About the author

Lazaros Viastikopoulos

Founder & Power BI Consultant

SQLBits Speaker
Data Relay
Power BI UG
12+ Years

Laz founded Metis BI, a UK Power BI and Microsoft Fabric consultancy, after more than a decade of hands-on delivery. He was previously Head of Power BI & Analytics at Telefónica Tech (formerly Adatis), where he built and led the Power BI practice. He has helped more than 100 organisations get reporting people trust, speaks at SQLBits, Data Relay and Power BI user groups across the UK, and writes every blog on this site.

LinkedInSQLBits speaker profileYouTubeClutch reviews, 5.0
Lazaros Viastikopoulos, Founder and Principal Consultant at Metis BI
At a glance

Twelve years, one specialism

A specialist Power BI career, in four numbers.

12+

Years

In business intelligence and Power BI.

100+

Organisations

Helped, from charities to FTSE companies.

5.0

Clutch rating

From verified client reviews.

20+

Talks

Given at conferences and user groups.

Experience

Where Laz has worked

BI developer, in-house analyst, consultant, practice lead, founder.

Oct 2024 to present
Current

Founder & Principal Consultant

Metis BI, UK

Runs a specialist Power BI and Microsoft Fabric consultancy. Governance-first delivery for organisations including Guy's and St Thomas' Foundation, NHBC, Marine Stewardship Council and AnyTech365.

May 2019 to Oct 2024
Previous

Head of Power BI & Analytics

Telefónica Tech Data & AI (formerly Adatis), Microsoft Gold Partner

Established and scaled the Power BI practice from the ground up and led multiple consultant teams. Ran health checks, governance reviews and report programmes for enterprise clients. Clients Laz worked with included ASOS, Greene King, Wesleyan, Heathrow Airport, Laing O'Rourke and Oxford University Hospitals.

Speaking

Conference and user group talks

Each talk links to the organiser's own event page.

When
Talk
Event
May 2026
Power BI governance: the foundations matter more than ever
With Shubhangi G.
Power BI, Data & Analytics User Group, Leeds
Nov 2024
Geospatial analytics and Power BI reports that deliver
Listed on the Microsoft Fabric Community
Microsoft Fabric User Group, Bristol
Oct 2024
Impactful Power BI reports and inclusive dashboards
Power BI User Group, Manchester
Feb 2024
Data storytelling: the key to insightful reporting
Devon & Cornwall Power BI User Group
2022
SQLBits speaker profile
SQLBits

Also spoken at Data Relay, London Business Analytics Group, SQL Saturday and Data Saturday events, the Suffolk Power BI User Group, and data events in Bulgaria.

Writing

Latest blogs by Laz

Practical Power BI and Microsoft Fabric guidance, written by Laz from real client work.

Laz from Metis BI looking up at the question “Do Power BI Wireframes Promise Things You Cannot Build?”, with question marks around his head and a dark teal circle behind him.
Reporting
a gray and white icon of a clock
October 27, 2026
a clock icon in a circle
6
 min

Do Power BI Wireframes Promise Things You Can't Build?

Power BI Design ribbon thumbnail showing light, dark and soft dark theme tiles
Reporting
a gray and white icon of a clock
October 23, 2026
a clock icon in a circle
6
 min

Power BI Design Ribbon: Themes, Page Settings and Dark Mode

Power BI slicer slider thumbnail showing a slider with two handles and a highlighted range
Reporting
a gray and white icon of a clock
October 20, 2026
a clock icon in a circle
5
 min

Power BI Slicer Slider Formatting: Handles, Range and Track

All blogs
Work with Laz

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