
Chicago CDAO Community
Executive Summit
December 13, 2023 | Chicago Marriott Downtown Magnificent Mile
December 13, 2023
Chicago Marriott Downtown Magnificent Mile
Collaborate with your peers
Get together with Chicago'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:
Adopting a data-centric culture to remain competitive with digital natives
Democratizing Data for Self-Service Analytics with AI and Machine Learning
Achieving key business objectives through data sharing
Chicago 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

Kristina Chambers
TTX
Chief Data & Analytics Officer

Shamsa Jafri
Wells Fargo
Analytics Executive, Head of Channel Marketing Science

Scott Kaufman
Baker Tilly
Chief Analytics and Data officer

Madhav Madaboosi
bp
Head of Digital Transformation, Future Midstream & Strategy

Prasannal Nithyanandam
Volkswagen Group of America
Head of Data and Advanced Analytics

Nalini Polavarapu
Bayer Corporation
Vice President - Enterprise Analytics and Data Science

Sid Raina
Blue Cross Blue Shield of Illinois
Health Care Management Technology Delivery Leader

Vijay Rajandram
Northern Trust Asset Management
Chief Data Officer
What to Expect
Agenda
7:45am - 8:30am Registration & Breakfast
8:30am - 9:15am Keynote
Generative AI — Moving Beyond Hype and Hysteria
Hosted by Unravel Data

Bill Franks
Director, Center for Data Science & Analytics
Kennesaw State University
Generative AI rapidly emerged from obscurity in late 2022, captivating not only the AI and data science communities but also the wider public. Amidst sensationalism and misinformation, this presentation aims to offer a balanced perspective on generative AI, clarifying its true nature, strengths and challenges. Attendees will gain a clearer understanding of its potential impact on our world and practical applications for both personal and professional endeavors.
Join Bill Franks as he explores how to:
- Discern real potential amid generative AI buzz
- Plan the strategic role of AI within your organization
- Apply generative AI for tangible benefit
9:15am - 9:40am Networking Break
9:40am - 10:25am Breakout Session
Innovation at Northwestern – Harnessing AI

Dr. Yuan Luo
Chief AI Officer
Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine
At the intersect of innovation and public health is the need for streamlined medical and technological expertise to better serve our communities. However, lack of strategic data resources to leverage that momentum remain a challenge, resulting in a decrease in collaboration across the medical industry.
Join this session to learn how Northwestern is:
- Empowering the scientific research community in the age of AI
- Democratizing AI literacy to propel collaboration
- Building flagship data resource to enable next generation AI development for healthcare
9:40am - 10:25am Breakout Session
Democratizing Data to Accelerate Business Outcomes
Hosted by Amplitude

Patrick Thompson
Product Evangelist & Head of Strategy
Amplitude
With the emergence of generative AI, data leaders around the world are thinking about how their data can be refined and intelligently consumed to enhance decision-making. A large hurdle to overcome other than data quality, is creating an organizational culture that embraces and employs data. Through democratization and the availability of self-service tools, data and analytics leaders can directly improve business outcomes.
Join this session to explore:
- Overcoming barriers to data democratization
- Understanding the skills and prerequisites needed to adopt self-service models
- Leading and inspiring the workforce to buy into data
9:40am - 10:25am Executive Boardroom
Data Chameleons —The Evolving Role of the CDAO
Hosted by Qlik

Todd Margolis
Senior Director of Applied Research and Emerging Technologies
Qlik

Madhav Madaboosi
Head of Digital Transformation, Future Midstream & Strategy
bp

Vishal Chawla
Enterprise Data Leader
Kemper Corporation
Bridging the gap between technology and business has become crucial for CDAOs in driving cross functional collaboration and value creation. But with the continuous evolution of AI, how do they simultaneously evolve in order to communicate and shape a vision for how AI can contribute to business objectives?
Join this session as CDAOs discuss:
- Laying the data foundation on how to get value from AI
- Remaining agile in a rapidly changing digital ecosystem
- Empowering the organization to embrace a data-driven mindset
Executive boardrooms are intimate and interactive sessions designed to foster dynamic dialogue around a specific, strategic topic. These private, closed-door discussions encourage attendee participation and are limited to 15 attendees (seating priority is given to CDAOs).
To reserve your seat, please contact: Andreina Pelaez, Community Program Manager | andreina.pelaez@evanta.com
9:40am - 10:25am Executive Boardroom
Assessing the Maturity of Your Data Program
Hosted by Quest Software

Susan Laine
Global Director of Strategy
Quest Software

Brett Collins
Director Data Science
Navistar

Ram Peddu
Chief Data & Analytics Officer
BMO
Gartner reports 80% of organizations seeking to scale digital business will fail without a modern approach to governance and data value. As data and analytics leaders seek to mature their data programs, they must not only address technical challenges but also issues of trust, risk and ethics. Learn from your peers about what has and hasn't worked and leave with a framework to help guide the assessment of your program's maturity.
Join this session to explore:
- Analyzing current governance and data trends with your peers
- Reshaping and deriving value from data
- Outlining a path to ensure scalability and value from your data program
Executive boardrooms are intimate and interactive sessions designed to foster dynamic dialogue around a specific, strategic topic. These private, closed-door discussions encourage attendee participation and are limited to 15 attendees (seating priority is given to CDAOs).
To reserve your seat, please contact: Andreina Pelaez, Community Program Manager | andreina.pelaez@evanta.com
10:25am - 11:00am 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.
11:00am - 11:45am Breakout Session
Shifting Data Culture– Inspiring Data Fluency
Hosted by Monte Carlo Data

