CDO Magazine hosted Atlanta’s top data, analytics, and AI leaders on March 18 at Marcel for an evening of insights and strategic conversations, featuring a standout panel on “Navigating the Data & AI Trust Paradox.”

The speakers explored overcoming the AI trust paradox through stronger data governance, sharing lessons from their data management journeys, and balancing quality and security without hindering innovation. They also highlighted modern architectures and the importance of fostering data literacy and responsible AI culture across organizations.

The panel of experts were:

• Mabby Amouie, Norfolk Southern AVP, Enterprise Data & Analytics
• Amit Dingare, PRGX Global Chief AI Officer
• Mae-Beth Magno, Boeing Global Privacy & AI Governance Law & Global Compliance
• Meet Patel, Mars Global Sr. Director, Advanced Analytics & AI, Strategy, Capabilities & Culture

The discussion was moderated by Gopinath Sankaran, Informatica from Salesforce VP, Technology Business Development.

According to panelist and Atlanta Leadership Summit Co-chair Amouie, “We wrapped up another successful boardroom dinner in Atlanta. It’s always a privilege to get this group of leaders together. They really don’t pull any punches when it comes to sharing the battle-tested insights they’ve picked up over the years. Just as expected, AI dominated the conversation. Everyone is feeling the pressure of the race, but the real focus was on how to move fast without cutting corners on responsibility.”

For Kartik Pillai, Yum! Brands Director, Data Strategy, Master Data Management, AI & Data Governance, AI readiness starts with data readiness. He says, “A consistent theme in the discussion was that organizations cannot scale AI or agentic workflows on fragmented, weakly governed data; the real foundation is trusted data, clear ownership, and disciplined operational controls.”

Highlighting her experience, Preetika Madan, Citi VP, Decision Science & Marketing Analytics, says, “The executive dinner at Marcel’s with a fireside-style-exchange, was a standout.”

Summing it up, Anthony Losanno, CDO Magazine SVP, Sales, says, “We had a great night listening to all of the insights shared from the execs that made up our panel with Informatica. They were from four different industries, but showed that common themes carry across verticals. The more powerful and autonomous that AI becomes, the more organizations need trust, transparency, and control. It was great to hear real-world examples around Ai initiatives, data management, and how these leaders are making changes.”

Special thanks to Informatica from Salesforce for making the CDO Magazine Atlanta Executive Boardroom Dinner such a resounding success.

Executives attending the CDO Magazine Atlanta Executive Boardroom Dinner included: 

Mabby Amouie, Norfolk Southern AVP, Enterprise Data & Analytics; Gabriel Charvat, Dun & Bradstreet VP, Data Quality Insights; Marcy Cunningham, IHG Hotels & Resorts Head, Information Governance; Durgesh Das, Intercontinental Exchange VP, Data, Analytics & Governance; Amit Dingare, PRGX Global Chief AI Officer; Dr. Vijay Gandapodi, Campbell’s VP, Data & Analytics; Nathan Hombroek, Axis Group VP, Innovation & Customer Success; Juliana Lam, Equinox Sr. Manager, Data Product; Francisco Macedo, Racetrac Executive Director, Enterprise Data & Infrastructure; Preetika Madan, Citibank VP, Decision Science & Marketing Analytics; Mae-Beth Magno, Boeing Global Privacy & AI Governance Law & Global Compliance; Megan McIntosh, IHG Hotels & Resorts VP, Data & Analytics; Meet Patel, Mars Global Sr. Director, Advanced Analytics & AI, Strategy, Capabilities & Culture, Global Growth; Carl Patten II, Boys & Girls Club Metro Atlanta VP, IT; Kartik Pillai, Yum! Brands Director, Data Strategy, Master Data Management, AI & Data Governance; Casey Rattay, Equinox Sr. Director, Data; Allen Reed, The Coca-Cola Company Global Sr. Director, Data Governance; Vishal Venkatram, Harman International VP, Digital Enterprise Transformation; Ajay Gollapalli, Informatica; Gopinath Sankaran, Informatica VP, Technology Business Development; Pankaj Singal, First Citizens Bank SVP, Executive Director, Enterprise Data and Analytics; Johnathan Thornbury, Informatica Chief Architect (North America); Jason Tolbert, Informatica Sr. Director, Strategic Cloud Ecosystems & Big Data Alliances, Microsoft; and Jim Wolf, Informatica Regional Sales Director, Mid Atlantic Commercial; Anthony Losanno, CDO Magazine SVP, Sales; Corey Maxner, CDO Magazine Sr. Director, Community & Operations; Lexy Smith, CDO Magazine Community Director; and Steve Wanamaker, CDO Magazine Founder & Publisher.