At its exclusive Roundtable Exchange at Morton’s Steakhouse on April 22, CDO Magazine welcomed Chicago’s leading data, analytics, and AI executives for an evening of meaningful conversation and collaboration centered on “Hype vs. Reality: What’s Actually Working in Data and AI Right Now.”

Industry leaders explored the gap between AI expectations and real business value, tensions between innovation speed and governance, evolving leadership roles, standout AI use cases, building hybrid talent, shifting infrastructure priorities, and candid peer conversations that often remain unspoken within organizations.

CDO Magazine thanks the Co-Chairs of the Chicago Leadership Summit for their leadership:

• Shelby Cannon, OneMain Financial VP, Data Protection & Governance
• Patrick Chew, AIT World Logistics VP, AI & Data Science 
• Ivana Donevska, BMO Head, US Data, Analytics & AI Risk

Co-chair Chew says, “Love the energy and spontaneity with fantastic open sharing and exchanges from various participants.”

Sharing his experience, Shawn Tumanov, Alight Solutions Head, AI Governance & Enablement, says, “I really enjoyed catching up with some old colleagues and meeting a few new faces as well. I got a lot out of the conversation at my table regarding the state of the AI and data world. Hearing where other companies are focusing their investments right now was especially timely for me.”

Sabrykrishnan Loganathan, Peloton Interactive Sr. Director, Head, Enterprise AI, outlines his takeaways:

• AI is not possible without the data foundations.
• Responsible AI from the start is critical for regulated industry.
• There needs to be a balanced approach towards innovation and governance. Neither one overpowering is unhealthy to the organization.
• POC to production is the most difficult battle for the enterprises. Solving data, governance, security, trust, maintenance and observability is the key to getting value.

Lexy Smith, CDO Magazine Community Director, highlights, “Every time I’m in Chicago, I’m reminded why this market is so special. The caliber of leaders in this room — and the willingness to have honest, forward-looking conversations about the future of data and AI — is what makes these evenings so meaningful.”

Summing it up, Ary Paydawy, Informatica from Salesforce Community Practice Leader, says, “The mix of perspectives and experiences in the room stood out. The conversation felt very real, reinforcing that organizations build AI readiness through collaboration, discipline, and trust over time.”

Special thanks to Informatica from Salesforce, Alation and SecuPi for making the CDO Magazine Chicago Roundtable Exchange such a resounding success.

*Patrick Chew is a member of the CDO Magazine Global Board.

Executives attending the CDO Magazine Chicago Roundtable Exchange included: 

Yusuf Abbasi, Whirlpool Global Sr. Director, Data & Analytics, Center of Excellence; Sooraj Ali, Travelers VP, Enterprise Data, Analytics & AI; William Awad, Kemper Insurance (Former) CTO; Michael Baker, NielsenIQ VP, Data Science, Consumer Data, Advance Analytics & AI, Strategic Clients; Arun Balakrishnan, Citi Director, Analytics; Carmin Ballou, ALAS VP, Chief Data & Innovation Officer; Dhruv Baronia, Northern Trust Corporation SVP, Head, Analytics, Wealth Management; Mary Basani, Vantive Associate Director, Global Data Product Delivery; Fahad Bijle, Fortune Brands Innovations Head, Data Products & Data Strategy; Deb Biswas, SG Analytics President; Money Bullock, BMO Financial Group Director, Data & Analytics Governance; Shelby Cannon, OneMain Financial VP/MD, Data Protection & Governance; Patrick Chew, AIT Worldwide Logistics VP, AI & Data Science; Dan Cromer, Walker & Dunlop SVP, Product, Data – WDTech; Das Dasgupta, McDonald’s Global Chief Data Analytics & AI Officer; Dennis Demandaco, Gallagher Business Intelligence Specialist Lead; Ivana Donevska, BMO Head, US Data, Analytics & AI Risk; Meera Dugar, JPMorganChase SVP; Elizabeth Ferruelo, i.c.stars Chief Development Officer; Don Fleschut, Ryerson VP, Chief Data Officer; Amanda Hogan, i.c.stars Director, Social Enterprise; Christopher Jones, Chicago Cubs Sr. Director, Baseball Analytics; Sabrykrishnan Loganathan, Peloton Interactive Sr. Director, Head, Enterprise AI; Gokula Mishra, Direct Supply (Former) VP, Data Science; Kumar Mitra, CME Group Director, Analytics – Global Assurance; Cait Moran, The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company Global Head, AI; Suma Nair, JPMorganChase Executive Director, Data Owner Director; Prasannal Nithyanandam, Elevance Health Staff VP, AI Enablement/Responsible AI; Christy O’Gaughan, AbbVie VP, APEX, Head, US Commercial Analytics, Insights & Decision Sciences; Eric Petrucci, Rate SVP, Data Office; Anand Ramakrishnan, Vantive Director, Data Services Platforms & Delivery; Shankar Ranganathan, Trustmark (Former) Chief Data & AI Officer; Brad Rosenberg, Hightower Advisors Manager, Enterprise Data Governance & Stewardship; Farhan Sabzaali, University of Chicago Director, Analytics, Reporting & Intelligence Solutions; Kevin Salzmann, NXT Capital Sr. Director, Data Analytics; Mingju Sun, American Family Insurance VP, Data & AI; Shawn Tumanov, Alight Solutions Head, AI Governance & Enablement; Ranjana Vadakkepatti, American Medical Association Director, Data Architecture; Anurag Voleti, Xsolis VP, Data Science; George Wang, FinTank Chief Information Officer; Chris Anderson, Alation Staff Account Executive; Noam Dror, SecuPi VP, Solution Engineering & CISO; Jesse Garcia, Informatica from Salesforce Solution Architect Lead; Jeff Looysen, Alation Staff Account Executive; Angela Losacco, Informatica from Salesforce RVP, Sales, Financial Services; Sean McCloskey, SecuPi Account Executive; Ary Paydawy, Informatica from Salesforce Director, Practice Leader, Digital Supply Chain & Product; Alan Levy, Takeda VP, Head, Foundational Technology Platforms; Corey Maxner, CDO Magazine Sr. Director, Community & Operations; and Lexy Smith, CDO Magazine Community Director.