
Atlanta CDAO Community
Executive Summit
November 21, 2024 | Westin Atlanta Perimeter North
November 21, 2024
Westin Atlanta Perimeter North
Collaborate with your peers
Get together with Atlanta's top CDAOs to tackle shared business challenges and critical priorities facing your role today. Participate in this one-day, local program with peer-driven topics and interactive discussions with your true C-level peers.
Join your peers to discuss the most critical issues impacting CDAOs today:
Driving culture change to elevate data and analytics initiatives
Focusing on foundations of data strategy for AI enablement
Communicating the value of D&A’s impact on the organization
Atlanta CDAO Governing Body
The Governing Body Co-Chairs shape the summit agenda, ensuring that all content is driven By CDAOs, For CDAOs™.
Governing Body Co-Chairs

James Bolles
Southern Company
Director, Enterprise Solutions COEs

Snorwlor “Sno” Bropleh
Habitat For Humanity International
Senior Director, Global Integrated Planning – Office of Strategy Management

Vijay Gandapodi
Reynolds American
Head of IT - Data, Reporting, Analytics

Karthikeyan Ramasamy
Guardian
Chief Analytics Officer

Kenneth Viciana
TSYS
VP, Global Data & Analytics Products
What to Expect
Agenda
7:45am - 8:30am Registration & Breakfast
8:30am - 9:15am Keynote
Creating a Solid Data Foundation to Achieve AI Success
Hosted by Starburst

Santosh Kudva
Chief Data Officer
GE Vernova
Delivering business outcomes in the age of generative AI is the current challenge facing data and analytics leaders around the globe. But to be able to do this, it’s critical to have a robust governance and data quality framework. That, however, proves tricky when using unstructured data for GenAI.
In this session, Santosh Kudva, CDO at GE Vernova, shares insight on:
- Incorporating Generative AI as part of overall data strategy
- Utilizing comprehensive analytics to enable data quality
- Creating a data framework that can withstand constant evolution
9:15am - 9:40am Networking Break
9:40am - 10:25am Breakout Session
Metadata, Data Fabric and Leveraging Generative AI
Hosted by Orion Governance

Gaurav Arora
Chief Customer Officer
Orion Governance
As CDAOs continue to grow in their journeys, it is necessary to ensure your data fabric has a solid foundation on the information as well as the barriers in place accessing it. When we add GenAI into the conversation, how can we leverage this tool to our advantage, ensuring those barriers aren’t compromised? This complex conversation has many considerations, so let's explore them together. Join to explore:
- An overview of the complexities of Metadata Management
- The challenges of data fabric as GenAI implementation continues
- Improving the process and execution of MDM models
9:40am - 10:25am Executive Boardroom
Data Unification for Better Business Outcomes
Hosted by Reltio

Mike Frasca
Field Chief Technology Officer
Reltio

Ben Flusberg
Chief Data Officer
Cox Automotive

Mark Mullins
Chief Data Officer
United Community Bank
Companies must modernize to remain competitive in today’s dynamic business environment, but siloed, unreliable data makes digital transformation virtually impossible. Traditional solutions to data fragmentation are failing because they are unable to power business applications in real-time and fail to deliver reliable data where and when it’s needed.
Join this roundtable to discuss:
- Implementing a comprehensive data unification framework to improve trust and reusability of data assets and simplify governance
- Enabling continuous data integrity and reliability when supporting AI systems
- Mitigating security risks in AI-driven data processing and decision-making
9:40am - 10:25am Executive Boardroom
Evolving Data Strategies in the Age of AI
Hosted by Dataiku

Catalina Herrera
Field CDO
Dataiku

Umesh Kucheria
Head of Data & Analytics
Delek US
As organizations advance towards data-driven decision-making, AI and machine learning offer immense potential to enhance innovation and governance. Yet, challenges around data quality, scalability, and accessibility persist. Join this roundtable discussion to explore how thought leaders are evolving their data strategies to maximize AI capabilities while ensuring trust and scalability.
In this session, you’ll learn how to:
- Incorporating AI capabilities within your existing data strategy
- Establishing robust and systematic AI governance beyond regulatory requirements
- Understanding and navigating the implications of the EU AI Act on your governance strategies
10:25am - 11:05am Networking Break
10:30am - 10:55am Peer-to-Peer Meetings
Peer-to-Peer Meetings
Connect with like-minded peers in a one-on-one setting through Evanta’s Peer-to-Peer Meetings. You will be matched with peers in your community based on your shared interests and priorities.
11:05am - 11:50am Breakout Session
ROI of AI ― Achieving Higher Levels of Profitability and Growth
Hosted by IBM

