CDO Magazine’s exclusive Executive Boardroom Dinner at the Harbour 60 in Toronto on May 29, convened senior data, analytics, AI and security executives for a group conversation on the theme, “From Hype to Strategy: Navigating GenAI’s Enterprise Impact.”

The discussion centered around the evolving role of Generative AI in enterprise strategy, moving beyond experimentation toward scalable, value-driven adoption. Participants explored how GenAI is transforming data governance, ROI measurement, hyper-personalization, and organizational design. 

The conversation dug into governing unstructured data at scale, proving GenAI’s business value, managing the complexity of hyper-personalization, aligning AI initiatives across the enterprise, and responsibly leveraging autonomous agents—all critical to driving impactful, scalable AI adoption.

Sharing his experience, Qahir Rajwani, HOOPP (Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan) Director, Data Science & Analytics Solutions, says, “The Executive Boardroom Dinner was a fantastic opportunity to connect with fellow data and analytics leaders across Toronto. The conversations around responsible AI, data governance, and member-centric innovation were especially energizing. I left inspired by the shared commitment to driving impact through data.”

Drawing a round of applause from her peers, Joyce Drohan, former Ontario Public Service Leadership Chief AI & Technology Officer, emphasizes the importance of strategic alignment at the highest levels. She says, “High-quality, well-managed data continues to be more important than ever with the acceleration of GenAI. Businesses need to be bold. To be competitive in an AI-enabled world, business leadership needs to work strategically with technology teams at the C-level…not separated…to adopt and sustain an enterprise mindset. This enables them to collectively resource and sustain enterprise technology and data foundations, maintain a continuously upskilled workforce and to prioritize best use of resources for use cases that deliver value and exceptional customer experience.”

Andrea Ruotolo, Rockwell Automation Global Head, Customer Sustainability, Digital, Responsible AI, credits the event’s excellence to the strong community of top leaders CDO Magazine has fostered—“leaders who are not only bringing the latest ideas but also focused on how to operationalize the implementation of advanced technology,” she says. “It was such a pleasure to learn from others, share insights, build meaningful connections, and walk away inspired. I’m already looking forward to the next one!”

Founding CDO Magazine Global Editorial Board member Della Shea, Interac Head, Enterprise Risk, reflects on the Toronto community’s depth and growth. “Tonight’s Toronto Executive Boardroom Dinner was more than just an industry gathering. It was a homecoming,” she says. “Having been part of this community since its inception, it’s inspiring to see the growing network of data and digital leaders, reconnect with long-standing peers and colleagues, and welcome so many new faces. The conversations on democratized and specialized AI, privacy, innovation, and governance reflected the depth, ambition, and heart of this vibrant, evolving community.”

Anthony Losanno, CDO Magazine SVP, Sales, highlights, “CDO Magazine hosted a packed house of over 70 data and AI leaders for an evening of food, drinks, and great discussion around the fact that data governance is no longer optional. Organizations must have a clear data and AI strategy in order to effectively scale and evolve their businesses.”

Summing it up, Dave Datars, Tealium EVP, says, “Tealium was proud to sponsor a powerful evening of conversation at the CDO Magazine Executive Boardroom Dinner. The central theme? Data governance is no longer optional — it’s the foundation of every successful GenAI initiative.” He notes, “One enterprise is running 35+ GenAI use cases in production. Another is achieving 20%+ cost efficiencies by deploying an MCP strategy to enable agentic AI experiences.”

Datars concludes, “What’s clear:  First-party customer data and a thoughtful data strategy are mission-critical to scale AI responsibly. As data executives, we’re not just enabling business — we’re shaping one of the most transformational moments in tech history. Thank you to the visionaries who joined us. The future of AI is real — and it’s being built on trusted first-party customer data.”

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

*Joyce Drohan and Della Shea are members of the CDO Magazine Global Editorial Board. Qahir Rajwani is a member of the Toronto Executive Board.

Executives attending the CDO Magazine Toronto Executive Boardroom Dinner included: 

