CDO Magazine’s New York Executive Boardroom Dinner on January 14 brought together top data, analytics, and AI leaders in the area to explore the theme, “Data Democracy: Empowering Your Teams with Actionable Digital Behavioral Data.”

The event highlighted the importance of democratizing data to enhance decision-making and foster collaboration. The exclusive gathering provided a platform for exchanging expertise and examining the opportunities and challenges of empowering teams through greater data accessibility and usability. Discussions were moderated by Phil Simpson, Fullstory Senior Vice President of Sales.

Kyle Pudenz, Cencora Senior Vice President, Enterprise Data & Analytics, says: “The CDO Magazine networking dinner emphasized how much we, as data leaders, have in common — across industries and roles — when it comes to tackling technical and cultural challenges. It was inspiring to hear how others are aligning their efforts to deliver actionable insights and impactful solutions while building a strong, collaborative peer network.” 

Consumer Reports Chief Data Officer Suman Veeramalla shares his take: “Data strategy is foundational for AI strategy. A robust data strategy is foundational to any successful AI initiative; without high-quality, well-governed data, AI efforts are likely to falter.”

Yinghua Michelle Zhou, Nuveen, a TIAA company Chief Data Officer, agrees saying, “Every challenge we face brings us one step closer to success!”

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“The New York Executive Boardroom Dinner reflects CDO Magazine’s commitment to fostering collaboration and innovation among data, analytics, and AI leaders. By focusing on themes like data democracy, we aim to inspire actionable strategies that empower organizations to unlock the true potential of their data and drive transformative outcomes in 2025 and beyond,” says Steve Wanamaker, CDO Magazine Founder and Publisher.

Summing up the event, Edward Dischner, Fullstory Vice President, East/LATAM Sales, says, “What I enjoyed was seeing folks interact with each other and share what they are working on.  It was a genuine discussion around modern day data challenges, the rise of AI, and how they are using data to improve their customers’ digital experiences.”

Special thanks to Fullstory for making the CDO Magazine Executive Boardroom Dinner such a resounding success.

*Kyle Pudenz is a member of the CDO Magazine Global Editorial Board.

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

Franzine Co, Starz Executive Director, Business Intelligence & Data Science; Sherman Cooper, QBE North America Head of Data; Marla Dans, former Chicago Trading Company Head, Data Management & Governance; Paul Evangelista, U.S. Military Academy at West Point Chief Data Officer; Girish Gajwani, Barclays Corporate & Investment Bank VP/Architect, Securitized Products Technology; Alex Golbin, Hudson Bay Capital Management LP Managing Director, Chief Data Officer; Oliver Gomes, Fox Corporation VP Enterprise Apps & Data Platforms; Kavita Gupta, American Express VP, Big Data Platform; Vanessa Jones-Nyoni, Commerzbank AG Chief Data Officer, North America; Dr. Ansar Kassim, Verizon VP, Global Head, Data & Industrialization; Yvonne Li, Starr Insurance Chief Data & AI Officer; Yinghua Michelle-Zhou, Nuveen, a TIAA company Chief Data Officer; Alaa Moussawi, New York City Council Chief Data Scientist; Kyle Pudenz, Cencora SVP, Enterprise Data & Analytics; Viktoriya Smith, Citi SVP; Suman Veeramalla, Consumer Reports Chief Data Officer; Stephanie Zhang, JPMorgan Chase Head, Enterprise AI & Data Governance Products|Managing Director; Edward Dischner, Fullstory VP Enterprise Sales, NA East; Phil Simpson, Fullstory SVP, Sales; Alexis McArthur, Fullstory , Enterprise Account Executive; Geraldine Caveness, CDO Magazine Global Events Manager; Anthony Lossano, CDO Magazine SVP, Sales; Steve Wanamaker, CDO Magazine Founder & Publisher.