IN-PERSON

Toronto CDAO Executive Summit

December 14, 2023 | Beanfield Centre

December 14, 2023
Beanfield Centre

Collaborate with your peers

Get together with Toronto'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:

Promoting business growth and modernization through data governance

Enhancing trust in data through master data and metadata management

Fostering a Culture of Data Literacy and Analytics-Based Decision Making

Toronto 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

Allie Grassie

Canadian Red Cross
Lead, Digital and Data Transformation Execution

Aida Tahiri

Apotex
Senior Director, Enterprise Data and Analysis; Chair, Enterprise Data Office

Alex Tait

Bank of Montreal
US Chief Data and Analytics Officer

Eugene Wen

Manulife
VP & Global Chief Data Scientist

What to Expect

Interactive Sessions

Hear from CDAO practitioners and thought leaders on how they're solving critical challenges impacting your role today in Keynote sessions, and join smaller, interactive discussions with your peers in Breakout and Boardroom sessions.

Community Networking

Make new connections and catch up with old friends in casual conversations during dedicated time for networking designed to better acquaint you with your Toronto CDAO community.

Peer-to-Peer Meetings

Connect with like-minded peers in a private, 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.

Agenda


December 13, 2023

December 14, 2023

6:00pm - 8:30pm  Governing Body Welcome Reception

Governing Body Welcome Reception

Governing Body members host this dinner for attendees to launch the event with an evening of peer networking.

7:45am - 8:30am  Registration & Breakfast

8:30am - 9:15am  Keynote

Building Trust Within Modern Data Ecosystems

Stephen Burt headshot

Stephen Burt

Chief Data Officer of Canada

Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat

With the modernization of digital business, data sharing and use of data-driven tools is becoming more commonplace across industry. As this becomes the norm, data and analytics leaders should not only focus on security but also on the reliability of data and on building and maintaining trust with citizens, clients and other stakeholders.  

Join this session to learn how the federal government’s Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat is:

  • Building trust from the citizen perspective
  • Using standards and benchmarks to assess performance across business lines
  • Promoting transparency to drive business impact

9:15am - 9:40am  Networking Break

9:40am - 10:25am  Breakout Session

Modernizing Master Data Management — Utilizing AI and ML

Gurpinder Dhillon headshot

Gurpinder Dhillon

VP Master Data Business

Dun & Bradstreet

Amidst a rapidly evolving digital landscape, organizations are pushed to modernize their master data management programs, keeping the pace with cloud-based advancements. By incorporating AI and ML, data and analytics leaders can unlock efficiency and speed-to-insight.

Join this session to explore:

  • Building a use case to incorporate AI & ML into your MDM strategy
  • Unveiling market trends and boosting efficiency
  • Enhancing decision-making, propelling D&A strategy

9:40am - 10:25am  Breakout Session

Implementing Data Mesh to Meet Modern Data Needs

Chris Brown headshot

Chris Brown

Field CTO

Immuta

Data mesh is becoming increasingly popular as more organizations recognize the limitations of traditional centralized data architectures and the benefits of decentralized, domain-driven approaches. In a fast-paced and highly regulated environment, data and analytics leaders need a way to provide self-service data across data mesh architectures, all while maintaining strong, consistent security.

Join this presentation to explore:

  • Enabling data democratization and self-service data-as-a-product
  • Thinking about federated governance in a data mesh
  • Making considerations for data product discovery and access flows

9:40am - 10:25am  Executive Boardroom

Data Governance — Modernizing Your Framework

Rohin Bansal headshot

Rohin Bansal

Director, Data Governance

TELUS

Jessica Jolly headshot

Jessica Jolly

Global Head, Data Strategy & Informatics

Recursion


Positioning data governance as enablement rather than restrictive is a tactic more data and analytics leaders are taking to gain buy-in. But as the digital enterprise rapidly evolves, governance frameworks must modernize, maturing to address trust, risk and ethics.

Join this session as CDOs discuss:

  • Understanding the baseline for effective governance

  • Identifying common pitfalls or challenges within your policies and teams

  • Outlining a path to ensure framework scalability 


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: Hallie Epps, Community Program Manager | hallie.epps@evanta.com

9:40am - 10:25am  Executive Boardroom

Championing Data and Analytics — Communicating Value

Zeyad Azem headshot

Zeyad Azem

Executive Partner, Data & Analytics

Gartner

Shobhit Jain headshot

Shobhit Jain

Vice President, Applied AI

Chubb

Data and analytics are integral to modern business strategy but if the leaders brought on to champion these programs fail to articulate value, they will fail. Chief data and analytics officers must understand the difference between value enablement and value realization and then articulate their strategies effectively.
 
