What separates organizations that successfully scale AI from those that struggle to move beyond pilots? According to executives gathered at CDO Magazine’s Executive Boardroom Dinner in Charlotte, the answer has less to do with the sophistication of AI models and far more to do with the strength of the data, governance, and business context supporting them.

Hosted in partnership with IBM and Confluent, the August 25 dinner brought together senior data, analytics, and technology leaders from financial services, manufacturing, and other industries to exchange practical lessons on enterprise transformation. Throughout the evening, conversations repeatedly returned to a common conclusion: organizations that invest in trusted data foundations today will be better positioned to realize lasting business value tomorrow.

The discussion featured Gurpreet Atwal, Truist Chief Data Officer, Consumer & Small Business Bank; Andres Castaneda, Honeywell Aerospace Director, AI Strategy; and Sandon Jacobs, IBM Senior Developer Advocate, with Aisha Syed, IBM Data Platform SME, Southeast, serving as moderator.

Although the participants represented different industries, Gurpreet Atwal observed that many organizations are confronting remarkably similar challenges as they work to operationalize AI.

“One of the most valuable takeaways from the evening was realizing how much convergence exists across industries. Whether it is banking, manufacturing, or defense, data and technology leaders are facing many of the same challenges around AI governance, enablement, and building self-describing data environments that machines can understand and navigate with confidence. Events like this help us get beyond our own echo chambers and learn from fellow practitioners who are turning strategy into execution.”

That idea carried into a broader conversation about building enterprise capabilities that extend well beyond individual AI use cases.

Andres Castaneda, Honeywell Aerospace Director, AI Strategy, pointed to the importance of creating an integrated operating model rather than simply deploying more applications.

“The organizations that succeed with AI won’t be the ones with the most applications. They’ll be the ones that build an enterprise operating system where trusted data, governance, AI, and people work together as a single integrated platform.”

Sandon Jacobs, IBM Senior Developer Advocate; Andres Castaneda, Honeywell Aerospace Director, AI Strategy; Gurpreet Atwal, Truist Chief Data Officer, Consumer & Small Business Bank; and moderator Aisha Syed, IBM Data Platform SME, Southeast, lead the panel discussion during CDO Magazine’s Charlotte Executive Boardroom Dinner.

As the discussion turned toward execution, several executives emphasized that trusted data remains the prerequisite for responsible innovation.

Ryan Duffy, BMO U.S. Chief Data & Analytics Officer and Head of Data Commercialization, described trusted data as the foundation that enables organizations to move from experimentation to measurable business impact.

“AI may be today’s headline, but trusted data is still the story underneath it. It was great to spend the evening with peers discussing how strong data foundations enable responsible AI, drive growth, and create lasting business value. The conversations I had were engaging, forward-looking, and a reminder of how much we can accomplish when we learn from one another. I’m looking forward to the next CDO Magazine event.”

Mark Mullins, Chief Information Officer at Truliant Federal Credit Union, connected that foundation to the practical realities of implementing AI across the enterprise.

“What a great opportunity to reconnect with the Charlotte CDO community. As a new CIO and recovering CDO, my desire is to blend data insights and data management practices with highly impactful and secure AI solutions. I appreciated the panel discussion on the data dependency of AI solutions and the need to drive governance at the speed of agents, ensure semantic models are machine-readable, and modernize data governance policy through metadata and policy as code. Great event and great connecting with old friends and meeting new faces.”

Haroon Abbu, Bell and Howell SVP, Digital Technology, AI & Data Analytics, believes organizations that create lasting value will be those that connect technology with business transformation.

“I attended the CDO Magazine Executive Boardroom Dinner in Charlotte last night and walked away with a strong sense of how quickly the conversation around AI is shifting toward enterprise execution and value creation. It was an amazing exchange of ideas and perspectives with fellow data, analytics, and AI leaders, as many of us are navigating the same intersection of technology, data, people, governance, and transformation. The organizations that create lasting impact from AI will be those that connect strong data foundations and responsible governance with redesigned business processes, people, and leadership to deliver measurable business outcomes.”

