Data Analytics, Not Doodling

By Perri Fusco |

Bill Fusco is a father of three from Boston, Massachusetts, working as Converse’s Senior Manager of Global Business Intelligence. In such a business-forward position, Fusco aims to balance professionalism and creativity in his work: “I find it important to honor my [artistic] passions. That is kind of who I am as a person and who I always will be.”

He didn’t always see himself in this position: “I thought throughout my life, especially in my early life, that I would be going into art, creativity, [and] especially, illustration. I had this idea about commercial art, but I didn’t really know what it was.”

Fusco details his position as “understanding [trend] data, breaking it down, shaping that data, and then creating visual aspects.” He explains that this process produces “meaningful representation of the data, which to [Converse] is all about trends. It’s all about what’s working and what’s not.” 

Fusco earned his Bachelors of Arts in Journalism while exploring other passions during his time at Babson University: “Writing was kind of what I loved to do, but it’s taken more of a backburner position in my life… I was also doing photography in college at the office of public information. So I thought okay, photojournalism, I could definitely lean in,” he says. Exploring all of these different hobbies allowed him to learn important skills that he uses in his current career: “[photojournalism is] telling a story with visuals,” which deepened his understanding of effective communication and data literacy, he says. He went on to pursue a Masters in Business, which propelled him into the not-so-creative workforce. 

Choosing a career path, as Fusco explains, is not always linear: “When I first started in the world of data analytics, it was a lot to learn… I definitely wanted to quit my first job in the world of business, mainly because I felt like I didn’t see the point.” Despite his discouragement in his early career, his eventual position at Converse allowed him to reignite creative passions of his: “Any setbacks or discouragement I may have felt previously is not something I can relate to [anymore], like, at all.” 

Converse continuously seeks new collaborations and partnerships to strengthen and grow their business. When asked what partnerships he was looking forward to, Fusco went on to talk about collaborations with other popular brands: “We are working very closely with… the leads within stores. We had this one guy come over from Nike and did a lot of store analytics.” He explains that they are collaborating on a market basket analysis to gain deeper insights into customer purchasing behavior and enhance store performance through detailed analytics.

In his role at Converse, Bill Fusco brings together a rich blend of creativity and analytical skill, embodying his journey from aspiring artist to accomplished business intelligence manager. His background in journalism, photography, and data storytelling uniquely equips him to turn raw data into insightful visuals that help Converse navigate market trends and consumer behaviors. Fusco’s path illustrates that career progression is rarely straightforward, and he exemplifies how diverse passions and experiences can enrich professional success.