Jide Adeoye, goeasy Director, Business Intelligence; Ferris Adi, Trans Americas Fiber System CISO; Henry Awere, Canada Life Manager, Technology & AI Risk; Natalia Bakhtina, former BFL Canada Director, Cybersecurity & IT Risk Management; Mo Bayan, Sun Life Director, Business Intelligence & Data Enablement; Vaibhav Singh Bhadauria, Total Credit Recovery CISO; Sumeet Bhatia, Sun Life Sr. Director, Head, Data Strategy & Enablement; Lori Bieda, BMO Chief Data Analytics & AI Officer, North American Retail & Business Bank & Head, Enterprise CRM; Alexander Chan, RBCx Sr. Director, Head, Analytics; Dinesh Chandrasekaran, CN Data Management; Gabrielle Chidiebere, goeasy Sr. Business Intelligence Engineer; Carlos Colon, Scotiabank Sr. Manager, Cryptographic Services, Information Security & Control; Rex Davis, RBC Chief Data Officer; Raj Debnath, Manulife Director, Data Governance & Quality; Joyce Drohan, former Ontario Public Service Leadership Chief AI & Technology Officer; Alena Godin, Multi-Industry Chief Data & Analytics Officer, including Best Buy Canada; Dilan Goonetilleke, Sun Life Director, Data Governance-Risk; Yan Gu, BMO Director, North American Generative AI; Anna Hannem, TD VP, Data Risk Management; Christopher Hayes, Aviso Sr. Director, Data Science & Analytics; Hondy Hung, CIBC Director, Business Optimization & Change Management; Sandre James, goeasy Manager, BI Channel Enablement, Business Intelligence; Sara Jetta, former Purolator VP, Strategic Enablement; Lawrence Jordan, Aviso VP, Data & Analytics; Vivek Khindria, former Loblaw Company Ltd SVP Cyber Security, Network, & Technology Risk; Ryan Khurana, Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment Partnership (MLSE) Lead, Machine Learning & Advanced Analytics; Bran Korovljevic, goeasy Sr. Manager, Enterprise Business Intelligence; Naveen Kumar, Digital Coalesce Managing Partner; Nabarun Lahiri, TD Securities Managing Director, Head, Data Management; Parisa Lak, Manulife Sr. Data Scientist, Group Advanced Analytics; Jacqueline Lam, Thomson Reuters Director, Responsible AI Strategic Engagements; Sahayam Mahesh, goeasy Business Intelligence Engineer; Mitu Mann, Phoenix IT Consulting CISO; Mary Ann Mendes, BMO North American Data & Analytics Transformation & Enablement, DACOE, NA P&BB; Paul Mendes, Sun Life AVP, Data Enablement & Governance; Jean-Sébastien Michel, Aviva Canada AVP, Data Strategy, Operations & Data; Priya Mouli, Sheridan College Head, Information Security, Privacy, Compliance; Shone Mousseiri, Manulife Director, Global AI Model Validation & Governance; Nim Nadarajah, CriticalMatrix CISO; Sahar Nezami, Meridian Credit Union VP, Enterprise Analytics & Data; Silvana Ortega Sierra, Scotiabank Sr. Manager, Compliance & AML Data Projects; Toyib Osuolale, goeasy Sr. Business Intelligence Engineer; Ukiwe Otisi, goeasy Sr. Manager, BI Operational Reporting; Teodor Pana, SE Health Director, Cyber Security; Vinay Puri, Conestoga College Sr. Executive Advisor & Adjunct Professor, Cyber Operations; Qahir Rajwani, HOOPP (Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan) Director, Data Science & Analytics Solutions; Rehana Rajwani, BMO Director, Learning & Development, Agile Center of Excellence; Stanley Ramkissoon, Scotiabank Director, Cryptographic Services; Kevin Richards, AstraZeneca Sr. Director, Clinical Quality; Jean-Francois Ross, Canadian Rail Director, CN Data Services; Andrea Ruotolo, Rockwell Automation Global Head, Customer Sustainability, Digital/Responsible AI; Fahad Shaikh, Interac Corp. AVP/Leader, Data & Analytics Strategy & Delivery; Nipun Sharma, RBC Sr. Manager, Global Data & AI Risk, Chief Audit Executive; Della Shea Interac Corp. Head, Enterprise Risk; Farid Sheikhi, RBCx Sr. Manager, Analytics Innovation & Data Enablement; Ferial Sheybani, former Colliers VP, Head of Technology & Data; Ana Stepanova, Citi AVP, Market Operations & Technology; Swetha Subramanian, former Loblaw Advance VP, Data Science & Insights Product, Data Strategy & Measurement Science; Simon Sulyma, Manulife AVP, Information Risk; Omid (Owen) Tak, BMW Group Financial Services Manager, Business Intelligence & Data Management; Mark Volk, AstraZeneca Associate Director, Quality Investigations & Analytics; Jason Wang; Dave Datars, Tealium EVP; Andrew McDougall, Tealium Sr. Enterprise Account Executive; Geraldene Caveness, CDO Magazine Global Events Manager; Anthony Losanno, CDO Magazine SVP, Sales; Corey Maxner, CDO Magazine Director, Client Success & Digital Operations; Camille Prado, CDO Magazine Global Editor; John Vulopas, CDO Magazine Strategic Account Director; Steve Wanamaker, CDO Magazine Founder & Publisher.