Senior data, analytics, and AI leaders gathered at the CDO Magazine Executive Boardroom Dinner in Orlando on March 5 to assess the state of AI readiness in enterprises. Held against the backdrop of the Gartner Summit, the event featured a panel discussion, “Data Readiness – Is Your Data Ready for AI?” that raised critical questions about aligning data initiatives with business goals, measuring the effectiveness of data governance, and demonstrating the ROI of data investments.

Participants also engaged with insights from the newly released report “CDO Roadmap 2025: Is Your Data AI-Ready?,” by CDO Magazine and EY. Discussions explored strategies for bridging the AI talent gap, mitigating ethical risks, and addressing key challenges that will shape the future of enterprise AI.

The panel of experts were:

• Jasmine De Gaia, Wells Fargo Managing Director & SVP, Head of Customer Data Strategy

• Kamal Distell, Toyota Motor North America VP, Data, Analytics, Platforms & Data Science 

• Asheesh Chhabra, Vice President (AVP), Enterprise Data & Analytics

The session was moderated by Zakir Hussain, EY Americas Data Leader.

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Sharing a takeaway, speaker De Gaia says, “Keep learning. Now, more than ever, it’s critically important to invest in your own education and support both your teams and leaders in their learning journeys.”

Highlighting a key insight from the panel discussion, speaker Distell says, “The future is built not on data but information. So our focus needs to change. Step into the information era with data of all types, context, and metadata, driving insightful knowledge, paired with the right technologies and AI — Amazing solutions to problems of the future.”

Reflecting on the event’s central theme, speaker Chhabra remarks, “AI without data is like a chocolate cake without chocolate: just a tasteless, beige sponge with a lot of ‘potential.’”

Slideshow – Click to enlarge

Anthony Losanno, CDO Magazine SVP, Sales, says: “The dinner was a great way to cap off a great day at the Gartner Data & Analytics Summit. Our panel discussed the critical nature of aligning data initiatives and business objectives. According to our research report, only 22% of CDOs rank measuring ROI as a top requirement for AI integration. The panel felt that it’s more important to experiment with purpose and ask the right questions. They are not bean counters, but data leaders who are charting paths for their organizations.”

Zakir Hussain, EY Americas Data Leader, sums up the event saying, “It was my pleasure to partner with CDO Magazine in co-hosting a thought-provoking dinner discussion on AI-Ready Data. The expert panel of data and AI leaders from multiple industries reminded me that the key to unlocking AI’s full potential lies not in technology alone, but in our ability to partner with the business, govern data with purpose, and cultivate a culture of data-driven decision making.”

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

*Jasmine De Gaia and Kamal Distell are members of the CDO Magazine Global Editorial Board.

Executives attending the Orlando CDO Magazine Executive Boardroom Dinner included: 

Subin Abraham, Daikin Comfort Director, Data, Analytics & Al; Jeff Banks, CenterPoint Energy VP, Digital & Data Enablement; Teddy Benson, Universal Destinations & Experiences Director, Data Architecture & Platforms; Colin Blake-Butler, Mimecast Enterprise Data Architect; Adelson Bredy, BNY VP, Data Management & Quantitative Analysis, Strategic Sourcing; Samuel Cerial Xylem Water Solutions Director, IT Data Enablement & Operations; Asheesh Chhabra, Merck Vice President (AVP), Enterprise Data & Analytics; Elizabeth Colon, Travel + Leisure SVP, Enterprise Data & Strategic Analytics; Amyn Damania Toyota North America Sr. Executive Director, Group Manager, Data Engineering and Platforms; Jasmine de Gaia, Wells Fargo Managing Director, SVP, Head, Customer Data Strategy; Kamal Distell, Toyota North America VP, Data, Analytics, Platforms & Data Science; Joshua Gary, NextEra Energy Sr. Director, Enterprise Data; Wendy Gilbert, Airlines Reporting Corporation; Rob Golden, Great American Insurance Group Chief Data & Analytics Officer; Moin Haque, IFF Head, Enterprise Data, Analytics, & Al; Leighton Johnson, UK Healthcare Executive Director, Enterprise Data Management; Babu Kuttala, ABB Chief Data & Analytics Officer, VP, Enterprise Architecture; Toby Liu, McKesson Director, Data Science; Dan Luna, Edward Jones Enterprise Data Stewardship Director; Nitesh Luthra, Abbott Director, Product Management & Business Architecture; Gokul Palayil, SC Johnson Sr. Director, Enterprise Data & Analytics; Joseph Palomba, Rheem Manufacturing VP, Enterprise Applications; Xuhui Quan, McKesson SVP, Chief Data & Digital Officer; Karthik Ramasamy, Guardian Industries Chief Analytics Officer; Thomas Renfert, Edward Jones Director, Al Integration; Swapna Setty, Occidental Petroleum Company Director, Enterprise Data Management; Jon Shipman, T-Mobile Sr. Director, Data Transformation; Todd Stuck, McKesson Sr. Director, AI & ML Cognitive Technology; Palash Thakur, Interac VP, Head, Data Analytics & Fraud, Chief Data Officer; Michael Thorne, ABB Global Analytics Product Engineering & Delivery Manager; Varun Tottempudi, Lockton Head of Data & Platforms Engineering, Global Analytics; Gaurav Vadera, Kirkland & Ellis Director, Data Governance and Management Solutions; Kevin Barboza, EY Partner; Traci Gusher, EY Americas AI and Data Leader; Zakir Hussain, EY Americas Data Leader; Ashutosh Kaduskar, EY Managing Director, Data & Artificial Intelligence; Sara Khan, EY Americas Consulting Marketing, Assistant Director; Aradhna Mangla, EY Senior Manager, Management Consulting, AI & Data; Farooque Munshi, EY Americas Al & Data Leader, Advanced ManufacturingI & Data; Sasha Ostojic, EY Manager, Financial Services Consulting, Al & Data; Lisa Peterson, EY Americas Consulting Chief Marketing Officer; David Piontek, EY Principal; Vamshidhar Rapolu, EY Sr. Manager, Tech Consulting, Data & Analytics; Anthony Losanno, CDO Magazine SVP, Sales; Corey Maxner, CDO Magazine Director, Client Success & Digital Operations; Camille Prado, CDO Magazine Global Editor.