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San Francisco Data Leaders Unpack Agentic AI at CDO Magazine Dinner
Written by: CDO Magazine Bureau
Updated 7:18 PM UTC, Wed May 21, 2025
Senior data, analytics, and AI executives convened at the CDO Magazine Executive Boardroom Dinner in San Francisco on May 7 for an evening of thought-provoking conversations centered on the timely and critical topic of AI agents. The highlight was a panel discussion centered on “Agentic AI – Exploring the Next Generation in Artificial Intelligence” – how intelligent agents are poised to transform enterprise innovation, governance, and decision-making.
Panelists addressed key questions on the evolving capabilities of agentic AI, the implications for enterprise governance and accountability, and how organizations can responsibly harness this emerging technology to drive innovation while mitigating risk.
The panel of experts were:
- Patrick McQuillan, Visa Sr. Director, Global Head of Data Governance & Data Lifecycle Management
- Alyssa Simpson Rochwerger, Blue Shield of California Sr. Director, Product Management & Platform Technologies
- Menaka Sundar, Hewlett Packard Enterprise VP, Enterprise Architecture
- Brianna Zhao, Warner Bros. Games Head, Data Insights
The discussion was moderated by Monica Gille, Hewlett Packard Enterprise VP, Sales Enterprise & Global Accounts.
Panelists Brianna Zhao, Warner Bros. Games Head, Data Insights; Patrick McQuillan, Visa Sr. Director, Global Head, Data Governance & Data Lifecycle Management; Menaka Sundar, Hewlett Packard Enterprise VP, Enterprise Architecture; and Alyssa Simpson Rochwerger, Blue Shield of California Sr. Director, Product Management & Platform Technologies; joined moderator Monica Gille, Hewlett Packard Enterprise VP, Sales Enterprise & Global Accounts, for a discussion on “Agentic AI – Exploring the Next Generation in Artificial Intelligence.”
Reflecting on the evening, speaker McQuillan, says, “It was wonderful to engage in such a thoughtful discussion with so many experienced AI practitioners on the advent of agentic AI, upcoming developments in the field of AI, and opportunities for businesses and product leaders to adapt and change to the shifting winds of the technology landscape.”
Echoing a similar sentiment, speaker Rochwerger, adds, “Appreciated the opportunity to connect and have candid conversations about AI with other data professionals who are all trying to build responsible, ethical and practical products and teams that harness data to create and innovate.”
Speaker Zhao goes further to say, “Amidst the excitement around the AI revolution, it is crucial to establish a robust framework for data tracking and measurement. After all, if the foundational layer is flawed, no AI solution can rectify those errors.”
Zhao shares her key learnings from the discussion:
- “I gained valuable insights into how various companies are embracing AI and exploring its potential. However, there are a lot of challenges in bridging the gap in executive understanding of AI functionalities and implications of adopting such technologies.
- It was reassuring to learn that in California, engineers are held accountable for the actions of the AI they develop, which alleviates some concerns. Nevertheless, there is a pressing need for stricter measures on AI accuracy and accountability, and a publicly accepted standard on measurement and accountability.”
Brijesh Kalidindi, Blue Shield of California Sr. Director, Data Services & Solutions; Amy Daali, former Executive Council Network Founding Member; Ozlem Peksoy Bishop, Renaissance Park Corporation CDO; Shadaab Kanwal, Charles Schwab Managing Director, Digital, Data & Analytics; and Chidroop Madhavarapu, Atlassian Sr. Director, Data Science.
Anthony Losanno, CDO Magazine SVP, Sales, highlights, “CDO Magazine was joined by HPE for a great evening with spectacular views, great conversations, and networking. The conversation delved into AI, what’s next, and how data leaders adapt, get initiatives funded, and more.”
Summing up the discussion, moderator Gille says in a LinkedIn post, “Key takeaway is we are evolving AI agents to be capable of autonomous execution, planning, and complex decision-making in a distributed way. They go beyond automation by perceiving its environment, reason, plan, and act autonomously to achieve specific goals and collaborate with other agents or humans. The next generation is super agents aligned to value creation.”
Special thanks to Hewlett Packard Enterprise for their partnership in making the event a success.
Executives attending the San Francisco CDO Magazine Executive Boardroom Dinner included:
Ozlem Peksoy Bishop, Renaissance Park Corporation CDO; Amy Daali, former Executive Council Network Founding Member; Sharath Gokula, Sam’s Club Head, Product Data Science; Brijesh Kalidindi, Blue Shield of California Sr. Director, Data Services & Solutions; Ercan Kamber, former Angi Chief Data Officer; Shadaab Kanwal, Charles Schwab Managing Director, Digital, Data & Analytics; Zoher Karu, Blue Shield of California VP, Chief Data & Analytics Officer; Chidroop Madhavarapu, Atlassian Sr. Director, Data Science; Patrick McQuillan, Visa Sr. Director, Global Head, Data Governance & Data Lifecycle Management; VirooPax Mirji, Microsoft Director, Data & AI Specialist; Alyssa Simpson Rochwerger, Blue Shield of California Sr. Director, Product Management & Platform Technologies; Jean-Paul Saliou, Synopsys Sr. Director, Business Intelligence & Analytics; John P. Shields, ETR Director, Data Strategies & Insights; Seema Singhal, ConnectIQ Chief Data & Analytics Officer; Ranjan Sinha, IBM Fellow, VP, & CTO watson x, IBM Research AI, Enterprise AI & Data; Brianna Zhao, Warner Bros. Games Head, Data Insights; Monica Gille, Hewlett Packard Enterprise VP, Sales Enterprise & Global Accounts; Martin Hiley, Hewlett Packard Enterprise Sales Director, Global Accounts; Matt Hughes, Hewlett Packard Enterprise Global Hyperscale Sales; John Lonergan, NVIDIA VP, Business Development, Global Partners; Menaka Sundar Hewlett Packard Enterprise VP, Enterprise Architecture; Anthony Losanno, CDO Magazine SVP, Sales; Corey Maxner, CDO Magazine Director, Client Success & Operations.
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