The Chief Data Officer & Information Quality Symposium (CDOIQ) in Europe continues to be a home run. This year’s event returned on September 11, 2025, under the theme “From Data and AI Experimentation to Tangible Impact.” Christine Legner, Professor of Information Systems at the University of Lausanne and Co-chair of CDOIQ Europe, opened the event with new MIT research showing that a whopping 95% of companies are still struggling with AI – further emphasizing the timeliness of this year’s theme.

The symposium opened with a keynote from Dr. Tom Redman, widely known as “The Data Doc” and author of “People and Data,” who challenged participants to think beyond tools and models in his talk, “How to Make Organizations Data and AI Ready.” Redman emphasized that sustainable AI impact starts not with technology but with people: “Regular employees now have two jobs — their actual role and cleaning up data just to do it.” Organizations, he noted, are often “perfectly designed to achieve the results they achieve,” including poor data readiness.

Redman urged leaders to align people, data practices, and decision-making around trust, embedding quality and ownership at every level. “AI is data,” he reminded the audience, calling on leaders to empower employees as data creators and customers. He framed transformation as something that “happens between your ears,” setting the tone for a symposium grounded in disciplined, people-centered data strategy.

To follow, Antonio Russo, European GenAI Transformation Leader at Deloitte, delivered a keynote titled “Our Journey Towards Being an AI-Fueled Company,” offering a behind-the-scenes look at how Deloitte is transforming internally. He emphasized that AI adoption in a knowledge-intensive industry like consulting requires balancing innovation with trust and security. Deloitte’s internally built GenAI platform, Solaria, promotes no- or low-code usage to safeguard client confidentiality and ensure adoption. Russo framed the shift with a memorable reminder: “AI won’t take your job, but people using AI will.” His talk showcased how the firm is reimagining services, democratizing access to AI, and placing people at the center of its transformation.

The gathering comprised more than 30 CDOs, CAOs and CAiOs, and 160+ senior data and AI leaders, representing 170+ organizations across 10+ industries and spanning 15+ countries, coming together on the shore of Lake Geneva for an invitation-only day packed with impulse sessions, interactive working groups, and exclusive networking exchanges in Lausanne, Switzerland. With more than 30 impulse speakers and contributors, attendees gained first-hand insights into the latest innovations in data and AI, spread across three tracks: Evolving Data Strategies and Foundations, Driving Innovation with GenAI and AI Agents, and Establishing Successful Data Collaboration. After each track opened with three keynote presentations, this year debuted a new dynamic format moving beyond traditional panels for the second half of the day: a series of rapid-fire Impulse Talks – short, high-impact presentations from up to five experts, discussed afterward by participants rotating through interactive Working Groups. This format enabled participants not only to learn from real-world case examples but also to co-create insights through candid peer exchange, making the event both intellectually rich and practically grounded.

The day concluded with a thought-provoking plenary session by Bart van Leeuwen, firefighter and data enthusiast, who asked the timely question, “How do humans make decisions?” His unique lens on the intersection of human experience and data offered a compelling reminder that while AI systems continue to evolve, human judgment remains central to responsible data-driven innovation. We learned that human perception comes with many mistakes, and we must learn about ourselves, and how the human brain makes decisions, before we can expect to improve such with the help of data and AI.

The symposium concluded with a final reflection round moderated by Professor Christine Legner. The panel brought back five senior leaders to distill their key insights from the day. Una Shortt, Group Chief Data Officer at Schneider Electric, emphasized that aligning culture, not just technology, is essential for lasting transformation, reminding the room that “we don’t need more tools – we need more trust.” Carsten Dehner, Chief Data, Analytics and AI Officer at Vienna Insurance Group, reflected on how governance can either unlock or constrain innovation, depending on whether it is treated as a living system or a compliance checklist. Nicolas Shire, Former Group CDO at AXA, cautioned that the biggest risk is waiting too long to act, urging leaders to build imperfect systems and iterate fast. Alberto-Giovanni Busetto, Chief AI Officer at Heubach, noted that many companies in Europe are still stuck in proof-of-concept mode, despite their ambitions, and warned that “you can’t scale what you never deliver.” Finally, José Parra Moyano, Professor at IMD, closed by underscoring that trust remains the foundation of every successful data strategy, and that the number of businesspeople participating in governance may be the most telling KPI of a company’s readiness to scale AI.

Throughout the day, attendees reflected on the evolving role of data leaders and engaging discussions continued into a sunset dinner event at the beautifully situated Olympic Museum on Lake Geneva.

The Annual CDOIQ European Symposium has firmly established itself as the premier event for data leaders in the European region and beyond, offering cutting-edge themes and concepts, real and impactful insights, and a platform for peer learning and networking.

“It came clear that for the technical collaboration around data, leaders need to first collaborate in sharing ideas and vision. This year’s CDOIQ achieves exactly that collaboration in the knowledge-sharing space. An absolute success.” – José Parra Moyano, Professor of Digital Strategy at IMD

With next year’s symposium already scheduled for September 10, 2026, Lausanne will once again offer the comprehensive update on Europe’s data and AI strategies, challenges and best practices. This unique private event has cemented its place as a must-attend for the evolving CDO, CAO and CAiO communities.