Senior data, analytics, and AI executives in Boston gathered at CDO Magazine’s Executive Boardroom Dinner on February 11 to explore how enterprise data architecture strategies can unlock the next wave of insights, optimize real-time decision-making, and enhance customer experiences.

The evening’s highlight was a panel discussion on “Evolving Data Architecture and Strategies for Modern Enterprises.” Experts shared how they are adapting their data ecosystems to harness AI-driven insights, integrate real-time analytics, and leverage emerging technologies such as Generative AI. The conversation also highlighted practical approaches to scaling AI adoption, and ensuring governance frameworks keep pace with innovation.

The panel of experts were:

• Barbara Latulippe – Takeda Head, Enterprise Data, CDO

• Jane Urban, Otsuka Pharmaceutical VP, Customer Engagement Operations

• Kishore Aradhya – Frontdoor Head, Data Engineering & Architecture

The session was moderated by Mike Anderson, Tealium CTO and Founder.

Speaker Latulippe shares the following takeaways:

• Evolving our enterprise data architecture strategies requires the ability to democratize data at scale, real-time and enable AI everywhere responsibly.

• Enterprise AI governance will play a critical role in collaborating with the business, ethics and compliance, and data and analytics teams to provide a responsible AI framework for exploration and industrialization.

• Enterprise data strategies will require implementing lakehouse and AI-optimized architectures such as our implementation with Databricks, RAG-based LLM, and vector databases to enhance AI-driven insights.  

• Moving towards a composable, modular data architecture: 

  • Adopt a data mesh approach to decentralize data ownership while ensuring governance through Unity Catalog. 

  • Standardize data products — source-aligned, aggregated, and AI-ready — to enhance accessibility and streamline data utilization across the organization.

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Sharing his take on the event, speaker Aradhya says: “The dinner was a great opportunity at the beginning of the year to bring all the Boston data leaders together, and it felt like a professional family gathering.” He adds that the panel had a “very timely discussion on the legal and regulatory landscape of GenAI” and included “what to look ahead to in 2025, and looking back on some great data governance successes and forward movement.”

Veronika Durgin, Saks VP, Data, mentions that the event focused on “real, practical challenges” all data leaders face. “We discussed the importance of data centralization for most organizations and the difficulties encountered along the way. We also had an honest conversation about the challenges organizations face with AI governance — ranging from aligning with legal teams to navigating industry, geographic, and risk tolerance differences. Overall, it was another highly collaborative and educational discussion,” she adds.

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Anthony Losanno, CDO Magazine SVP, Sales, says: “We are thrilled to host impactful discussions on the challenges enterprise data leaders navigate today. At the event, industry experts explored the intricate balance of addressing the needs of internal stakeholders, including legal, compliance, and business teams. These conversations provided valuable insights into driving change effectively. A heartfelt thank you to all who attended, and we look forward to our next gathering!”

Jodie Jansen, Tealium Vice President, Customer Success, sums up the event saying, “The CDO Magazine dinner in Boston was an insightful and engaging evening, bringing together industry leaders to share perspectives on navigating complex org structures, data compliance, and the evolving role of AI. I truly valued the opportunity to connect with thought leaders and exchange ideas that are shaping the future of data strategy.”

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

*Barbara Latulippe, Kishore Aradhya, Veronika Durgin, and Jane Urban are members of the CDO Magazine Global Editorial Board.

Executives attending the Boston CDO Magazine Executive Boardroom Dinner included: 

Kishore Aradhya, Frontdoor Head, Data Engineering & Architecture; Alex Aronov, Vertex Pharmaceuticals Executive Director, Head, Data Science, Nava Cretu-Kessel, National Grid Director, U.S Customer Data Office; Chathuri Daluwatte, AstraZeneca Head, AI Diagnostics (Alexion AstraZeneca Rare Disease); Veronika Durgin, Saks VP, Data; Jared Hawkins, Boston Children’s Hospital Sr. Director, Enterprise Data, Analytics & Reporting; Sravan Kasarla, Commonwealth Financial Network Head, Enterprise Data Management (CDO); Barbara Latulippe, Takeda Head, Enterprise Data, CDO; Mark Ma, Greater New York Insurance Companies VP, Data Science; Charles Manion, Covetrus Director, Data Architecture; Jennifer McGhee, MFS Investment Management VP, Sr. Director, Data Strategy & Governance; Raj Nimmagadda, former Sanofi Chief Data Officer R&D, Data & Data Sciences; Ethan Pickering, Bayer Head, Data Science Research; Anu Sundaram, Rue Gilt Groupe VP, Business Analytics; Jane Urban, Otsuka Pharmaceutical VP, Customer Engagement Operations; Krishna Valluru, Fidelity Investments VP, Team Leader, Advanced Data Analytics Tech; Jieyu Fan, John Hancock Head, AI & Advanced Analytics, US Segment; Prem Swaroop, Dover Corporation Chief Data & Analytics Officer; Mike Anderson, Tealium CTO & Founder; Jodie Jansen, Tealium VP, Customer Success; Harsh Karmarkar, Tealium Principal AI Strategist; Paul Pucci, Tealium Strategic Account Executive; Anthony Losanno, CDO Magazine SVP, Sales; John Vulopas, CDO Magazine Strategic Account Director; Steve Wanamaker, CDO Magazine Founder & Publisher.