Join this Gartner-facilitated boardroom to explore:

  • Understanding the impact of D&A in your organization
  • Identifying strategic ways to capture and measure value
  • Communicating your value story and promoting a data-centric culture

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: Hallie Epps, Community Program Manager | hallie.epps@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

Denish Bhavsar headshot

Denish Bhavsar

Director, Global Data Governance

McCain Foods

Michael Caesar headshot

Michael Caesar

Chief Data & Analytics Officer

University Health Network

Janet Weldon headshot

Janet Weldon

AVP, Global Data Strategy and Enablement

Sun Life

Della Shea headshot

Della Shea

Executive Director

isCDO

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

Paul Zikopoulos headshot

Paul Zikopoulos

VP, Technology Group Skills Vitality & Enablement

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

Predictive Analytics – A Focus on the Future

George Chen headshot

George Chen

VP of Professional Services at Segment

Twilio

Dr. Shweta Shah headshot

Dr. Shweta Shah

Head Global Data Architecture

Sun Life

Eugene Wen headshot

Eugene Wen

VP & Global Chief Data Scientist

Manulife

The future of predictive analytics is promising as the pathways to improving business outcomes are becoming more dependable. But as AI implementation evolves based on the tactical, ethical and physical considerations that continue to come up, what do CDAOs need to consider as they continue to grow their investments and capabilities? 

Join this session to discuss:

  • Aligning senior leaders to gain enterprise-wide support       
  • Leveraging current investments and use cases for greater application
  • Pioneering predictive analytics to maximize business outcomes

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: Hallie Epps, Community Program Manager | hallie.epps@evanta.com

11:00am - 11:45am  Executive Boardroom

Building Foundational Trust in Data

Mike Branch headshot

Mike Branch

Vice President, Data & Analytics

Geotab

Ferial Sheybani headshot

Ferial Sheybani

VP, Head of Technology & Data

Colliers International

To move the business forward with data and analytics, the enterprise must trust data and the insights derived from it. D&A leaders should address trust and demonstrate reliability, not only through data security, but also with leadership buy-in, purpose-driven AI and data sharing.

Join this session to discuss: 

  • Establishing a baseline for data quality to build trust in data
  • Certifying trust in data sharing and security
  • Instituting trust within data-driven decision making


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: Hallie Epps, Community Program Manager | hallie.epps@evanta.com

11:45am - 12:30pm  Lunch Service

12:30pm - 1:05pm  Keynote

Winning with Accountability — Strategies to Build a High Performing Organization

Henry Evans headshot

Henry Evans

Best-selling Author, "Winning With Accountability"

Guest Speaker

An organization needs to focus on its culture and strategy in tandem so business results can flourish. Challenging by nature, these topics are often approached separately, disrupting the equilibrium of the organization. When leaders are focused on becoming a high performing organization, with a high degree of trust they create a competitive advantage.

Join this working session with author Henry Evans to:

  • Learn how accountability and emotional safety® together drive exceptional results
  • Identify a real-world, real-time challenge and learn accountability tools to overcome
  • Explore a behavioral concept to create trust-building communication

1:05pm - 1:30pm  Break

1:30pm - 2:15pm  Breakout Session

Creating Continuity — Exploring a Federated Data Strategy

Tezbir Singh headshot

Tezbir Singh

Managing Director, Head of Data and Analytics Capabilities

BMO

Chris Mendes headshot

Chris Mendes

Director, Enterprise Data & AI Product Management

BMO

Adopting a modern data strategy and moving away from traditional operating models is a challenge for many data and analytics leaders. By understanding the key drivers of a successful data strategy, impactful results become all the more tangible as organizations work to redefine and reimagine business operations for a digital future.

Join this session to learn how data leaders at BMO are:

  • Defining value through centralized oversight to reduce time to insights
  • Setting guardrails within federated teams to propel centralized capabilities
  • Embedding a unified approach to governance with consistent expectations

1:30pm - 2:15pm  Breakout Session

From Theory to Practice – Successful GenAI Implementation

Mathieu Bedard headshot

Mathieu Bedard

Data & AI Leader

Microsoft Corporation

James Ki headshot

James Ki

Vice President, Data & Analytics

Canada Life

When it comes to Gen AI implementation and application, some CDAOs are in active implementation mode while others are still exploring the theoretical space. What successful approaches are companies using to incorporate GenAI into their data strategy, no matter where they are on the journey?Join this deep dive with case studies to examine:

  • Approaches to data governance
  • Embedding a culture of change acceptance
  • Best practices with juggling competing priorities


1:30pm - 2:15pm  Executive Boardroom

Going Beyond Data Quality With Data Observability

Viola Dessanti headshot

Viola Dessanti

Data & Strategic Analytics Director, Transformational Leader

TSSA

Aida Tahiri headshot

Aida Tahiri

Senior Director, Enterprise Data and Analysis; Chair, Enterprise Data Office

Apotex

Glenn Waine headshot

Glenn Waine

Senior Director, Global Product Management

TransUnion

Garbage in, garbage out. That’s the sentiment from data and analytics leaders regarding data quality. But organizations who adopt data observability are able to do more than just track quality. They can monitor the status and health of data pipelines across architectures and they can be alerted before problems spread downstream.