Juna Wolfmayer, Bank of America Managing Director, Enterprise Model Risk Strategy, Governance & Business Enablement, connects with Beth Hiatt, LPL Financial, SVP | Product Management | Data Governance & Responsible AI during CDO Magazine’s Charlotte Executive Boardroom Dinner.

Beyond the technology itself, the evening reinforced the value of building a stronger executive community where leaders can openly exchange ideas across industries.

For Eric Rui, GM Financial VP, Global Enterprise Data Architecture, that opportunity for candid dialogue was one of the event’s greatest strengths.

“The CDO Magazine Charlotte Executive Boardroom Dinner was a rare opportunity to sit across from the data and AI leaders shaping our region and speak candidly about what it really takes to adopt AI in highly regulated industries. The exchange of challenges, hard-won lessons, and bold ideas were thought-provoking in the best way. I left with more questions worth asking and a stronger network of peers to ask them with.”

Juna Wolfmayer, Bank of America Managing Director, Enterprise Model Risk Strategy, Governance & Business Enablement, believes Charlotte already has the ingredients needed to cultivate a world-class community of data leaders.

“What struck me was the realization that Charlotte already has the talent, scale, and diversity of industries needed to create a world-class executive network. Too often, leaders leave the city for these kinds of connections and cross-industry learning opportunities. Last night’s dinner felt like the beginning of building that community right here at home.”

While AI continues to evolve rapidly, Beth Hiatt, LPL Financial SVP, Product Management, Data Governance & Responsible AI, noted that one principle has remained remarkably consistent.

“What a wonderful night in Charlotte, meeting new colleagues and uniting around similar roles and challenges! What has been the case for many years continues to be the same: as we move rapidly into the world of AI, data governance is foundational.”

Closing the discussion, Sandon Jacobs, IBM Senior Developer Advocate, observed that governance is increasingly becoming an enabler of innovation rather than a barrier.

“The enthusiasm around this current era in the data space was palpable. Most of my conversations came back to what it means to have ‘AI-ready’ data products that allow organizations to go beyond the POC phase. The recurring theme there is governance, but not as an obstacle, but rather a core feature of your data platform. This matters today, and especially in the data streaming space, because it enables and empowers data engineers and application developers to build solutions based on trusted data sources and practices.”

Special thanks to IBM and Confluent for partnering with CDO Magazine to make the Charlotte Executive Boardroom Dinner a success.

Haroon Abbu and Beth Hiatt are members of the CDO Magazine Global Board.

Executives attending the CDO Magazine Charlotte Executive Boardroom Dinner included:

• Haroon Abbu, Bell and Howell SVP, Digital Technology AI & Data Analytics
• Wes Anderson, Truist SVP, Business Data Executive
• Gurpreet Atwal, Truist Chief Data Officer, Consumer & Small Business Bank
• Andres Castaneda, Honeywell Aerospace Director, AI Strategy
• Alan Calvitti, Bank of America VP, Data Engineer
• Peter Dreyer, Brighthouse Financial Chief Data & Strategy Officer
• Ryan Duffy, BMO U.S. Chief Data & Analytics Officer, Head of Data Commercialization
• Beth Hiatt, LPL Financial SVP, Product Management, Data Governance & Responsible AI
• Daniel Kaskinen, HANDLE Global VP, Data and Analytics
• Neha Makim, Truliant Federal Credit Union Manager, Data Analytics
• Mark Mullins, Truliant Federal Credit Union Chief Information Officer
• Sana Ramasamy, Barings Chief Data Officer
• Hiren Rokadia, TTX Company Director, AI & Data-Driven Strategy
• Eric Rui, GM Financial VP, Global Enterprise Data Architecture
• Mona Shah, Wells Fargo Principal, Cyber Defense Consultant
• Sai Seethala, Terex Corporation Global Head, Data, Governance & AI
• Juna Wolfmayer, Bank of America Managing Director, Enterprise Model Risk Strategy, Governance & Business Enablement
• Melissa Hadley, IBM Senior Data & AI Brand Specialist – FSM, Dedicated to Truist
• Sandon Jacobs, IBM Senior Developer Advocate
• Aisha Syed, IBM Data Platform SME, Southeast
• Gerri Cavenes, Global Community Director
• Anthony Losanno, Managing Director