CDO Magazine welcomed Chicago senior data, analytics, and AI leaders at Smith & Wollensky on November 13 for an evening of insights and strategic dialogue on the theme “Operationalizing AI: How Data Leaders are Turning Innovation into Impact.”

Executives spanning financial services, insurance, healthcare and life sciences, logistics, and manufacturing exchanged  playbooks on how data leaders are transforming analytics organizations for the AI era, emphasizing the importance of trust, transparency, and governance in generative AI initiatives. 

Leaders also swapped stories of AI delivering real impact on the ground, and offered fresh ideas for growing talent and nurturing a workplace culture that’s ready to embrace intelligent systems.The discussion was moderated by James Watson, ThoughtSpot VP, Commercial Sales Americas.

Sharing his experience, Grant Ecker, Ecolab VP, Enterprise Architecture, enjoyed connecting with new peers, exchanging insights, and celebrating talent over a great meal in a vibrant downtown setting.  “One of the things I truly appreciate about CDO Magazine events is the dialogue they spark among peers,” he says. “Tonight was no exception: the mic passed from table to table, turning individual conversations into a collective exchange of ideas. From the friendly competition among CxOs racing to lead in AI, to the insight that the best questions, not the best tech, will shape the strongest outcomes, the evening was rich with perspectives and connections.” 

According to Suma Nair, JPMorganChase Executive Director  & Data Owner Director, “It was energizing to be surrounded by so many data and AI leaders, all focused on how to accelerate responsible AI adoption.”

She shares her takeaways:

• A key theme was the importance of making data “AI ready” through strong data management and governance, while also pursuing quick wins that build trust and deliver immediate value for customers.
• We discussed the need to educate users on effective AI use, and the importance of keeping a human in the loop to ensure AI solutions remain transparent, trustworthy, and compliant with evolving standards like the EU AI Act.
• I appreciated the open dialogue on balancing innovation with risk management, as well as the creative discussion around high-ROI AI use cases—from operational improvements in call centers to making data publishing software more efficient—and the ongoing opportunities to develop even more sophisticated AI tools.”

Similarly, Shawn Tumanov, GEICO Data, Model & AI Executive, highlights his top takeaways:

• Building trust, transparency, and governance into generative AI initiatives requires cross-company collaboration among data, business, and engineering teams.
• AI should be viewed as a tool to solve specific business problems, such as reducing waste in the kitchen or improving operational efficiency, rather than a solution in search of a problem.
• Upskilling strategies must include hands-on, on-the-job training. Allowing employees to apply AI to real-life challenges is more effective than one-off initiatives that can be quickly forgotten.

The Hartford VP, Enterprise AI Nalini Polavarapu points out, “The discussions about data governance and AI architecture were timely and relevant to our work at The Hartford. We aspire to be a leader in responsible AI adoption, prioritizing it as the foundation of innovation in our products and processes, and are committed to ensuring transparency, fairness, and security in every solution we deliver,” she adds. 

As Don Fleschut, Ryerson VP & Chief Data Officer, describes,”The format of giving topic prompts to our tables and having us brainstorm out the perspectives to share with our peers was a great way for us to surface the best ideas while also getting to know our colleagues better. It made for very lively discussion at the table and resulted in a broad diversity of ideas since so many different industries are represented at these meetings.” 

Lexy Smith, CDO Magazine Program Director, reflects,“I was genuinely honored to be in the room with so many brilliant data leaders—listening to their perspectives on the future of data and AI, and hearing the real challenges they’re navigating today. The depth of insight and generosity in the conversation was truly inspiring.”

Summing it up, Watson says, “The CDO Magazine dinner was a fantastic opportunity to see firsthand how companies are shaping their AI strategies, from data transformation all the way through advanced analytics. It was equally fascinating to hear how differently organizations define ‘AI’ itself. I loved learning from leaders at the top of the data field and seeing that while everyone is leveraging AI, no two companies seem to be using it in quite the same way.”

Special thanks to ThoughtSpot for their partnership in making the event a success.

*Suma Nair, Grant Ecker, and Don Fleschut are members of the CDO Magazine Global Board.

Executives attending the CDO Magazine Chicago Executive Boardroom Dinner included: 

Yele Adelakun, DePaul ID Lab Founder & Executive Director; Mary Basani, Vantive Associate Director, Global Data Product Delivery; Patrick Chew, AIT Worldwide Logistics VP, AI & Data Science; Dan Cromer, Walker & Dunlop SVP, Product, Data; Ivana Donevska, BMO US Data, Analytics & AI Risk Head; Grant Ecker, Ecolab VP, Enterprise Architecture; Don Fleschut, Ryerson VP, Chief Data Officer; Gokula Mishra, former Direct Supply VP, Data Science; Suma Nair, JPMorganChase Executive Director & Data Owner Director; Michael Patrick, Adtalem Global Education VP,  Technology Service Delivery; Nalini Polavarapu, The Hartford VP, Enterprise AI; Anand Ramakrishnan, Vantive Director, Data Services Platforms & Delivery; Shankar Ranganathan, Trustmark Chief Data & AI Officer; Jane Rheem, Sidley Austin Chief Data & AI Officer; Brad Rosenberg, former Inland Investments Manager, Data Management;

Purvi Savera, Alliant Credit Union Director, Data; Keyuri Shah, GEICO Director, Software Engineering; Frank Sung, Loop Capital Markets VP, Data Management; Shawn Tumanov, GEICO Data, Model & AI Executive; Connor Bowcott, ThoughtSpot Sr. Sales Executive; Paul Gilman, ThoughtSpot Sr. Director, Solution Engineers Americas East; Rosilyn Phillips, ThoughtSpot Sr. Account Executive; James Watson, ThoughtSpot VP, Commercial Sales Americas; Anthony Losanno, CDO Magazine SVP, Sales; and Lexy Smith, CDO Magazine Program Director.