CDO Magazine’s New York Executive Boardroom Dinner on October 15 drew top leaders in data, analytics, AI, and cybersecurity at Tudor City Steakhouse’s Piano Room for a dynamic discussion on “When AI Meets Ransomware: Building a Smarter Defense Together.” 

Conversations focused on the evolving ransomware threat landscape and how organizations can detect and respond before damage occurs. Participants examined whether technology, people, or processes present the greatest challenge, and debated questions of ownership, accountability, and trust — particularly when considering if AI should act autonomously to stop an attack. The discussion was moderated by Alex Hesterberg, Superna Senior Advisor.

In preparing for the New York Leadership Summit on November 20, CDO Magazine thanks the Summit Co-chairs for their outstanding leadership and commitment to advancing the data and AI community:

• Arvind Balasundaram, Regeneron Executive Director, Commercial Insights & Analytics
• Vanessa Jones-Nyoni, Commerzbank Chief Data Officer North America
• Hardik Mehta, JPMorganChase Global Head, Risk & Regulatory Compliance
• Andrew Reiskind, MasterCard Chief Data Officer
• Tali Rosenblum, New York Life VP, Executive Officer & Head, Enterprise Strategic Insights & Analytics

Reflecting on the evening, Richard Martin, PepsiCo Sr. Director Strategy & Transformation, Data, Analytics & AI, says, “I’ve been to many industry events over the years, and rarely have I ever taken so many notes in quick succession as I did at the CDO Magazine dinner. Love gaining some inspiration from my talented peer group and can’t wait til the next event.”

Building on that spirit of collaboration, Co-chair Reiskind says, “It was another great convening in NYC hosted by CDO Magazine, which brought together industry peers. Throughout the evening, we explored the challenges and opportunities with incorporating responsible AI practices for GenAI in our regulated domains.”

Reiskind adds, “As usual, there was much to discuss in terms of how best to structure monitoring chatbots to ensure their outputs are accurate, consistent, and fair. Thank you to Stephanie Zhou at JPMC for sharing her expertise in this, as it comes to scale.”

Echoing the value of diverse voices and shared learning, Kodjo Hogan, TD Bank Business Information Security Officer, says, “Diversity is not just a measure of representation — it’s the wellspring of empathy. When we bring together a multitude of technology backgrounds as CDO Magazine does, it creates a unique chemistry. That blend of perspectives fuels not just innovation, but meaningful action rooted in collective insight. I’m very happy to be a part of the CDO Magazine community, and always look forward to a great gathering of minds and perspectives to learn from.”

According to Co-chair Jones-Nyoni, the conversation reinforced how interconnected data, AI and cybersecurity are. She says, “AI gives us incredible power to act fast in a crisis, but strong governance is what ensures we act responsibly. That balance between innovation and accountability is where real resilience lives.”

Gerri Caveness, CDO Magazine Global Events Manager, highlights, “The future of tech happens at the intersection of security and data, and having these entities work together isn’t optional, it’s essential. I’m proud to help build the NYC tech community, and honored to share space with some of the brightest minds in the industry.” 

Summing up the event, moderator Hesterberg says, “We had the privilege of sponsoring an incredible evening with data, security and compliance leaders from some of the largest and most innovative companies in the world. It wasn’t lost on me, or anyone in the room, just how complex it is to be in these roles today and live at the intersection of everything data: from Cybersecurity risk, to supply chain vulnerabilities, to data mining, to AI development and indoctrination. I was incredibly impressed to hear how these leaders are evaluating and navigating government regulations, business vs. compliance demands and Board-level discussions on how AI is reframing corporate strategy.”

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

*Arvind Balasundaram and Andrew Reiskind are members of the CDO Magazine Global Editorial Board. 

Executives attending the CDO Magazine New York Executive Boardroom Dinner included: 

Sashidar Arumugam, Steve Madden Director, Warehouse Management System; Catheryn Avalos, Point72 Director, MUFG Data Governance & Controls; Melody Balcet, former Barclays Corporate & Investment Bank Americas Head, Digital, Resilience & BX Risk; Pooja Batra, Bloomberg Head, Technical Product Management; Sherman Cooper, QBE North America Head, Data; Stephanie Garland, State of Maryland Director, Data Literacy; Kodjo Hogan, TD Bank Business Information Security Officer; Vanessa Jones-Nyoni, Commerzbank Chief Data Officer North America; Richard Martin, PepsiCo Sr. Director Strategy & Transformation, Data, Analytics & AI; Hardik Mehta, JPMorganChase Global Head, Risk & Regulatory Compliance; Margaret Morton, Point72 Sr. Program Manager, Information Security; Mary Namayanja, JPMorganChase Vice President; Shantanu Pal, Blankfein Scholes Capital Management Chief Information Security Officer; Ciprian Porutiu, Marsh McLennan SVP, Strategic Initiatives, Change Management, Business Transformation; Andrew Reiskind, MasterCard Chief Data Officer; Tali Rosenblum, New York Life VP, Executive Officer & Head, Enterprise Strategic Insights & Analytics; Alexander Rosenzweig, American Express Director, Data Risk Management & Privacy; Purvi Shah, American Express VP, Product Development, Enterprise Data Platforms; Jyoti Shah, ADP Director, Application Development; Sumit Sharma, Meta Privacy & Tooling Operations; Stephanie Zhang, JPMorganChase Managing Director & Head, Enterprise AI & Data Governance Products; Alex Hesterberg, Superna Senior Advisor; Andrew MacKay, Superna CTO & CSO; Gerri Caveness, CDO Magazine Global Events Manager; Anthony Losanno, CDO Magazine VP, Sales.