The Data & AI Chief

Learn what happens when the executive accountable for data strategy is also the executive accountable for the business results that depend on it. Saugata Saha, President of S&P Global Market Intelligence and Chief Enterprise Data Officer at S&P Global, shares how he manages one of the world's largest financial data estates while driving business outcomes across public and private markets. He breaks down the four pillars of S&P Global's data strategy, the federated organizational model that connects data teams to business value, and why capturing ROI from AI requires deliberate workflow transformation. Key Moments<...

Learn why an organization’s ontology, a structured framework for how a business defines, connects, and makes sense of its data and knowledge, is the most valuable and most overlooked asset in any AI strategy. Jessica Talisman, CEO and Founder of The Ontology Pipeline, and Tony Seale, Founder of The Knowledge Graph Guys, break down what it actually takes to build trusted AI, covering everything from semantic layers and knowledge graphs to why provenance is non-negotiable. They explain how organizations can start building their knowledge infrastructure for AI, and make the case for why their ontology is their most de...

Discover how WHOOP is building an AI-powered health data infrastructure that is redefining how we understand human health. Emily Capodilupo, Senior Vice President of Research, Algorithms, and Data at WHOOP, explains how continuous physiological data is uncovering new opportunities in predictive health through AI, from presymptomatic disease detection to biological age scoring. She examines the governance challenges of deploying AI in a regulated environment and what it takes to build the data trust required to make it work at scale. Key Moments: How WHOOP Built Its AI and Data Foundation (00:57): Emily explains how WHOOP's early focus...

Learn why scaling AI is as much a human challenge as it is a technological one. Stefano Puntoni, Co-Director of Wharton Human-AI Research and Professor at The Wharton School, examines the limits of data-driven decision making in the age of AI and why insights so often fail to translate into action. He breaks down the psychology behind AI resistance and outlines the leadership and change management strategies needed to turn AI potential into real organizational impact. Key Moments: Why More Data Doesn’t Lead to Better Decisions (02:26): Stefano challenges the assumption that smarter algorithms automatically produce sm...

Discover how enterprise AI and data strategy are operationalized at scale in one of the most highly regulated industries in the world. Louis DiModugno, Global Chief Data Officer at Verisk, shares how he builds AI-ready data foundations across 40+ petabytes of insurance and risk data, and the best practices behind embedding AI into enterprise products. He discusses unstructured data, deepfakes, and the shift from governance to observability, offering practical insights for data leaders scaling AI responsibly. Key Moments: From Military Leadership to Chief Data Officer: Data Integrity as a Competitive Advantage (03:02): Louis shares how his experience as...

Learn how AI agents are reshaping enterprise decision-making, AI governance, and brand creativity. Daniel Hulme, Chief AI Officer at WPP & CEO of Satalia/Conscium, explains how AI agents, decision intelligence, and his concept of “brand brains” (AI systems designed to create brand-specific, production-grade content) are changing how organizations operate. He shares why companies don’t have data problems but decision-making problems, and how AI can augment human creativity at scale. Key Moments: From Academic AI Research to Enterprise AI Systems (01:50): Daniel traces his 25-year journey in AI, from studying intelligence and consciousness at UCL to building real-w...

Discover how Nasdaq uses data platforms at a massive scale to power markets and prepare for AI. Angie Ruan, Nasdaq’s CTO of Capital Access Platforms, explains how large-scale data systems support market integrity, transparency, and decision-making across public and private markets. She defines what it really means to be AI-ready, how leaders should modernize data platforms, and how market fundamentals help separate real AI value from hype.Key Moments:Why Nasdaq Is More Than a Stock Exchange (06:10): Angie reframes Nasdaq as a global technology company rather than a traditional exchange, explaining how data, platforms, and en...

Discover why the future of AI at work is more human than you think. Vinay Gidwaney, Chief Product Officer at OneDigital, shares how treating AI agents as talent rather than technology is changing AI adoption at work. He explains people-first change management, managing AI coworkers, building trust in human AI teams, and why real transformation depends on equity, access, and better decision-making.Key Moments:AI as a Coworker (01:45): Vinay introduces “Ben,” an AI benefits consultant at OneDigital, to illustrate a fundamentally different way of thinking about AI at work. Instead of positioning AI as automation or repl...

In this season premiere of The Data Chief podcast, host Cindi Howson sits down with three industry leaders to unpack what’s next for AI, and the concrete moves data and AI leaders need to make in 2026—many of which are detailed in ThoughtSpot’s Top Data & AI Trends of 2026 ebook.Get ready for a deep dive into:Agentic AI goes mainstream with Paul Baier, CEO and Co-Founder of GAI InsightsAI-ready data and the rise of the AI manager with Jennifer Belissent, Principal Data Strategist at SnowflakeScaling agents with trust and control with Rory Blundell, CEO of Gra...

In this special episode, host Cindi Howson pulls together the most useful, and hard-won, lessons from a year of conversations with Data Chiefs leading the GenAI charge. With generative and agentic AI no longer a side experiment, this episode spotlights five practices early adopters can rely on to move from pilots to profit. Expect straight talk on what to prioritize, how to bring people with you, and how to scale AI with the trust, literacy, and guardrails that make impact stick.Key Moments:Tying AI to Real Dollars with Anand Iyer, Ecolab (02:10): Anand cuts through the...

