Dynamic Data Discourse at CDO Magazine Pre-Summit Dinner in Milwaukee

Senior data, analytics, security and technology executives from diverse industries gathered for insightful discourse at the CDO Magazine Pre-Summit Executive Boardroom Dinner in Milwaukee on May 8. Speakers for the CDO Magazine Data & Security Summit Wisconsin enjoyed an informal and profound discussion fostering learning and collaboration among peers.

Wisconsin Summit Co-Chair Talal Butt, Generac Power Systems EVP and Chief Information Officer, expresses his enthusiasm for the evening and the caliber of intellect and passion among the leaders participating: “It was enlightening to hear the conversations around AI, data governance challenges, and what future-forward organizations are doing to get ahead of the AI curve. I had a great time, great conversations, great food, and wonderful camaraderie!”

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Doug Barton, UW-Madison E-Business Consortium Director, loves how the discussion navigated the “challenging terrain between the inflated public expectations of AI and the grounded, diligent efforts required to truly advance the interests of our customers and businesses. This meeting was a testament to the power of pragmatic, focused collaboration in the face of unprecedented possibility and hype!"

USAA Business Information Architect Lydia Reid values the opportunity for knowledge sharing and problem-solving with fellow data executives. “I'm also grateful for an opportunity to advocate for the hiring of fellow librarians who – with our skill set and educational background – can help close data gaps and elevate any data management effort. I'm already looking forward to coming back next year."

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Highlighting the real-world insights exchanged during the dinner, Dave Nixon, Denodo Enterprise Account Executive, says: “It was valuable to hear from executive data leaders in our industry on how to cut through the hype around AI and get down to the approaches that will actually drive value for companies. It isn’t going to be the ‘big swings’ but the ‘micro uses’ – the day to day that will make people more effective. Their expertise validated what we see in the market but really aren’t talking about. That’s the beauty of these CDO Magazine events — the safety to collaborate and share openly.”

Camille Prado, CDO Magazine Global Editor, sums it up: “How refreshing it is to sit around a table with data and security experts in our CDO Magazine community swapping stories of their challenges and solutions. Everyone engaged in the conversation ranging from how good data can make frictionless service and how successful we could be with data working for us rather than against us, to how our critical mass as a community can help enterprises move toward valuing data on the balance sheet.”

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

*Talal Butt and Doug Barton are members of the CDO Magazine Global Editorial Board.

Executives attending the CDO Magazine Wisconsin Pre-Summit Executive Boardroom Dinner included:

Maribeth Achterberg, The BOLDT Group Chief Information & Technology Officer; Doug Barton, UW-Madison E-Business Consortium Director; Talal Butt, Generac Power Systems EVP and Chief Information Officer; Karan Dhawal, ZS Enterprise Data & Transformation Strategy Leader; Michael Grimes, Northwestern Mutual Vice President of Data Governance & Operations; Mike Jennings, Walgreens Boots Alliance Senior Director, Data Governance and Architecture - Enterprise Data, Analytics, AI; Rodolfo Luzardo, ZS Principal; Salema Rice, CDO Today Chief Executive Officer & Founder; Lydia Reid, USAA Business Information Architect; Jason Tyree, American Family Insurance Distinguished Engineer, Enterprise Digital Risk; Dave Nixon, Denodo Enterprise Account Executive; Franklin Kessler, CDO Magazine SVP, Program Management; Camille Prado, CDO Magazine Global Editor.