---
title: Proximity Improves Machine Learning RoI
description: A data science team's proximity to a business can hasten its results.
image: https://articles.marketsmedia.com/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/machine-learning-in-the-front-office-May-12-2022-09-23-08-67-AM.jpg
---

![websites-group](https://articles.marketsmedia.com/hubfs/raw_assets/public/MarketsMedia_August2021/images/new-MMG-01.svg)

[![](https://articles.marketsmedia.com/hubfs/raw_assets/public/MarketsMedia_August2021/images/dropdown-new-marketsmedia-logo.svg)](https://www.marketsmedia.com/)

[![](https://articles.marketsmedia.com/hubfs/raw_assets/public/MarketsMedia_August2021/images/dropdown-menu-traders-redlogo.svg)](https://www.tradersmagazine.com/)

[![](https://articles.marketsmedia.com/hubfs/raw_assets/public/MarketsMedia_August2021/images/dropdown-menu-bestexe-logo.svg)](https://www.bestexecution.net/)

[![](https://articles.marketsmedia.com/hubfs/raw_assets/public/MarketsMedia_August2021/images/dropdown-menu-fidesk-logo.svg)](https://www.fixglobal.com/)

[![](https://articles.marketsmedia.com/hubfs/raw_assets/public/MarketsMedia_August2021/images/dropdown-fixglobal-new-logo.svg)](https://www.fixglobal.com/)

- [*Facebook*](https://www.facebook.com/MarketsMedia/)
- [*Twitter*](https://twitter.com/marketsmedia)
- [*Linkedin*](https://www.linkedin.com/company/markets-media-llc)
- [Newsletter](https://articles.marketsmedia.com/proximity-improves-machine-learning-roi#popup-newsletter)

#### Want the latest news on securities markets -- FREE?

Sign up to receive exclusive articles on topics including:

- Equity market structure
- Profiles of buy-side investment firms
- The evolution of multi-asset-class trading
- Regulation and its implications for markets
- The search for liquidity in fixed income markets
- The convergence of fintech and capital markets

Select one or more newsletters you would like to receive:

menu

[![Markerts media](https://articles.marketsmedia.com/hubfs/raw_assets/public/MarketsMedia_August2021/images/header%20logo.svg "Markerts media")](https://articles.marketsmedia.com/)

- [Machine Learning](https://articles.marketsmedia.com/tag/machine-learning)
- Machine Learning
- Proximity Improves Machine Learning RoI

Search

- [Home](https://articles.marketsmedia.com/)
- [Trending](https://articles.marketsmedia.com/tag/trending)
- [Featured](https://articles.marketsmedia.com/tag/daily-email-feature)
- [Sectors](https://articles.marketsmedia.com/tag/sectors)
- [From The Markets](https://articles.marketsmedia.com/tag/from-the-markets)
- [AWARDS](https://articles.marketsmedia.com/tag/events)
- [Newsletter](https://awards.marketsmedia.com/newsletter-sign-up)
- [Newsletter](https://articles.marketsmedia.com/proximity-improves-machine-learning-roi#popup-newsletter)

Hide search

Search

- NewsLetter

![](https://articles.marketsmedia.com/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/trading-up-occ-iex-select-board-members-citadel-lands-lieblich-573x379-Jul-07-2022-09-34-11-57-AM.jpg)

[ON THE MOVE: Citi Hires Artie Ambrose;...](https://articles.marketsmedia.com/on-the-move-citi-hires-artie-ambrose-natalie-a-brown-to-mesirow)

![](https://articles.marketsmedia.com/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/Depositphotos_445735906_L.jpg)

[Trading Adapts to ESG and Sustainable...](https://articles.marketsmedia.com/trading-adapts-to-esg-and-sustainable-investing)

![](https://articles.marketsmedia.com/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/iStock-917493152-Jul-07-2022-09-34-19-09-AM.jpg)

[Focus on FX Execution Connectivity](https://articles.marketsmedia.com/focus-on-fx-execution-connectivity)

![](https://articles.marketsmedia.com/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/Depositphotos_333839538_L.jpg)

[TRACE Turns 20](https://articles.marketsmedia.com/trace-turns-20)

 09.09.2019

 By Rob Daly

 Machine Learning

# Proximity Improves Machine Learning RoI

 09.09.2019 By Rob Daly

![Proximity Improves Machine Learning RoI](https://articles.marketsmedia.com/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/machine-learning-in-the-front-office-May-12-2022-09-23-08-67-AM.jpg)

[Share](https://www.facebook.com/share.php?u=https://articles.marketsmedia.com/proximity-improves-machine-learning-roi)

[Tweet](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=US+ETFs+Have+Record+Net+Inflows&url=https://articles.marketsmedia.com/proximity-improves-machine-learning-roi)

[Share](https://www.linkedin.com/cws/share?url=https://articles.marketsmedia.com/proximity-improves-machine-learning-roi)

For all of the hype that machine learning has generated over the past few years, there is one question on every budget approver's mind: When will we see our return-on-investment?

Organizations will not see an immediate return, according to Valentino Zocca, vice president, data science at Citi and who moderated a panel at the AI in Finance Summit in Midtown Manhattan. "It's a journey, and it takes time."

