The next colleague to feature in our Staff Spotlight series is Rob Warton, SystemsLink’s Business Intelligence Team Lead.
As our Business Intelligence Team Lead for Power BI and Unify reporting, Rob plays a critical role in transforming complex data into clear, actionable insights that support smarter decision-making across the organisation. Even though Rob has only been with us less than a year, he has already made a significant impact.
As a result, we’re excited to shine a spotlight on both his professional impact and the person behind the dashboards. Rob’s work helps ensure our data tells a meaningful story.
We caught up with Rob to talk about his role, career highlights, and what he likes to do outside of work.
Can you please tell us, what does your job entail?
I manage the Business Intelligence team for our Power BI/Unify reports. We deliver reporting and insights for our clients, as well as for internal use. While most of our reporting is client-facing, we also develop reports that support the business day-to-day – for example, query management reports.
I’m currently leading the upgrade of our Power BI data infrastructure into Microsoft Fabric, helping us move towards a more scalable, secure and modern analytics platform.
How long have you worked for SystemsLink?
I’ve been with SystemsLink since May 2025.
What inspired you to have the career you have today?
I’ve always enjoyed helping people understand what’s really going on beneath the surface. A career in business intelligence lets me do exactly that – taking messy or complicated data and transforming it into something meaningful that supports clients and the business. Seeing the impact good reporting can have is what inspired me to pursue this path.
What’s the best career lesson you’ve learned so far?
The best career lesson I’ve learned is that clarity beats complexity. Whether it’s data, communication, or processes, taking the time to simplify things creates better outcomes for everyone and prevents problems before they happen.
What do you like most about your job?
I enjoy the constant evolution of the work. BI never stands still – new tools, new challenges, new ways to improve things. Being able to modernise our infrastructure and build something more scalable and future-ready is a part of the job I really enjoy.
What has been your favourite project at SystemsLink / what’s the most exciting thing you’ve worked on?
My favourite project has been leading our move into Microsoft Fabric and designing a medallion architecture that underpins it. It’s been exciting to modernise our reporting ecosystem and streamline how we process and store information..
What are the challenges you’ve faced in the industry?
One of the biggest challenges in the industry is managing the balance between legacy systems and modern expectations. Clients like fast, reliable insights, but sometimes the underlying data structures aren’t always built for that. Moving architecture forward, while still keeping everything running smoothly, is a constant challenge, but also one of the most rewarding parts of working in BI.
If you could have a superpower, what would it be?
I’d choose the ability to pause time. Imagine how much easier it would be to solve problems, build things properly, and still have a moment to breathe.
Anything else you’d like to add?
Outside the BI world, you’ll usually find me listening to rock music, following Millwall FC, or getting stuck into tabletop games and D&D campaigns with my son. I really value time with the family – it’s the perfect balance to a busy work life.
Thank you, Rob, for taking the time to share some insights into what it’s like being a Business Intelligence Team Lead. We can’t wait to hear more about your role and projects this year!
Stay tuned for the next SystemsLink’s Staff Spotlight series!
