Federico De Cillia

Lead Data Scientist - DTC Assortment Intelligence @ EssilorLuxottica | Nova 111 Top Talent List Italy | AI Trainer & Consultant | I build reliable AI agents that augment people, not replace them

Milan, Lombardy, Italy

About

With over 12 years of experience in AI and Data Science, I specialize in bridging the gap between advanced AI capabilities and real-world business objectives. As Lead Data Scientist for Direct-To-Consumer Assortment Intelligence at EssilorLuxottica, I direct the strategy and implementation of AI systems that optimize operations across 18,000+ retail stores globally. My focus is moving beyond Proof of Concepts to deliver robust, production-grade solutions that drive real efficiency and measurable ROI. I am also an active AI Trainer and Consultant, helping professionals cut through the hype and actually use AI effectively. I ship real things into production: AI chatbots, AI automations, apps, internal tools for the businesses that need them. I build with AI every day, and while I reach for whatever tool best solves the problem, my daily driver is Claude. I live at the frontier: new model releases, agentic workflows, the latest research. If it shipped this week, I have probably already tested it. That hands-on builder mindset is what I bring into every client engagement and training session. What drives me is the intersection of three things: powerful technology, real human adoption, and tangible impact. I am not interested in AI for its own sake. I am interested in what it changes. And beyond the build, I love creating community around AI: bringing curious people together to learn and experiment, from internal AI events to the Milan tech scene. If you are working at the frontier of AI, let us connect.

Experience

  • Lead Data Scientist - Retail Assortment Intelligence at EssilorLuxottica
    Feb 2021 - Present · 5 yrs 5 mos

    Leading the Data Science unit for Global Retail & DTC Assortment Intelligence, optimizing assortment strategies across a network of 18,000+ Retail stores and Direct-To-Consumer channels. I lead a team of data scientists and own the full lifecycle of AI initiatives, from ideation and prototyping to full-scale production deployment. Key Responsibilities: - Strategic Leadership: Defining the roadmap for AI and Machine Learning integration within Global Retail & DTC operations, ensuring alignment with global business goals. - Scalable AI Implementation: Overseeing the development of robust forecasting engines, anomaly detection systems, and clustering algorithms that drive automated decision-making at scale. - Operational Efficiency: Transforming manual, legacy processes into automated, data-driven workflows to enhance speed and accuracy across the DTC network. - Team Development: Mentoring and leading a high-performing team of Data Scientists, fostering best practices in Data and MLOps, code quality, and agile methodology. -  Internal AI enablement (talks, training, hands-on sessions) to spread AI adoption across the organization. - Delivered measurable business impact: license savings, multi-FTE efficiency gains, and incremental revenue.

  • AI Consultant and Trainer at Fiverr Pro
    Jun 2019 - Present · 7 yrs 1 mo

    I help teams and non-technical professionals actually use AI well, and I ship production-grade solutions: AI Agents, LLM chatbots, AI automations, and internal tools deployed for dozens of businesses across different industries. What I do: - AI training: tailored workshops on Generative AI, LLMs, agents and automation, for audiences from beginners to technical teams. - Advisory: guiding clients spot high-impact AI use cases and avoid the common implementation traps. - Solution delivery: designing and building AI Agents and automation systems end-to-end, from use-case scoping to production rollout. Recognized as a Vetted Pro on Fiverr (5/5 rating across 100+ projects).

  • Nielsen (3 yrs 6 mos)
    • Co-Chair of the D&I team
      2019 - Feb 2021 · 2 yrs 2 mos

      Corporate Leadership: Co-Chair of the Italian Diversity & Inclusion Team, driving cultural initiatives and fostering an inclusive workplace environment.

    • Senior Data Scientist
      Sep 2017 - Feb 2021 · 3 yrs 6 mos

      Led the design and deployment of scalable AI & Machine Learning solutions across multiple international markets, focusing on audience measurement and panel intelligence. Key Responsibilities: - Global ML Initiatives: Directed the development of predictive models (Time Series, Classification, Clustering) to analyze viewing behaviors, forecast trends, and optimize panelist retention across 40+ countries. - Scalable Architecture: Engineered automated, end-to-end data pipelines using Big Data and Cloud technologies to handle massive datasets efficiently. - Stakeholder Management: Acted as the technical bridge between data teams and business leadership, presenting actionable insights and strategic recommendations to senior management and clients.

  • Data Scientist - Consultant at Bip - Business Integration Partners
    Apr 2016 - Sep 2017 · 1 yr 6 mos

    Consultant within X-Tech, the "Big Data & Advanced Analytics" Center of Excellence. - Key Project: Delivered an NLP-based Churn Prediction system for Sky Italy, directly supporting retention and upselling strategies. - Impact: Developed text-mining algorithms to enhance customer profiling and optimize marketing campaign effectiveness.

  • SAS Masterclass & Data Scientist Consultant at SAS
    Jun 2015 - Apr 2016 · 11 mos

    Selected for the intensive SAS Masterclass in Big Data & Analytics. - Consultancy: Operated as a Data Science Consultant for Value Lab, building ETL pipelines and interactive BI dashboards to drive business insights using the SAS ecosystem. - Training: Gained deep technical expertise in SAS Programming, Visual Analytics, and Hadoop integration.