Following a high-energy day at CDO Magazine’s Columbus Leadership Summit, CIOs and senior data, analytics and AI executives from across the city continued connecting at an exclusive Executive Boardroom Dinner at Jeff Ruby’s Steakhouse on November 5.

The post-summit gathering offered a relaxed, intimate setting for leaders to extend the day’s conversations, exchange real-world lessons, and explore what’s next for enterprise data and AI transformation.

Summit Co-Chair and Top 25 Columbus Innovation Leader Tom Marlow, Liberty Mutual Insurance VP, Global Data & Analytics, reflects: “Every CDO Magazine event is special, but this Summit’s focus on AI and innovation really stood out. It was great to be part of such an engaged community of data leaders all sharing ideas that drive real impact.”

Ron Frissora, M/I Homes VP & Chief Information Officer, and a Top 25 Columbus Innovation Leader, says the dinner offered a chance to reconnect with long-time peers and meet new leaders who brought thoughtful perspectives to the table.

While AI dominated much of the conversation, Frissora’s “biggest takeaway” was the need to first understand the challenges within the business. “Ask good questions to make sure you’re solving the right problems, and then deploy an AI solution that truly fits. Don’t use AI just for the sake of it. Focus on the areas of greatest need and go after those,” he adds.

Scott Dennull, Grant Thornton International Director, Core IT Operations & Support, describes the dinner as an “excellent time” for interacting with peers. “I took away a few more connections in the AI space to share ideas.”

CDO Magazine SVP of Sales Anthony Losanno shares, “The Columbus Leadership Summit brought incredible energy and community engagement — and the Dinner following carried that spirit forward. It was rewarding to see the executives continue those conversations in a more intimate setting, connecting over ideas that will shape how organizations approach innovation and value creation.”

Tim Padilla, Datavid VP, Sales & Consulting, North America, sums it up, saying, “Conversations like these show that AI maturity isn’t about chasing models — it’s about elevating how we think about data itself. What stood out in Columbus was the openness of leaders to share not just their successes but their challenges in becoming AI-ready. The community here has a uniquely collaborative spirit, and the dialogue reinforced that true progress happens when technology, governance, and people strategy align. The energy in the room made it clear that we’re moving from exploration to disciplined execution.”

*Tom Marlow is a member of the CDO Magazine Global Board.

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

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Executives attending the CDO Magazine Columbus Executive Boardroom Dinner included: 

Mitchell Bakos, Shakewell Agency Chief Information Officer; Dave Blum, United Wheels Chief Information Officer; Scot Burdette, ABB Global Division CIO, Measurement & Analytics; Tracie Cleveland Thomas, KeyBank SVP, Enterprise Digital Transformation Executive; Jasmine De Gaia, Wells Fargo Managing Director, Chief Data Office; Scott Dennull, Grant Thornton International Director, Core IT Operations & Support; Sean Erikson, Grange Insurance VP, Enterprise Architecture, IT Strategy, Emerging Tech & Enterprise Integration; Jim Freeman, USAA Executive Director, P&C Data & Analytics; Ron Frissora, M/I Homes VP & Chief Information Officer; Stephanie Rieser Globus, Vertiv Director, Sales Data Analytics; Suman Gummudala, Ashland Global SAP Supply Chain & Cloud Transformation/SAP SCM Specialist; Jim Hernon, Andelyn Biosciences Head, Business Systems; Bryan Holmes, Andelyn Biosciences VP, Information Technology; Brett Hudspeth, Humana VP, Segment Chief Information Officer, Medicare & Medicaid; Dinesh Kumar, Centria Healthcare VP, IT & Data Analytics; Tom Marlow, Liberty Mutual Insurance VP, Global Data & Analytics; Kelly Marlow, Nationwide AVP, Workplace, Legal & Marketing Technology; Mark Marshalek, Farmers Insurance Head, Personal Lines & Distribution Data Solutions; Scott McNeal, CAS Director, Content Technology; Gokula Mishra, former Direct Supply VP, Data Science & AI/ML; Andrew Preston, Liberty Mutual Insurance Sr. Director, Data Strategy; Dr. Michael C. Redmond, former Louisville Metro Government Deputy CISO; Michael Reznik, The Baldwin Group Head, Data & Analytics; Tina Sebert, Bread Financial Sr. Director, Data Science; Brian Shea, MedOne Healthcare Partners Chief Information Officer; Abhishek Singh, Cardinal Health Director, Applied AI; Corwin Smith, Wallick Communities Data & Analytics Leader; Orlando Sprockel, Cameron Mitchell Restaurants Sr. Director, IT; Bradley Stokes, TriplePoint MEP VP, IT; Payal Thakur, JobsOhio Sr. Director, Enterprise Analytics, CDO; Travis Wiltshire, Nationwide AVP, Technology Data Management; Justin Windle, First Citizens Bank Head, Data Oversight; Eric Neyhard, Datavid VP, Strategy; Tim Padilla, Datavid VP, Sales & Consulting, North America; Clive Smith, Datavid Chief Revenue Officer; Anthony Losanno, CDO Magazine SVP, Sales; Corey Maxner, CDO Magazine Director, Client Success & Operations; and Camille Prado, CDO Magazine Global Editor.