Parul Mishra
VP, Product Management, Digital Labor
IBM
With AI software spending projected to reach $297.9 billion by 2027, organizations are under pressure to ensure their investments yield substantial returns. Technology leaders must demonstrate exponential ROI in a short timeframe. No matter the industry or size of organization, there are common pillars that help leaders identify business value.
Join this session to learn:
- Creating a robust roadmap for AI initiatives
- Leveraging the right tools and capabilities for maximum impact
- Impactful use cases for empowering enterprise productivity
11:05am - 11:50am Breakout Session
Unlocking Business Value — The Intersection of Data Usability and Security
Hosted by Protegrity

Anthony Cammarano
Chief Technology Officer & VP, Engineering
Protegrity
New technologies are rapidly changing the way we use data to optimize experiences, but the debate between usability and security of sensitive data presents a significant challenge for organizations striving to achieve both local and global data accessibility.
In this session, we'll discuss:
- The delicate balance between enabling data to drive business forward and ensuring compliance and user trust
- Unlocking the door to AI initiatives, advanced analytics and cloud migration with modernized data
- Interplaying between data risk and consumption to maximize business value and data security posture
11:05am - 11:50am Executive Boardroom
Empowering Decision Making with Data-Driven Insights
Hosted by Fivetran

Chris Lawless
VP, Global Services
Fivetran

Anthony Canitano
Head of Performance Analytics
IHG

Chris Knight
SVP Analytics & Innovation
EPIC Insurance Brokers

Meet Patel
Senior Director, Global Advanced Analytics - Strategy, Capabilities and Culture
Kellanova
As organizations collect more data, it’s crucial to empower the enterprise to use this data to ensure better business and customer outcomes. Organizations who want to futureproof their business will think beyond the dashboard to use data for decision making. Learn how technology leaders are modernizing their data platforms and automating processes to get the most value from their data.
Join this session to discuss:
- Laying the foundation for predictive and advanced analytics
- Balancing the benefits of data control with data democratization
- Encouraging the enterprise to make more data informed decisions
11:05am - 11:50am Executive Boardroom
AI Readiness — Going from Big Data to Better Data
Hosted by Qlik

Jason Bishop
Senior AI & AutoML Solution Consultant
Qlik

Lisa Dorsey
Vice President, Data Governance, Policy & Risk
Fannie Mae

Pankaj Singal
Chief Data Officer, Platform Solutions
Goldman Sachs
There is so much potential with AI, but also so many new risks. Setting the correct foundation by designing with purpose and value will lead to trusted, better data. But how do you get to this point?
Join this interaction roundtable as CDAOs discuss:
- Building a robust, trusted foundation for AI
- Responsibly exposing data to AI
- Pinpointing the source of troubles within the tech stack
11:50am - 12:35pm Lunch Service
Apply to Participate
Apply to participate in the Atlanta CDAO Community Executive Summit.
Gartner facilitates exclusive, C-level communities by personally qualifying and understanding the priorities, challenges and interests of each member.
Our selective approach maintains the high quality of the network and ensures top-level discussions with peers from the world’s leading organizations.
Each application will be reviewed, and once your participation is confirmed, you will have access to year-round community programs.
Location
Venue & Accommodation
Westin Atlanta Perimeter NorthParking Information
Hotel does not offer valet parking. Self- Park only in the Concourse lot directly across from The Westin at a discounted rate of $5/day.
A block of rooms has been reserved at the Westin Atlanta Perimeter North at a reduced conference rate. Reservations should be made online or by calling 770.395.3900. Please mention Evanta CDAO Executive Summit to ensure the appropriate room rate.
Deadline to book using the discounted room rate of $199 USD (plus tax) is October 28, 2024.
Community Program Manager
For inquiries related to this community, please reach out to your dedicated contact.