A significant governing factor on the pace of ROI is how the firm organizes its machine-learning resources, added Kamalesh Rao, a senior data scientist at Société Générale and who participated on the panel.

Centralized and decentralized approaches each have their strengths and weaknesses.

The quickest way to see an ROI would be to embed one or two data scientists into existing data practices, according to Rao.

"It might not be the entire organization, but an individual siloed practice that can deliver results on a platform, which can scale quickly," he said. "Maybe they already have some sort of delivery platform that does not use artificial intelligence or machine learning, but at least they have a data engineer, a data engineering practice, and a data engineering system."

UBS Asset Management realized that increasing the proximity between its IT and data science teams was beneficial, agreed fellow panelist Zachary Glassman, a data scientist at UBS Asset Management.

"The more that your data science team can be thinking about how this will look in production and how they can engineer it," he said. "It might not have been their traditional role, but it will enable things to get into production faster."

However, large organization, such as banks, tend to take a "cathedral" approach, which uses pre-made tools, a central platform, and a consulting model that farms out talent.

"I think that is a harder way to go, but in the long run, it may be more efficient," said Rao. "The first approach will get you a faster return, but in the long run, it may be more costly."

Eventually, organizations should reach a point where machine-learning engineering becomes yet another box on the developer's checklist like information security, according to Marsal Galvalda, head of machine learning, commerce platform at Square and panelist.

"Ideally, it is more a continuum and not a separate and siloed team," he said. "It is all a matter of how you embed this organization with a machine-learning mindset. In practice, you will start with some sort of center-of-excellence or something, but the ideal endpoint for machine learning is to be just another tool that engineers use to develop services and parts."

[Share](https://www.facebook.com/share.php?u=https://articles.marketsmedia.com/proximity-improves-machine-learning-roi)

[Tweet](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=US+ETFs+Have+Record+Net+Inflows&url=https://articles.marketsmedia.com/proximity-improves-machine-learning-roi)

[Share](https://www.linkedin.com/cws/share?url=https://articles.marketsmedia.com/proximity-improves-machine-learning-roi)

![email](https://articles.marketsmedia.com/hubfs/Markets%20Media/email.svg)

### NEWSLETTER SIGN UP

And receive exclusive articles on securities markets

<https://twitter.com/marketsmedia?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw>

### Related articles

1. [![](https://articles.marketsmedia.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/EMCA-WINNERS.jpeg?width=376&height=250&name=EMCA-WINNERS.jpeg)](https://articles.marketsmedia.com/european-markets-choice-awards-2022-the-winners)
   
    Latest News
   
   ## [European Markets Choice Awards 2022 – The Winners](https://articles.marketsmedia.com/european-markets-choice-awards-2022-the-winners)
   
   
   
   On 5 June Markets Media held its first in person European Markets Choice Awards event in London.
   
   
   
   07.06.2022 By Markets Media
2. [![](https://articles.marketsmedia.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/trading-up-occ-iex-select-board-members-citadel-lands-lieblich-573x379-Jul-07-2022-09-34-11-57-AM.jpg?width=376&height=250&name=trading-up-occ-iex-select-board-members-citadel-lands-lieblich-573x379-Jul-07-2022-09-34-11-57-AM.jpg)](https://articles.marketsmedia.com/on-the-move-citi-hires-artie-ambrose-natalie-a-brown-to-mesirow)
   
    Daily Email Feature
   
   ## [ON THE MOVE: Citi Hires Artie Ambrose; Natalie A. Brown to Mesirow](https://articles.marketsmedia.com/on-the-move-citi-hires-artie-ambrose-natalie-a-brown-to-mesirow)
   
   
   
   The weekly recap of new hires, promotions and job changes in capital markets trading and technology.
   
   
   
   07.05.2022 By Anna Lyudvig, Traders Magazine
3. [![](https://articles.marketsmedia.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/339299_345359258874293_1089957387_o.jpg?width=376&height=250&name=339299_345359258874293_1089957387_o.jpg)](https://articles.marketsmedia.com/summer-trading-2012-10-years-on)
   
    Latest News
   
   ## [Summer Trading 2012, 10 Years On](https://articles.marketsmedia.com/summer-trading-2012-10-years-on)
   
   
   
   A look back at a Markets Media event from a decade ago.
   
   
   
   07.05.2022 By Traders Magazine

[![MarketsMedia](https://articles.marketsmedia.com/hubfs/MarketsMedia.svg "MarketsMedia")](http://marketsmedia.com)

- [About us](https://www.marketsmedia.com/about-us)
- [Careers](https://www.marketsmediagroup.com/careers)
- [Contact](https://www.marketsmediagroup.com/contact)
- [Advertise](https://www.marketsmediagroup.com/advertise)
- [Newsletter](https://awards.marketsmedia.com/newsletter-sign-up)
- [Corporate Site](https://marketsmediagroup.com)

<https://www.facebook.com/MarketsMedia/> <https://twitter.com/marketsmedia> <https://www.linkedin.com/company/markets-media-llc> <https://vimeo.com/marketsmedia>

- © 2026 Markets Media Holdings LLC
- - Terms & Conditions
    - Privacy Policy

 {{ standard\_footer\_includes }}