Initiative for Analytics and Data Science Standards (IADSS) is a non-profit organization with a mission to develop and maintain professional standards in data science and data literacy. As the role of data and analytics is expanding very rapidly in creating new business models or changing existing ones, demand for analytics professionals is growing at an increasing rate. However, almost every company in the industry has a unique way of defining roles and assigning titles in data analytics related positions which has resulted in a chaotic market that is confusing to employers, academic and training institutions, and candidates; with a large number of unqualified candidates calling themselves “data scientist” or “analytics professional”. In order to address this, an initiative has been launched to conduct a research study at global scale. The study aims to gain insight about the analytics profession in the industry and help support the development of standards regarding analytics role definitions, required skills and career advancement paths. Initiative for Analytics and Data Science Standards (IADSS) will rely on the expertise of academicians and industry experts to ensure defined standards are academically sound and rooted in industry realities IADSS will also work to create awareness and promote standards globally.