The data landscape is evolving in the life sciences and healthcare sectors. Murali Vridhachalam, the Head of Enterprise Data and Analytics at Gilead Sciences, and Mahmood Majeed, Managing Partner at ZS Associates, offer their compelling perspectives on digital transformation in life sciences and healthcare and how data can be used in these areas to improve patient outcomes. Plus, Mahmood and Murali share their takes on how to effectively reskill data professionals and the role of IT in healthcare and life sciences is evolving.Tune in to learn:How has the pandemic driven digital transformation in...

Learn how one of the world’s biggest restaurant companies is turning data and AI into a recipe for global innovation. Cameron Davies, Chief Data Officer at Yum! Brands, shares how he’s combining strategy, technology, and change management to drive gobal growth. He explains how Yum! is building AI literacy from the top down, reimagining operations with generative AI, and partnering with NVIDIA to scale innovation. Cameron reveals what true data leadership looks like, balancing bold ideas with business impact, and proving transformation starts with people, not technology.Key Moments:Start with the Business Problem, Not...

Step inside a conversation on the art and architecture of AI transformation. Vedran Karamani, Group Data Analytics & Agentic AI – CDAIO at Alghanim Industries, shares how he’s embedding intelligence across one of the Middle East’s largest conglomerates. He breaks down what it takes to make AI approachable in the boardroom, why data literacy is now a business imperative, and how to balance innovation with operational reality. Discover how Vedran is redefining the role of data, technology, and human insight in shaping the next generation of enterprise transformation.Key Moments:From Deterministic to Probabilistic Thinking (10:19): Vedran explai...

In this episode of The Data Chief, Ilan Twig, co-founder and CTO of Navan, shares why large language models will revolutionize our relationship with technology—just like the mouse did for the keyboard. From pushing AI to its limits to launching Navan Cognition, built for zero critical hallucination, Ilan reveals what it really takes to lead through change and build AI that people can trust. He also dives into a critical question every company must face: Will you build AI from scratch, or build with AI partners?? And if you're curious about the next frontier, Ilan paints a bold vision of...

Join us for a masterclass in building data-driven marketing cultures. Moe Kiss, Director of Data Science in Marketing at Canva, shares how she bridges analytics and storytelling to make data approachable across teams. She breaks down the shift from attribution to experimentation, why storytelling is a must-have skill for every data professional, and how to balance intuition with evidence. Discover how Moe’s redefining the balance between technology, trust, and empathy in data leadership.Key Moments:Data as “Part of the Meal” (09:09): Using a cooking analogy, Moe describes how data should be integrated into decision-making, not as a g...

Welcome to a special author's episode of The Data Chief, where we delve into the minds of three influential authors who are shaping the conversation around data and AI. First, Geoff Woods, author of The AI-Driven Leader, shares his philosophy of prioritizing strategy over technology to make faster, smarter decisions. Next, Wendy Batchelder, author of The Data Governance Handbook, discusses how to transform governance from a rigid bureaucracy into a business accelerator by focusing on business outcomes. Finally, Malcolm Hawker, author of The Data Hero Playbook, challenges data leaders to adopt a heroic mindset by becoming customer-driven and aligning...

Join us for a compelling conversation on leading through change with Karen Stroup, Chief Digital Officer at WEX. In this episode of The Data Chief, Karen shares her insights on navigating the complexities of AI adoption. She discusses why focusing on the customer problem is more important than simply applying new technology, how to build trust by accounting for the "human side" of data, and why her team uses a "two-way door decision" to combat the rapid pace of tech change. Discover her "hot take" on the future of analytics, where dashboards become a "backdrop" and an interactive, predictive...

The next generation of analytics is here. In this episode of The Data Chief, ThoughtSpot CEO Ketan Karkhanis explains why AI is the new BI, and the future of analytics is autonomous. Karkhanis shares his vision for the autonomous enterprise, where AI agents act on insights and automate workflows.  He also explains why a culture of trust and experimentation is crucial for unlocking AI's full potential. Don't miss this discussion on how to fundamentally rethink how organizations interact with data to drive better business outcomes and build an autonomous enterprise.Key Moments:AI is the New B...

Hear how data is rewriting the rules—and driving the future of innovation. Dr. Vanja breaks down his approach to enterprise AI, and the key strategies for success. He shares what it means to be a “data-forward organization” and why data must sit at the heart of how a company operates. Discover why integration speed is the new competitive edge Key Moments:Data as a Core Enterprise Asset (6:04): Dr. Vanja defines what it means to be a “data-forward organization,” emphasizing that data shouldn’t be an afterthought—it must sit at the heart of how a company operate...

Join us for expert insights on driving data-led change. Anand Iyer, Senior Vice President and Chief Data Officer at Ecolab, breaks down his approach to AI-powered innovation. He shares how to ensure AI initiatives directly impact the bottom line, why an engineering approach is key for prioritizing AI use cases, and that "garbage in, disaster out" is the new reality for data at AI scale. Discover how self-service analytics with AI is transforming data access and why AI is now a critical "business forcing function" in today's volatile world.Key Moments:The "Value First Mindset" for...