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Sanofi Power BI Data Visualization Competition: An Inspiring Initiative Focused on the Paris Olympic Games

Headshot of article author Pam Spier

Celebrating Creativity and Expertise in Data Analytics 

Last summer, Sanofi launched an exciting data viz challenge on the topic of the Paris Olympics.

With a goal to inspire and showcase advanced data visualization skills using Power BI, Sanofi’s initiative has proven to be nothing short of spectacular, bringing together 131 data enthusiasts across 25 countries!

In recognition of their exceptional work, Microsoft wants to put forward the three finalist teams’ reports, showcasing their diversity and creativity.

Don’t miss the chance to explore these exceptional Power BI reports and witness outstanding storytelling and analytical prowess here:

  1. Olympic Performance Index
  2. Isometric Story Telling
  3. Gender Parity

Competition Overview

The Viz Olympics was launched by Sanofi’s Visual Analytics Community Leads, Anu Stanley and Jennifer Gan, in August 2024, attracting an impressive turnout of Sanofi employees. The objective was clear: to create innovative visualizations that explore Olympic data and tell compelling stories through dashboards and infographics.

Why the Olympics?

Sanofi’s sponsorship of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games made this a particularly meaningful topic. Over 2,000 Sanofi employees volunteered, demonstrating that the sponsorship was not only a company initiative but also a collectively shared passion.

The Olympics are not just about sports; they encompass a rich tapestry of economic, social, and environmental impacts – and this was well embodied by the data chosen by the competitors.

The Power of Power BI

Power BI was chosen as the tool for this competition, reflecting its status as Sanofi’s corporate standard. Participants benefited from coaching sessions with Microsoft experts, which helped them refine their ideas and produce exceptional reports!

Judging Criteria

The competition was judged on three main criteria: design, analytics, and storytelling. Participants were encouraged to think beyond traditional business dashboards and explore innovative styles that could captivate and inform their audience. The judges looked for aesthetic appeal, clarity, simplicity, data accuracy, depth of insights, relevance, context, narrative flow, engagement, and impact.

Finalists and Grand Finale

The competition saw 131 participants forming 85 teams from 25 countries. After rigorous evaluation, three teams emerged as finalists, each presenting their solutions to the panel of judges. The grand finale was a showcase of extraordinary talent and creativity.

Winners

The winners were crowned amidst much celebration 🎉

🎉 1st place:

Olympic Performance Index

Team France: Thomas Chaussy, Catherine Claret, Isabelle Miquet  

Olympic performance index dashboard

🎉 2nd place:

Isometric Story Telling 

Team Great Britan: Joe Clarkson, Farhan Farrukh, Asif Ashraf 

Isometric dimensions of the Olympics dashboard

🎉 3rd place:

Gender Parity

Team Canada: Carene Contante 

Gender parity in the olympics dashboard

Gratitude and Future Prospects

A huge heartfelt thanks goes out to the organizers, sponsors, selection committee, and judges who made this event possible. Sanofi’s Viz Olympics has set a high standard for future competitions, proving that with Power BI, analysts can achieve remarkable feats in data visualization.

Finally, we want to give a shoutout to the awesome Microsoft team who jumped in as facilitators, coaches, and judges : Emilie Maréchal, Imène Kabla, Marc Reguera, Sandrine Tarnaud, Manel Omani and Camille Guedj. Their skills, guidance, and non-stop support helped make the event a massive hit!

Join us in celebrating the success of this inspiring initiative and in looking forward to more opportunities for creativity, innovation, and learning in the world of data analytics.

#VisualAnalytics #VizOlympics #PowerBI #Innovation #ParisOlympics