CDO Magazine’s Boston Leadership Dinner on July 18 gathered top data, analytics, and AI minds from diverse industries—including healthcare, pharmaceuticals, energy, and retail—for a high-level exchange of insights on “The Evolving Role of Generative AI in Data Leadership.” The event, which took place during the CDOIQ Symposium, fostered meaningful conversations around the most impactful GenAI use cases driving value in organizations and the strategic implementation to support those efforts. 

Discussions around the tables explored how human-in-the-loop frameworks are essential to guide agent-based AI, ensuring that human judgment and accountability remain central even as autonomous agents grow more capable. Speakers also shared insights on governance, auditability, and the future of AI agents in enterprise settings.

CDO Magazine thanks the Co-Chairs of the CDO Magazine Boston Leadership Dinner for their outstanding leadership and commitment:

• Kishore Aradhya, Frontdoor Head, Data Engineering & Data Architecture
• Snimar Chhabra, Eversource Energy Director, Enterprise Data & Advanced Analytics
• Veronika Durgin, Saks Global VP, Data
• Justin Heller, Synchrony Financial SVP, Chief Data Officer
• Barbara Latulippe, Takeda Pharmaceutical Head, Enterprise Data & Chief Data Officer
• Nachiket Mehta, Wayfair Head, Data & Analytics Engineering, Global Operations & Enterprise
• Jane Urban, Improzo Chief Data & Analytics Officer

Reflecting on the evening, Durgin says, “It was all about the vibes, but not the vibe-coding variety. Smiles all around, not just because people were networking, but because folks were genuinely happy to see each other, to catch up, and to share space again. Strangers became acquaintances, and acquaintances started to feel like friends. We had thoughtful, honest conversations about burnout. What it really feels like and how acts of service, like volunteering or helping others, can be a powerful way to ground yourself and recharge.”

Durgin elaborates, “We definitely didn’t stick to the roundtable prompt (in true data leader fashion), but that ended up being the best part. It wasn’t a theoretical debate. It turned into a live debugging session. We probably asked each other way more than ‘5 Whys’ as we tried to unpack some big questions: ‘What is knowledge? What is the truth? What does it mean for AI to be helpful but not harmful?’

“We wrestled with the real stuff together,” she continues. “No posturing. And that’s what made it special. A reminder that being in the room with smart, curious, open people is the best kind of progress.”

Similarly, Chhabra shares, “It was a real pleasure connecting with new members and catching up with familiar faces. The energy at the tables was incredible—with thoughtful, passionate conversations about why human oversight still matters in the GenAI era.

Chhabra says, “While GenAI continues to drive value across organizations and is increasingly embedded in operational workflows, it doesn’t operate in a vacuum. Guardrails, governance frameworks, and oversight aren’t optional—they’re foundational.”

She notes that the conversation frequently underscored these key themes:

• Human-in-the-loop checkpoints are essential, especially as agentic AI evolves.
• Auditability and transparency must be built in from day one.
• Agents should suggest—not decide—keeping final accountability with humans.

“And of course,” she adds, “it wouldn’t be a proper data leader conversation without revisiting the timeless question: ‘What’s your ROI?’ I’m looking forward to continuing these conversations and learning from this brilliant community.” 

Building on these takeaways, Heller poses a thought-provoking question:  “As GenAI takes on generalist tasks, will human expertise shift toward specialist roles for validation, or will generalist skills become more valuable through amplified productivity?”

According to Trang Nguyen, Prudential VP, Data Science, “Some attendees at the CDO Magazine dinner highlighted opportunities for GenAI in the procurement process in highly regulated industries which takes a long time, anywhere from 3 months to 18 months. GenAI can reduce the time significantly such as shorten the time to review the Request for Proposals (RFPs) and other relevant documents, and compare them across different vendors.

Nguyen mentions, “Another highlight from the discussion was the use of agents. Agents don’t need to sleep. Multiple agents can collaborate with each other on complex projects and work continuously around the clock. This greatly benefits enterprises that have a large global footprint. As a human reviewer/supervisor wakes up in the morning in their time zone, an agent can summarize what’s gone on in the past 24 hours to inform the decision-making process.”

Jenna George, CDO Magazine Program Director, describes, “The room was packed with Boston executives from numerous industries exploring the GenAi use cases that are advancing the capabilities and productivity of their teams. The repeated takeaway I heard was that humans must remain in the loop as it is irrefutable that, while GenAI helps to improve and assist the daily tasks of team members, output is not consistent. Many of the leaders had not met before but all were engaged in lively discussions with diverse perspectives.”

Summing it up, Matt Vogt, Immuta VP, Global Solution Architecture, says the evening was filled with lively discussions and even a few healthy disagreements. He outlines his takeaways and questions:

• Defining Data Ownership in an organization remains a challenge in both defining what is a Data Owner, and who or in what role that responsibility lies. How will this change to support an Agentic AI future?
• GenAI use cases are being rolled into production. A key summary of these initial programs that are having success are that they augment or replace secondary work to support or enhance a primary function. One example was physician / patient AI conversation notes — transcribing and classifying parts of the conversation for automated entry into an EMR in order to support the physician providing more effective and focused care.
• No one is doing real AI Agent development yet, but they are in the strategy and planning phase. A key discussion point was around data access, with key questions being: Do you tightly scope agents to a task and therefore tightly couple with approved data for that task? Or will the agents be ‘unbounded’ to deliver a result, and by proxy the agent will ‘go looking’ for data? If the latter, what will be the process to determine what data the agent can access for its purpose? 