Prasannal Nithyanandam
Head of Data and Advanced Analytics
Volkswagen Group of America

Shailaja Chathurvedula
Director Data, Analytics and Digital Innovation
Littelfuse

Jawad Khan
Chief Data & Analytics Officer
Tufts Medical Center

Xuhui Quan
SVP, Chief Data and Digital Officer
McKesson
Success happens when leaders prioritize, adapt and evolve with the needs of the business. As data and analytics initiatives continue to gain momentum, the need for a thoughtful data literacy approach is increasing. Industry standouts are coming together to share how they're inspiring culture-based approaches to empowering the workforce.
In this session, they'll explore:
- Setting effective data literacy guardrails to ensure data governance
- Inspiring an impactful shift in embracing data culture
- Elevating data literacy approaches to propel innovation
11:00am - 11:45am Breakout Session
Putting AI to Work
Hosted by IBM

Rodney Cobb
Principal Data & AI Leader
IBM
AI adoption has more than doubled since 2017 and its evolution leaped forward in 2023 with advances in large language models. This advancement holds the potential to unlock trillions of dollars in economic value over the next decade. But, implementing AI for business has unique requirements – it needs to be open, properly governed, designed for the enterprise and most importantly, create value.
Explore the age of AI including:
- Developing a foundational data fabric architecture to support LLMs
- Delivering a competitive business advantage through strategic use cases
- Deploying governed AI with responsibility
11:00am - 11:45am Executive Boardroom
Shoot for the Stars — Implementing a Stellar D&A Strategy
Hosted by Starburst

Adrian Estala
VP, Field CDO
Starburst

Vikas Khanna
Head of Data
Options Clearing Corporation

Geoff McCormack
Enterprise Architect - Data Strategy
The Progressive Corporation
In the era of big data, aligning a sophisticated data strategy to top business objectives is key to delivering true value across the enterprise. The catalyst for success must stem from a strong, data-driven foundation cultivated by data and analytics leaders.
In this session, join your peers to discuss:
- Creating a D&A strategy your enterprise can align behind
- Leveraging key insights to achieve mission critical priorities
- Scaling analytic capabilities and monetizing data
Executive boardrooms are intimate and interactive sessions designed to foster dynamic dialogue around a specific, strategic topic. These private, closed-door discussions encourage attendee participation and are limited to 15 attendees (seating priority is given to CDAOs).
To reserve your seat, please contact: Andreina Pelaez, Community Program Manager | andreina.pelaez@evanta.com
11:00am - 11:45am Executive Boardroom
Quality Despite Quantity — Managing Impactful Data
Hosted by Anomalo

Elliot Shmukler
Co-Founder & CEO
Anomalo

David Hirschfeld
Chief Data Officer
Marsh

Anand Ramakrishnan
Director - Enterprise Architecture & Data Engineering
Rotary International
As organizations collect more data, it’s crucial to maintain quality and reliability. Outdated, duplicated and dirty data can lead to fractured product experiences and convoluted decision making. With the right data quality management framework, departments across the enterprise can ensure healthy data.
Join this session to discuss:
- Monitoring data quality at scale
- Creating best practices for cleaning and maintaining data
- Identifying metrics to track data quality over time
Executive boardrooms are intimate and interactive sessions designed to foster dynamic dialogue around a specific, strategic topic. These private, closed-door discussions encourage attendee participation and are limited to 15 attendees (seating priority is given to CDAOs).
To reserve your seat, please contact: Andreina Pelaez, Community Program Manager | andreina.pelaez@evanta.com
11:45am - 12:30pm Lunch Service
Apply to Participate
Apply to participate in the Chicago 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
Chicago Marriott Downtown Magnificent MileParking
Self-Parking is available at the Rush-Ohio-Wabash Garage, for a discounted rate of $29 per vehicle.
Event Self-Park Instructions:
- Pull into the parking garage. When you reach the kiosk, push for a ticket, the gate will open, proceed to finding a parking spot.
- Keep the ticket that you pulled at the garage with you to the conference.
- You will be provided with a red discount $29 self-parking sticker, at the Evanta Registration Desk, that should be placed on top of the parking ticket. This will discount the rate for self-parking to $29.
- When you are ready to leave, you need to stop at one of the parking payment kiosks located in the lobby area of the garage (hotel has one too) and pay. You will scan the parking ticket with the sticker on it at the machine and the price to pay will be discounted to $29.
- When you exit the garage in your car, you will scan the parking ticket and the gate will open, and you may exit.
If you wish to Valet, you may do so at your own expense. Valet charges are $45 for up to 6 hours, and $70 for 6 to 24 hours.
The Valet station for the hotel is located at 541 North Rush Street.
A block of rooms has been reserved at the Chicago Marriott Downtown Magnificent Mile at a reduced conference rate. Reservations should be made online or by calling 1-877-303-0104. Please mention Evanta Executive Summit to ensure the appropriate room rate.
Deadline to book using the discounted room rate of $319 USD (plus tax) is November 20, 2023.
Community Program Manager
For inquiries related to this community, please reach out to your dedicated contact.