CDO Magazine’s Boston Executive Boardroom Dinner on December 5 brought together leading data and analytics executives from across the city to delve into the transformative potential of High-Performance Computing (HPC) and AI. The leaders engaged on critical topics such as aligning organizational goals with AI/HPC initiatives, defining measurable outcomes to guide investments, and establishing a proof of value (POV) for innovative use cases.

The event featured a panel discussion on “High Performance Computing & AI: A Function Enabled by More than Just Technology.” The panel of experts were:

• Veronika Durgin, Saks VP, Data

• Shahidul Mannan, Orlando Health Chief Data Analytics & AI Officer

• Jennifer McGhee, MFS Investment Management VP, Sr. Director, Data Strategy & Governance

• David Smiley, AHEAD Director, Enterprise Engineering

The session was moderated by Dave McEachern, AHEAD Managing Director.

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Speaker Durgin says that the event “recharged, inspired, and educated” her: 

• It recharged me because it’s always energizing to hear about others’ successes, as well as the challenges they’re facing and overcoming. These real stories not only provide valuable insights but also create a sense of shared experience. 

• It inspired me because I got to hear about the real, tangible impact that data teams are making across a range of industries. It’s motivating to see how AI and other data-driven initiatives are unlocking new opportunities and delivering measurable value. 

• And it educated me, as I had a very insightful conversation at the table about data centers. I walked away with a deeper understanding of the complexities and the challenges involved in running data center operations. This event was yet another reminder of how powerful collaboration and shared learning are within the data community.

Speaker McGhee expresses that one of the most “fascinating and validating” aspects of the CDO Magazine dinners is how data professionals from varied industries come together and find their experiences strikingly similar as they exchange stories. “What a great way to learn from each other’s successes (and some missteps),” says McGhee.

“Last night’s panel highlighted the importance and power of collaboration and intentionality in adopting AI. We covered the need for identifying high-impact business problems, engaging cross-functional teams and investing in skill development. Our peers have powerful examples of successful solutions to share,” McGhee adds.

McGhee highlights her main takeaway: “Companies are moving quickly, albeit at varying speeds based on their risk tolerance, to leverage the potential of AI through collaboration and good use case identification. Great ideas – not technology for technology’s sake – build good solutions and drive real business value.”

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Sharing his key takeaway, speaker Mannan says, “AI governance is not a barrier to progress—it’s a foundational necessity. In fact, when approached appropriately, it becomes the engine of innovation, helping transform compliance into an accelerator for creativity, adoption and growth.”

Barbara Latulippe, Takeda Head, Enterprise Data, CDO, outlines the following takeaways:

• Creating an AI Steering Committee to help prioritize and evaluate use cases, prioritizing one that can scale and oversee the governance process for responsible AI is critical to drive value for the business.

• Focusing on a GenAI MVP by persona with a small user group rather than scaling was a huge success that can help incubate innovation with industrialization of AI.

• Productivity gains and personalization (retail) are two key areas of adoption as a good starting point on the AI journey. This requires building a culture that embraces the AI journey and investing in AI fluency so everyday AI is built into roles to enable the workforce to optimize productivity.

• Not all AI/GenAI is of equal risk. It is critical you have an AI Steering Committee with cross-functional participation to develop a risk-ranking framework which is consistent across the organization.

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For Brent Mahan, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute VP, Enterprise Data & Analytics, a “memorable reminder” from insights shared by McGhee is “that your AI Community of Practice is not only an excellent avenue for collecting AI use cases, it can be a mechanism to form a cross-functional champions group who can vet and sanity-check ideas ahead of enterprise-level prioritization exercises.”

“It’s been great to see so many data leaders from different industries come together to discuss the future of AI. The insights shared today highlight the importance of collaboration in driving meaningful progress. At AHEAD, we’re excited to support these conversations, which help organizations align their strategies and investments to unlock the full potential,” says Dave McEachern, Managing Director at AHEAD.

Steve Wanamaker, CDO Magazine Founder & Publisher, says: “CDO Magazine events are designed to foster meaningful connections and spark collaborative conversations among data leaders. It’s inspiring to see professionals from diverse industries come together to share their challenges, successes, and visions for the future of data and AI.”

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

Veronika Durgin, Shahidul Mannan, Jennifer McGhee, and Barbara Latulippe are members of the CDO Magazine Global Editorial Board.

Executives attending the CDO Magazine Boston Executive Boardroom Dinner included:

Kishore Aradhya, Frontdoor Head, Data Engineering & Architecture; Veronika Durgin, Saks VP, Data; Barbara Latulippe, Takeda Head, Enterprise Data, CDO; Brent Mahan, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute VP, Enterprise Data & Analytics; Shahidul Mannan, Orlando Health Chief Data Analytics & AI Officer; Jennifer McGhee, MFS Investment Management VP, Sr. Director, Data Strategy & Governance; Salam Obaidi, Liberty Mutual Insurance Manager, Data Engineering; Michael Prokle, Neoclease Head, Data Science; Mamta Singh, Commonwealth of Massachusetts Deputy Chief Data Officer; Rameshwari Sreshtha, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute Associate Director, Clinical Operations & Business Analytics; Prem Swaroop, Dover Corporation Chief Data & Analytics Officer; Detelina Vasileva, Schneider Electric Head, Data Science; Gabe Verzino, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute Advanced Operational Analytics Leader; Steve Winawer, Takeda Head, Data, Digital & Technology USBU; Dave McEachern, AHEAD Managing Director, New England; David Smiley, AHEAD Director, Enterprise Engineering; Camille Prado, CDO Magazine Global Editor; Steve Wanamaker, CDO Magazine Founder & Publisher.