Echoing Vogt’s insights, Nicole Cummings, Rocket Software Senior Account Executive, says she gained valuable perspective into the AI initiatives currently underway in various companies. “The CDO conference offered a range of perspectives and a chance to connect with data leaders interested in new trends and potential partners for their modernization efforts. It was a valuable experience meeting professionals from around the world!”

Special thanks to Presidio, Immuta, ThoughtSpot, TigerGraph, and Rocket Software for making this event a success.

Join us for the Boston Leadership Summit on December 4. Explore the agenda and secure your spot today.

*Kishore Aradhya, Snimar Chhabra, Veronika Durgin, Justin Heller, Barbara Latulippe, and Jane Urban are members of the CDO Magazine Global Editorial Board. 

Executives attending the CDO Magazine Boston Leadership Dinner included: 

Israel Abraham, Tangent, Founder; Kishore Aradhya, Frontdoor Head, Data Engineering & Data Architecture; Chakkaravarthy Arunachalam, Vertex Pharmaceuticals Head, HR Data Strategy, Analytics & Digital Innovation; Leanne Ball, Carson Group VP, Data & Analytics; Ripan Barot Siemens (Altair) Sr. Director, Data & AI Technical Operations; Elizabeth Barrette, Dun & Bradstreet SVP, Customer Solutions & Success; Subhasis Bhattacharya, athenahealth Executive Director; Caleb Carr, Schnuck Markets Sr. Director, Data Science & Engineering; Bingcan Chen, CVS Health Executive Director, Data Science; Snimar Chhabra, Eversource Energy Director, Enterprise Data & Advanced Analytics; Parul Doshi, Cellarity Chief Data Officer; Veronika Durgin, Saks Global VP, Data; Dominik Ebeling, Rolls-Royce Power Systems Head, Data Governance; Ashwini Ghogare, MilliporeSigma/EMD Serono Head, AI & Automation in Drug Discovery; Ravindra Harve, Boston College Enterprise Data Architect; Justin Heller, Synchrony Financial SVP, Chief Data Officer; Lei Jiang, Johnson & Johnson Sr. Manager; Olivia Kew-Fickus, Vanderbilt University Chief Data Officer; Noura Khan, Concentrix AI & Data Analytics Strategy Sector Leader; Barbara Latulippe, Takeda Pharmaceutical Head, Enterprise Data & Chief Data Officer; Michelle Li, MIT Sloan School of Management Director, Business Analytics; Naheil McAvinue, GitLab Director, Data; Nachiket Mehta, Wayfair Head, Data & Analytics Engineering, Global Operations & Enterprise; Nancy Morgan, Ellis Morgan Enterprises CEO (and former IC CDO); Chris Moss, Bose Sr. Director & Head, Data/Analytics/AI; Lynne Nowak, Surescripts Chief Data & Analytics Officer; Trang Nguyen, Prudential VP, Data Science; Michael Perlis, Former Zoominfo Director, Product Analytics; Jennifer Platten, Department of Homeland Security Chief, Space Management Branch; Noriko Rzonca, Cosmo Energy Holdings Chief Digital Officer; Joseph Santos, Zoominfo Director, Data Advisory; Andrew Schwartz, KalVista Pharmaceuticals VP & Global Head, IT; Parag Shah, CarGurus VP, Data; Anu Sundaram, Rue Gilt Groupe VP, Business Analytics; Vinayak Tambe, Vertex Pharmaceuticals Director, Commercial & Medical Affairs Data Analytics; Isa Terzi, Berkshire Hathaway Specialty Insurance SVP, IT; Chad Tetreault, Department of Homeland Security Deputy CTO & AI Official; Jane Urban, Improzo Chief Data & Analytics Officer; Greg Vasquez, STAG Industrial VP, Data & Analytics; Eileen Vidrine, Vidrine Vantage Consulting CEO/Executive Coach; J.D. Williams, Zoetis Chief Data & Analytics Officer; Nikki Cummings, Rocket Software Sr. Account Executive; Rob Daniel, Data Society Group CRO; Russell Dougan, ThoughtSpot Director, Corporate Communications; Calin Draia, ThoughtSpot; Dre Feeney, The Data Lodge Director, Global Client Solutions, Data & AI Literacy Programs; Jonathan King, Immuta Account Executive; Paige Leidig, TigerGraph Chief Marketing Officer; Valerie Logan, The Data Lodge Founder; Mark McKenna, ThoughtSpot Account Executive; Rajeev Shrivastava, TigerGraph CEO; Shashi Siddi, Rocket Software Global Head, Innovation & Partner Solutioning; Matt Vogt, Immuta VP, Global Pre-Sales; Bill Gannon, CDO Magazine EVP; Jenna George, CDO Magazine Program Director; Doug Llewellyn, Data Society Group CEO; Anthony Losanno, CDO Magazine SVP, Sales; John Vulopas, CDO Magazine Strategic Account Director; Steve Wanamaker, CDO Magazine Founder & Publisher.