Join this roundtable session as your peers discuss how to: 

  • Identify the gap between current data monitoring and desired outcomes
  • Collaborate across teams to target observability use cases
  • Track data observability and governance initiatives to measure progress

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: Hallie Epps, Community Program Manager | hallie.epps@evanta.com

2:15pm - 2:50pm  Networking Break

2:20pm - 2:45pm  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.

2:50pm - 3:35pm  Breakout Session

Generative AI — What’s Your Take?

Rahul Gupta headshot

Rahul Gupta

Data Architecture Leader

Air Canada

Adele Pugliese headshot

Adele Pugliese

VP, Data Strategy, Analytics & Innovation

BentallGreenOak

Generative AI — oh my! As this topic makes its way to the boardroom and dinner table alike, it’s up to data and analytics leaders to determine the priorities to focus on now.

Join this session to discuss and debate with your peers:

  • Hot topics surfacing across industries
  • Business impacts of emerging trends
  • Key strategies for communicating new trends to stakeholders

2:50pm - 3:35pm  Executive Boardroom

Adopting Self-Service — Empowering Democratization

Cal Rosen headshot

Cal Rosen

Data Platform Expert

Arturo Medina headshot

Arturo Medina

CTO Service Line

Ipsos

Venky Rajaraman headshot

Venky Rajaraman

Vice President Data Platform

SSENSE

An overreliance on IT teams to address data and analytics inquiries often results in bottlenecks and delays. Enabling self-service reports is one way to cut time and propel democratization. But without proper data literacy and understanding of data, this solution remains a challenge for data and analytics leaders.

Join this session to discuss:

  • Determining data delivery models for users across the enterprise
  • Enhancing use and understanding of data within the workforce
  • Enabling self-service, reducing IT sourcing 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: Hallie Epps, Community Program Manager | hallie.epps@evanta.com

2:50pm - 3:35pm  Executive Boardroom

Making an Impact with Data and Analytics

Allie Grassie headshot

Allie Grassie

Lead, Digital and Data Transformation Execution

Canadian Red Cross

Jason Wang headshot

Jason Wang

Chief Risk Officer & VP, Data & Analytics

Allstate Canada

When a company views data and analytics as expenses rather than assets, ROI suffers. Discover how to create a strategic roadmap to not only increase your company's bottom line, but to also reinforce the importance and measure the impact of data and analytics within your organization.

Join this roundtable session to discuss:

  • Enhancing optics of your D&A program throughout the business
  • Tying the value of data initiatives to positive impacts in the bottom line
  • Creating a self-sustaining data literacy program


3:35pm - 4:00pm  Break

4:00pm - 4:35pm  Keynote

Streamlining Automation- Supporting an Ethical AI Governance Framework

Carter Cousineau headshot

Carter Cousineau

Vice President, Data & Model Governance & Ethics

Thomson Reuters

Temi Odesanya headshot

Temi Odesanya

Director, Data & Model Governance Automation

Thomson Reuters

When ethical governance practices are in place, trust and reliability follow. To execute successfully, D&A leaders must understand how to operationalize workflows to support each stage of the data and model lifecycles so they can better augment processes and boost efficiency.

Join this session to learn how Thomson Reuters is:

  • Streamlining automation while meeting compliance regulations
  • Approaching generative AI with a sustainability ethics mindset
  • Implementing governance practices to support a proactive vision

4:35pm - 5:00pm  Closing Reception & Prize Drawing

December 13, 2023

December 14, 2023

We look forward to seeing you at an upcoming in-person gathering


Evanta cares about the health and safety of our community. Please review the following recommendations prior to attending the gathering.

Location


Venue & Accommodation

Beanfield Centre
MORE INFORMATION

Your Community Partners


Global Thought Leader
CDAO Thought Leader
Key Partner
Program Partners

Community Program Manager


For inquiries related to this community, please reach out to your dedicated contact.

Hallie Epps

Community Program Manager

9403955198

hallie.epps@gartner.com