Lester Litchfield

Lester Litchfield has a strong background in data science and machine learning. Lester started their career at Trade Me in 2014, where they served as a Web Analyst and later as the Lead Data Scientist. At Trade Me, they rebuilt a large-scale implementation of Google Analytics, trained over 50 employees, and played a key role in establishing an A/B testing culture. In 2020, Lester joined Volpara Health as a Machine Learning Engineer, where they focused on applying Convolutional Neural Networks to cancer screening and mammography. Lester successfully developed a neural network to visually assess breast tissue density, which became a core product of Volpara. In their current role as the Head of Data Science at Volpara Health, Lester is responsible for developing the data and imaging science teams, implementing a data strategy, and leading the development of new machine learning models and techniques. Lester also provides line management and support for a team of 10 scientists, analysts, and engineers.

Lester Litchfield has a Bachelor of Commerce and Administration degree with majors in Management and Marketing from Victoria University of Wellington, obtained between 2002 and 2006. In 2023-2024, they also earned a Graduate Certificate in Artificial Intelligence from the same university. Additionally, Lester has obtained various certifications in fields such as AI, mathematics for machine learning, deep learning, and data analysis from institutions like Coursera and Google.