As enterprises push beyond proof-of-concept and into scaled AI adoption, the challenge is no longer experimentation but execution. That reality set the tone for CDO Magazine’s Executive Boardroom Dinner on May 19. The event welcomed senior data, analytics, and AI leaders to McKendrick’s Steak House in Atlanta for an evening of candid peer exchange centered on the theme, “From AI Experiments to Enterprise Execution: Architecture, Governance, and the Friction of Scaling.”

The discussions unpacked what it truly takes to operationalize AI at enterprise scale. Leaders reflected on the shift from using AI for incremental efficiency gains to positioning it as a core business capability, while addressing persistent obstacles around data architecture, governance, trust, and adoption. Conversations also delved into agentic AI readiness, model specialization versus consolidation, feedback-driven retraining, and how organizations are navigating the balance between workforce augmentation and automation.

Sharing his experience, Mark Jackson, Piedmont Healthcare Chief Data Officer, says, “The CDO Magazine dinner reinforced the value of candid, peer-level conversations regarding the future of AI in data & analytics. These events bring together thoughtful leaders to discuss our shared challenges.” 

Kenneth Viciana, FIS VP, Global Data & Analytics Products, says, “I appreciated the opportunity to connect with fellow data leaders at the CDO Magazine Dinner Event. Atlanta’s data community continues to prove that real innovation is powered by relationships! Great conversations, meaningful networking, and collaboration are what move our industry forward.”

Lexy Smith, CDO Magazine Community Director, highlights,“The energy in the room was unmistakable. This was a group of leaders wrestling with the same hard questions, and instead of competing, they leaned in together. What makes the Atlanta data community special is that closeness. It felt like a family gathering in the best sense, the kind where the trust is already there and people can get straight to what actually matters. Those are the conversations that stay with people long after the plates are cleared.”

Summing it up, Paul Lilford, Oracle Director, Product Strategy, AI Data Platform & Analytics, says, “The conversation has moved, fast. Leaders across every industry are wrestling with the same fundamental challenge: AI is only as good as the data foundation and context beneath it. Semantic layers, trusted data, practical tooling — these aren’t technical nice-to-haves. They’re what separates enterprise AI that delivers from AI that just demos well.”

Special thanks to Oracle for their partnership in making the event a success.

Executives attending the CDO Magazine Atlanta Executive Boardroom Dinner included: 

Viswa Avireddi, Mueller Water Products Sr. Director, Enterprise Data & AI Solutions; Paul Brown, Clark Atlanta University Associate Professor, Supply Chain Management; Marcy Cunningham, IHG Hotels & Resorts Head, Information Governance; Nihshanka Debroy, Andmore VP, Data & Analytics; Amit Dingare, PRGX Global Chief Technology & Innovation Officer; Mark Jackson, Piedmont Healthcare Chief Data Officer; Ehrar Jameel, Mark Spain Real Estate VP, Chief Data & AI Officer; Vivaldo Moraes Pinto Junior, Michelin Connected Fleet VP, Product & Technology; Pravin Kakaraddi, Inspire Brands VP, Enterprise Data; Phillip Mahan, GoTo Foods LLC Sr. Director, Privacy & Compliance; Pramod Misra, Snellings Walters Insurance Director, Data Analytics & AI Automation; Ash Naseer, Delta Air Lines Managing Director, Enterprise Data & AI Technology; Candace Pereira-Roberts, Vanco VP, Data Strategy & Insights; Rama Ryali, McKesson Head, Data Platform, Compliance & Operations; Priya Sarathy, KSU Director, Center of Data Sciences & Analytics; Zakaria Siddiqui, Southwire Head, Artificial Intelligence; Pankaj Singal, First Citizens Bank SVP, Executive Director, Enterprise Data & Analytics; Klaudia Tirico, Unreal Senior Account Manager, Content; Varun Tottempudi, Lockton Companies Head, Data & Platforms Engineering, Global Digital Office & Analytics; Richard Wise, Macy’s Director, Data Governance Office, Enterprise Data & Analytics; Rich Clayton, Oracle VP, Product Strategy, AI & Analytics; Jody Clayton, Oracle Group VP, Advanced Technology, SaaS Technology, Analytics, AI & Emerging Technology; Paul Lilford, Oracle Director, Product Strategy, AI Data Platform & Analytics; Avi Sil, Oracle Sr. Director, Applied Science; Anthony Losanno, CDO Magazine Managing Director; Alexandra (Lexy) Smith, CDO Magazine Community Director.