Community
GenAI ROI in Focus at CDO Magazine’s SoCal Leadership Dinner
Written by: CDO Magazine Bureau
Updated 6:56 PM UTC, Tue May 27, 2025
CDO Magazine’s Leadership Dinner on May 23 brought together Southern California senior data, analytics, and AI leaders to share insights and strategies that unlock maximum ROI from GenAI investments.
The discussion revolved around balancing cost savings and revenue growth, navigating various stages of GenAI adoption, and selecting the right partners for commercial GenAI systems. Executives shared lessons on scaling, managing risk, and aligning KPIs to drive meaningful business outcomes from generative AI investments.
Powerhouse executives share strategies shaping the future of the enterprise through data, analytics, and GenAI at the Southern California Leadership Dinner on May 21.
Reflecting on the evening, James Lin, Experian Information Solutions Head of AI/ML Innovation, says, “The LA dinner was a great opportunity to catch up with my colleagues on where they are on their GenAI journeys. Overall, we are seeing more companies move past the Proof of Concept (PoC) stage and are targeting their first production deployments this year. Some companies are leading the charge and already have models in production, and have considered new and innovative models to increase ROI. MCP was on the tip of everyone’s tongue, and there’s a universal sentiment that we will be aligning on that as a standard for our agentic frameworks.”
John Dohmann, TeamOne Creative Director; Krystin Kim, Post Holdings VP, Decision Science, Data & Analytics; Meetali Agarwal, Domino’s VP, Global Data; Matt Mesher, Savant Labs Head, Product; John Samuelson, Karas Partners CIO/CTO, Tech Investments, New Business & Special Programs; Vijay Panati, Los Angeles County Fire Department Acting CIO; and Vera Carey, Rexford Industrial Realty Director, Data Engineering & Analytics.
Monica Kedsierski, former Herbalife VP, Global Data, Analytics & AI, thanks CDO Magazine for “fostering a vibrant data leadership community in Southern California, sparking impactful dialogue, elevating conversations, and forging relationships across industries.
“By creating a safe environment, we challenge assumptions to drive collective progress. The expanding community is a testament to its compelling quality and influence,” she says.
Steve Bangsund, CDO Magazine Sr. Director of Programs, highlights, “The Leadership Dinner for the Southern California data and AI community was outstanding – with many new executives attending and joining colleagues for lively discussions on the ROI of GenAI investments. The networking and caliber of executives that attended demonstrates the commitment of this community to share ideas, learn and grow together! Everyone I spoke with is excited and looks forward to the upcoming SoCal Leadership Summit on October 22.”
Summing it up, Matt Mesher, Head of Product at Savant Labs, shared on LinkedIn, “Had a great time at the Los Angeles CDO Magazine Leadership Dinner – hosted by CDO Magazine. The dinner brought together a powerhouse group of Chief Data & AI Officers to talk shop on the real opportunities – and realities – of GenAI in the enterprise.”
Mesher outlined his key takeaways:
- Most orgs are still in experimentation mode – big and small alike.
- The most successful teams are launching discrete, purpose-driven projects to build muscle and measure success.
- Guided experimentation is critical, and wins in sandboxes can build momentum.
- Managing C-Suite expectations is part of the journey – this isn’t an overnight transformation.
- AI add-ons from major players like Microsoft Copilot are helping drive early efficiencies.
- But for bigger breakthroughs, startups are often moving faster and unlocking bold new opportunities.
Special thanks to Savant Labs, Aays Analytics, Immuta, and Starburst for their partnership in making the event a success.
*Monica Kedsierski and James Lin are Co-Chairs of the SoCal Executive Board. Kedsierski is a member of the CDO Magazine Global Editorial Board.
Executives attending the CDO Magazine Southern California Leadership Dinner included:
Sai Achuthan, Integra Connect VP, Data Science & AI; Enrique Aceves, Alonsera LLC, Co-Founder & Managing Partner; Meetali Agarwal, Domino’s VP, Global Data; Christi Anderson, former Herbalife Director, AI Innovation & Change Management; Vera Carey, Rexford Industrial Realty Director, Data Engineering & Analytics; Antonio Carranza, Consilio VP, Operations; Jeff Dang, Integra Connect CDO; Anja Dang, former Herbalife Global Analytics & AI Strategy; John Dohmann, TeamOne Creative Director; Christine Duque, Alonsera CEO; Tatyana Esmaelian, Consilio Sr. Director, Data Governance & Integrations; Julius Hahn, University of Southern California Data Platform Director; Zefa Hakim, Yelp Head, Products, Generative AI, ML, Monetization & Developer Platform; Robert Jackson, Sr. Director, Data, ML Engineering, Majestic Data Systems; Kiran Kanetkar, Cencora Gen AI Executive Advisor; Zohd Khan, BiztechReports Data Analyst; Yingying Kang, Assurant Director, AI & Data Science; Monica Kedzierski, former Herbalife Global VP, Data, Analytics & Ai; Suhail Khan, City National Bank VP, Manager, Data & Analytics; Krystin Kim, Post Holdings VP, Decision Science, Data & Analytics; Peter Knast, Genpact VP, Data & AI; Abhijeet Kumar, Providence Health & Services Executive Director; David Lin, Able Advisory Services CISO; James Lin, Experian Information Solutions Head, AI/ML Innovation; William McBride, Cetera Financial Group VP, Data & Analytics; Rajeev Mehrotra, Western Digital CIO; Rakesh Mekala, DIRECTV Data Product Manager; Manzoor Mohideen, Pacific Life AVP, Enterprise Data Strategy, Data Architecture, Governance, Risk & Compliance; Dee Nelson, Omnicom Precision Marketing VP, Global Initiatives; Vijay Panati, Los Angeles County Fire Department Acting CIO; Bhavesh Raichura, EKaizen Consulting Executive Advisor; John Samuelson, Karas Partners CIO/CTO, Tech Investments, New Business & Special Programs; Chintan Shyani, Jaanuu SVP, Analytics & Operations; Aarthi Sridharan, BODi VP, Data Insights & Analytics; John Sorenson, Investments Tech CIO; Jay Tomkins, Thrive Market Head, Data; Hari Krishnan Umapathy, BeachBody Director, Data Engineering;Ryan Bankhead, Savant Labs Head, Sales; Tom Beedy, Starburst Director, Executive Programs; Anshuman Bhar, Aays Founder & CEO; Patrick Johnson-Bohan, Savant Labs Sr. Account Executive; Matt Mesher, Savant Labs Head, Product; Mike Olson, Starburst Account Executive; Dwarika Patro, Aays Founder & COO; Jason Snook, Immuta Account Executive; Steve Bangsund, CDO Magazine Sr. Director of Programs; Anthony Losanno, CDO Magazine SVP, Sales.
Join us for the Southern California Leadership Summit on October 22, 2025. Explore the agenda and secure your spot today.
Stay updated on the latest trends
