my team and organization adapt.

What stood out to you about learning from Ivey faculty?

The faculty were extremely approachable and down-to-earth. That made a big difference. You are learning from people with deep expertise, but the environment does not feel distant or overly academic. It feels practical and engaging.

I really enjoyed the case method. You receive the cases in advance, read through them, and then work through the issues together in class. The faculty introduces the topic, guides the conversation, and then encourages you to work in groups to solve different problems.

That approach is powerful because it pushes you to open your mind to different perspectives. In your day-to-day work, it is easy to work with the same people in the same way because you know each other well. In the program, you are working with people from different industries and backgrounds. You have to listen, adapt, and understand how other people approach the same challenge.

That was one of the most valuable parts for me. You are not just learning the content. You are also being exposed to how other leaders think and act in other industries, and interesting insights can surface from these interactions.

Were there any cases or exercises that stayed with you?

One case that really resonated with me was about DeepSeek and how Chinese technology companies approached AI model training under resource constraints and market restrictions. It was a strong example of being innovative whilst limited on resources, which is exactly what many on the ground teams need to do in today’s environment.

I shared that case with my team because I have a significant number of people working with me in Mainland China. I thought it was important for them to see a case study focused on Eastern Markets, and note that talent is not concentrated in one place. There is often an assumption that if you are doing advanced analytics or AI work, all the talent is in Silicon Valley. That case study showed something different: innovative teams can achieve a lot with a fraction of the investment the US AI giants have. It was a bit of an underdog story, and I thought it was a powerful case to share.

Another session that stayed with me was around social styles and personality styles. In my team, and in the broader Data & Analytics organization, we work with many different types of people. Most of us are quite analytical, but we often need to work with stakeholders who may be more direct, more relationship-oriented, or more focused on immediate business outcomes.

The session helped put language around those differences. It gave me a simple way to explain to my team that when someone communicates differently, it does not necessarily mean they are being difficult. They may just have a different style. If you can recognize that, it becomes easier to work with them.

How have you applied the learning with your team?

One of the biggest things I have taken from Ivey is the structure of the case method itself. I now use a similar approach with my team when we are solving problems.

Before we jump into development work, I try to make sure we have clearly defined the problem statement. Then we identify the questions we need to answer. We break the team into smaller groups of five or six people and ask each group to work through those questions. After that, we bring the groups back together, compare their thinking, and build a stronger solution.

We already work in an agile way, but this has helped us become more thoughtful before we start moving. It creates more involvement from the beginning, and people are more motivated when they can see that their thinking has shaped the end to end solution.

I have also applied the learning around social styles in how I interact with people. It has made me more mindful of how others communicate and how I may need to adapt my own approach.

Another useful area was the discussion of personal values. I have tried to encourage people on my team to think about what they care about and what motivates them, and then connect that to the work they are doing. That helps people see more meaning in their work.

What did the in-person cohort experience add?

The network effect was a major driver of value. You learn a lot from the faculty, but you also learn from the people in the room.

In the first cohort, I met people who were very entrepreneurial, especially given the program's focus on innovation. I kept in touch with some of them, and I wish I had done an even better job of maintaining those relationships across all the programs.

There are very smart, experienced people in each session. Sometimes you connect with someone during a case discussion or group exercise, and you realize they have a perspective you would like to keep learning from. That community is one of the big benefits of an open program.

Who would you recommend these programs to?

I have recommended the programs to friends and peers. I think they are especially valuable for senior managers, directors, managing directors, and leaders who are trying to improve their leadership style and apply new thinking in their day-to-day work.

The learnings are immediately applicable; they’re not abstract. You can bring it back to your team, your stakeholders, and the kinds of problems you are already working on.

I also think there is a ripple effect. Once people hear that you have done one of these programs and that you are continuing to invest in your own learning, it encourages others to think about their development as well.

What is one unexpected takeaway from the experience?

For me, one unexpected takeaway was how much I valued the people I met. The content was strong, but the connections were also important.

When you bring together capable people from different organizations, there is a lot of knowledge in the room. The question is how to continue that connection after the program ends. That is where I see even more opportunities: helping participants keep learning from each other and sharing ideas after the course.

The classroom experience is very strong. The next level is finding ways to keep that community alive.