CDO Magazine’s Cincinnati Executive Boardroom Dinner on October 7 at McCormick & Schmick’s brought together leading data, analytics, and AI executives to address one of the most pressing challenges in enterprise AI transformation. The event’s discussion on the topic, “The 95% Problem: Closing the Pilot-to-Production Gap in Enterprise AI,” explored how organizations can bridge the emerging “GenAI Divide” by addressing data, not just models, as the true barrier to scaling AI.

Participants discussed lessons from traditional AI, balancing rapid deployment with sustainability, and building resilient, reusable data frameworks for long-term enterprise innovation. The discussion was moderated by Jason Sturgess, Denodo Regional VP & General Manager, Central & Canada.

Rob Golden, Great American Insurance Group Chief Data & Analytics Officer, mentions the Dinner as an “opportunity to share ideas with data and analytics leaders who are passionate and knowledgeable.” “It was great to see old friends and meet several new ones. Across very different contexts – from Fortune 50 to premier Higher Education to high-growth small/midsize enterprises. I’m amazed at how much we have in common as we try to deliver AI solutions that are valuable and scalable,” Golden adds.

For Matt Dowling, Great American Insurance Group AVP, Enterprise Analytics, the event was an “enriching evening of dialogue” with colleagues and peers. Sharing further, he says, “Our conversation centered on the value of experimentation in the evolving enterprise AI landscape. As organizations advance their data and analytics capabilities, it’s increasingly clear that data literacy and robust governance frameworks will be critical success factors.”

Kishore Aradhya, Frontdoor Head, Data Engineering & Architecture, says that the event was “well-paced and measured, with thoughtful, meaningful discussions” about the AI and data reality and hype. “I got to make some great new connections and deepen existing ones with fellow data travelers. For example, I learned from Ravi Katyal how Cintas is adopting AI, and about other ways different organizations are adopting ingenious approaches to solve real-world, impactful problems. The event maintained an engaging atmosphere, encouraging participation from attendees representing diverse backgrounds,” Aradhya adds.

On a similar note, Jason Hightower, Hightowers Petroleum Chief Information Officer, says, “The exchange of ideas with peers offered valuable perspective, especially as decision makers from other markets brought a refreshing outside lens to discussions.”

Hightower notes that the session explored collective progress and challenges in generative AI, emphasizing the balance between trends and practical implementation. “As organizations continue to navigate this evolving space, the real opportunity lies in turning experimentation into execution, translating insight into impact through collaboration, strategy, and measurable outcomes with caution to the success statistics but not apprehension,” he adds.

Christopher Eldredge, MeridianLink VP, Data, echoes a similar sentiment. He says, “The dinner was a great opportunity to discuss current topics with other data leaders. We had a great discussion about the new H-1B visa policy and the potential impact on data teams. I also enjoyed the discussion on strategies to enable successful AI projects.”

Anthony Losanno, CDO Magazine SVP, Sales, highlights, “After a great day at the Global Data Leadership Summit, it was nice to wind down with dinner and a discussion around AI experimentation and implementation across enterprises. Attendees had a lot of insights, and it’s always exciting to hear multiple points of view in this rapidly evolving space.”

Summing up the event, moderator Sturgess says, “Big thank you to the folks at CDO Magazine for helping bring together an amazing group of people for our dinner and round table event at McCormick & Schmick’s! Following a great day of informative sessions, it was a pleasure to sit down and speak candidly with many of the leaders tasked with building and driving the data and AI roadmaps for some of our largest and most innovative organizations! Great discussions and an amazing opportunity to meet with some truly inspirational data leaders!”

Special thanks to Denodo for making the CDO Magazine Executive Boardroom Dinner such a resounding success.

*Kishore Aradhya, Rob Golden, and Christopher Eldredge are members of the CDO Magazine Global Editorial Board.

Executives attending the CDO Magazine Cincinnati Executive Boardroom Dinner included: 

Dave Abell, Standard Textile VP, Chief Information Officer; Kishore Aradhya, Frontdoor Head, Data Engineering & Architecture; Ashok Chennuru, Elevance Health Chief Data & Digital AI Transformation Officer; Marc Cordray, First Financial Bank Sr. Director, Enterprise Data Management; Matthew Dowling, Great American Insurance Group Divisional AVP, Enterprise Analytics; Chris Eldredge, MeridianLink VP, Data; Rob Golden, Great American Insurance Group Chief Data & Analytics Officer; Jason Hightower, Hightowers Petroleum Chief Information Officer; Ravi Katyal, Cintas IT Manager, Emerging Technology; Linda Leslie, University of Cincinnati Director, IT; Akhil Mahajan, Procter & Gamble Technical Director, Data & AI; Gokula Mishra, former Direct Supply VP Data Science & AI/ML; Ajaz Mohammad, University of Cincinnati Director, Data & Analytics, Digital Technology Services; Biplab Mukherjee, GE Aerospace Director, Data Technology & Analytics; Bharath Prabhakaran, University of Cincinnati VP & Chief Digital Officer, Digital Technology Services; Josette Riep, University of Cincinnati AVP; Shane Rodabaugh, Baptist Health System VP, IT Infrastructure; Shubha Sampath, Federal Home Loan Bank of Cincinnati Chief Data Officer & VP; Sanjay Saxena, Bread Financial VP, Data Management, Governance & Protection; Sona Srinivasan, Oracle Sr. Technical Program Manager; Dana Vaughn, Paycor Principal Data Scientist; J.D. Whitlock, Dayton Children’s Hospital Chief Information Officer; Terry Dorsey, Denodo Sr. Data Architect/Evangelist; Ryan Duncan, Denodo Strategic Sales Consultant; Jason Sturgess, Denodo Regional VP & General Manager, Central & Canada; Sue Wright, Denodo National Event Manager, North America; Anthony Losanno, CDO Magazine SVP, Sales; Corey Maxner, CDO Magazine Director, Client Success & Digital Operations; Camille Prado, CDO Magazine Global Editor.