Top 8 Takeaways for Data Leaders from CDO Magazine Boston Executive Boardroom Dinner

CDO Magazine’s exclusive Executive Boardroom Dinner in Boston brought together leading data, analytics minds attending the CDOIQ Symposium to address the impact of AI, data, and analytics on business. The July 17 event featured a panel discussion delving into the critical theme of "Future-Proofing Business: The Convergence of AI, Data, and Analytics.”

Panelists addressed key questions on the impact of AI, the value of data-driven insights, the shift towards a product-centric approach, and the organizational strategies necessary to thrive in a rapidly evolving landscape.

The panel of experts were:

• Alena Godin, Best Buy Canada Chief Data and Analytics Officer

• Todd James, Kroger subsidiary 84.51 Chief Data and Technology Officer

• Kiran Kodali, Sanofi Head, R&D Data Strategy

The discussion was moderated by Sam Ramachandran, Tiger Analytics Chief Sales Officer.

Slideshow - Click to enlarge

Speaker Kodali shares the following vital takeaways from the event:

1. “Whether developing data products, digital solutions, or AI models, a unified approach aligning data, analytics, and AI/GenAI to clear business goals is essential for delivering tangible value in an efficient manner.

2. Defining clear roles and responsibilities is important, but fostering flexibility and collaboration across teams is key to avoiding barriers that slow progress.

3. Proof of concepts are great for demonstrating potential value, but we must also focus on how to scale and industrialize these solutions to serve a broader range of use cases and enhance monetization.”

“We are definitely at an exciting inflection point in the world of data,” states speaker Godin. “Creating impact and value with data in a fully collaborative fashion is what our amazing team at Best Buy Canada really focuses on.” She further shares the following takeaway:

4. “Collaboration, transparency to all the data/analytics work and progress against our strategically aligned roadmap is key to building trust with partners and stakeholders.”

Bhaskar Borah, Dow Jones SVP, Head of Marketing Data Science & Technology, mentions that executives attending the event discussed at length the various opportunities and challenges faced by data leaders across industries, with the rapidly evolving AI landscape. Borah highlights his observations from the event:

5. “There are opportunities for data leaders to get a prominent seat at the executive table. AI getting embedded into roadmaps of business stakeholders is helping with funding and increased literacy and awareness of AI among the non-analytical business partners.

6. There are challenges in terms of impatience from CXOs to deliver AI solutions in months (not years). There is low maturity in governance structures and lack of AI readiness in most organizations while CXOs look at AI as the panacea for all their business problems.”

Nachiket Mehta, Wayfair Head of Data and Analytics Engineering for Global Operations, outlines his takeaways:

7. "Future-proofing businesses requires a strategic blend of data, AI, and product engineering, emphasizing the need for robust federated data governance and scalable infrastructures.

8. AI and GenAI are the hot topics in almost all discussions. However, strong data foundations are the non-negotiable must-haves before any AI innovations."

Slideshow - Click to enlarge

Speaker James thanks CDO Magazine for the opportunity to participate “in an intimate panel and discussions with other leaders on the challenges and opportunities facing CDAOs.”

"The CDO Magazine dinner in Boston was an amazing event, featuring deep and robust conversations among over 25 senior and C-level data leaders. Special thanks to our insightful panelists. Their expertise was invaluable in driving the forward-thinking discussions,” says CDO Magazine Founder and Publisher Steve Wanamaker.

Franklin Kessler, CDO Magazine SVP of Program Management, shares: "The CDO Magazine dinner in Boston was an invaluable and engaging experience, featuring high-caliber attendees at the forefront of their fields. The discussions on the convergence of AI, data, and analytics were insightful, highlighting the critical role of these technologies in shaping the future of business."

Sam Ramachandran, Tiger Analytics Chief Sales Officer, sums up the event, saying: “The dinner was a great evening of data leaders and experts coming together to share ideas and common challenges/approaches. Insightful viewpoints were shared by panelists Todd James, Alana Godin, and Kiran Kodali. CDO Magazine continues to lead in building CDO communities, fostering collaboration, and sharing of insights across the globe.”

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

Alena Godin, Todd James, and Kiran Kodali are members of the CDO Magazine Global Editorial Board.

Ido Biger, Delek US Holdings EVP, Chief Information and Data Officer; Bhaskar Borah, Dow Jones SVP, Head of Marketing Data Science & Technology; Marla Dans, Chicago Trading Company Head of Data Management and Governance; Carsten Dehner, Vienna Insurance Group Chief Data & Analytics Officer; Beth Falder, Nuvance Health AVP, Data Management & Analytics; Iryna Feldman, Navitus Health Solutions Director of Analytics; Michael Feldman, Stanford University Research Software Engineer; Alena Godin, Best Buy Canada Chief Data & Analytics Officer & Sr. Director; Jay Harris, Capital One VP, Enterprise Data Management; Nick Heitzman, Allegion Director, Artificial Intelligence; Todd Henley, Northwest Bank VP, Chief Data Governance & Privacy Officer; Derrick Higgins, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Illinois, Montana, New Mexico, Oklahoma & Texas VP, Data; Todd James, 84.51 Chief Data & Technology Officer; Vanessa Jones-Nyoni, Commerzbank AG Chief Data Officer, North America; Bill Kemerer, Allegion VP, Global Data and Analytics; Olivia Kew-Fickus, Vanderbilt University Chief Data Officer; Kiran Kodali, Sanofi Head, R&D Data Strategy; Nachiket Mehta, Wayfair Head, Data and Analytics Engineering, Global Operations (Supply Chain & Customer Experience); Raj Nimmagadda, Sanofi Chief Data Officer R&D, Data and Data Sciences; Matt Parisi, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Illinois, Montana, New Mexico, Oklahoma & Texas Vice President of Business Data Solutions; Crystal Son, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Illinois, Montana, New Mexico, Oklahoma & Texas Executive Director, Enterprise Data & Analytics Solutions; Tarun Sood, American Century Investments Chief Data Officer; Cindy Tu, Discover Financial Services Director of IT & Data Audit; Krishna Valluru, Fidelity Investments Vice President/Team Leader Advanced Data Analytics Tech; Anupam Bhatnagar, Tiger Analytics Associate Vice President; Rachit Dhir, Tiger Analytics BU Head; Randall Nufer, Tiger Analytics Senior Director Business Development (Banking and Financial Services); Sam Ramachandran, Tiger Analytics Chief Sales Officer; Gagandeep Singh, Tiger Analytics, Regional Sales Head; Steve Wanamaker, CDO Magazine Founder & Publisher; Franklin Kessler, CDO Magazine SVP, Program Management.