Against the backdrop of high-performance engineering at the Porsche Experience Center in Los Angeles, CDO Magazine hosted an exclusive gathering of  leading data, analytics, and AI executives for its SoCal Roundtable Exchange on February 25. The theme, “Precision at Speed: High Performance Leadership in a Fast-moving World,” set the tone for an in-depth exchange on building organizations to accelerate with confidence.

The table conversations emphasized establishing strong foundations early through disciplined governance, clear data ownership, and intentional architecture. Senior leaders pointed out that prioritizing data quality and trusted metrics reduces hidden friction and enables decisive action, so that with clarity in accountability and scalable systems embedded from the start, organizations gain the confidence to navigate pressure, seize opportunity, and sustain momentum.

Drawing on the evening’s theme, Myra Chen, Capital Group VP & Head, Sales Marketing & Digital Analytics, says, “The AI moment we’re in feels like driving a Formula 1 Porsche at top speed while simultaneously redesigning the engine and swapping the wheels. The acceleration is real — but so is the spirit of collaboration. There’s a shared optimism among leaders that makes this transformation not just possible, but genuinely exciting.”

Trisha Mitra-Nedic, Los Angeles County Department of Health Services Chief Analytics Officer, reflects, “These conversations are always energizing, hearing how peers are scaling their teams, modernizing their technology, and putting AI to work in practical, value-driven ways. It’s a powerful reminder that advancing our organizations isn’t just about tools, but about learning from one another’s successes, building meaningful connections, and continuously raising the bar for what our data organizations can deliver.”

Deepak Jose, Niagara Bottling VP & Head, Data & Decision Intelligence, says he “Truly enjoyed the CDO Magazine event – especially the opportunity to learn how leaders across different industries are tackling data quality challenges. It was inspiring to see the diverse yet converging approaches to improving data reliability and driving better decision making.”

According to Sid Ramesh, Creative Artists Agency Head, Data Strategy & Operations, “It’s rare to be in a room where you don’t have to explain the fundamentals and can jump straight into deep conversations about what it actually takes to make organizations data-driven.”

Gerri Caveness, CDO Magazine Community Director, highlights, “Our event at Porsche was everything Precision at Speed was meant to be! Incredible leaders, meaningful conversations, and the kind of energy that reminds you that community should be just as fun as it is impactful, all under the perfect LA sunshine. This is what happens when the right leaders are in the right room. And we’re just getting started!”

Special thanks to Cyera, Google Cloud, Informatica, Qlik and SqlDBM for their partnership in making the event a success.

*Myra Chen and Deepak Jose are members of the CDO Magazine Global Board.

Executives attending the CDO Magazine SoCal Roundtable Exchange included: 

Daniel Afrem, MLKCH Sr. Director, Data Analytics & Digital Services; Meetali Agarwal, MetLife Head, Data & Analytics RIS MDM; Stephen Alford, Worldwide Environmental Chief Information Officer; Christi Anderson, The Code Collection Chief Executive Officer; Goutham Budati, The Farmers Dog VP, Data Strategy & Insights; Myra Chen, Capital Group VP & Head, Sales Marketing & Digital Analytics; Patrick Chen, MLKCH Sr. Director, Business Intelligence; Krishana Chirutha, Gilead Information Technology Director, Data & AI; Anja Dang, LA 28 Olympics & Para Olympics Head, Data & Fan Engagement; Michelle Dunivan, Best Friends Animal Society Sr. Director, Insights & Analytics; Tatyana Esmaelian, Consilio Sr. Director, Data Governance & Integration; Vishal Garg, Liberty Mutual Head, Global Data Governance & Solutions; Zefa Hakim, Yelp Head, Products, Generative AI ML Monetization & Developer Platform; Deepak Jose, Niagara Bottling VP & Head, Data & Decision Intelligence; Ian Joyce, The Honest Company Sr. Manager, Data & Integrations; Kiran Kanetkar, Cencora Generative AI Executive Insights; Krystin Kim, Post Holdings VP, Data & Analytics; Peter Knast, Genpact VP, Data & AI; Abhijeet Kumar, Providence Executive Director/Head, Marketing Analytics; James Lin, Experian Information Solutions Head, AI/ML Innovation; David Lin, ICS President; Rajeev Mehrotra, Western Dental Chief Information Officer; Rakesh Mekala, Direct TV Director, Data Product Management; Lisa Mirkovic, Capital Group Director, Data Engineering; Trisha Mitra-Nedic, LA County Department of Health Services Chief Analytics Officer; Dee Nelson, Omnicom VP, Global Initiatives; Usman Quddos, DirecTV VP, Data & Chief Data Officer; Sid Ramesh, Creative Artists Agency Executive, Data Strategy & Operations; Sreesha Rao, Skechers Sr. Project Manager; Rakesh Reddy, DirecTV Director, Data Product Management; Jay Tomkins, Thrive Market Head, Data; Mohandoss Tychicus, AIDS Healthcare Chief Information Officer; Simon Yu, Omnicom Chief of Staff; Aaron Blumenkranz, Google Cloud Head, Enterprise Sales, Data Cloud; Chris Cisneros, Cyera Account Executive; Nick Daruty, Cyera CISO Office, Data Security, Governance & Strategy; Lindsay Henry, SqlDBM VP, Enterprise Strategy; Joey Matekel, Qlik Enterprise Account Executive; Connie Outwater, Google Cloud Data Analytics Specialist, Cloud Customer Engineering; Ary Paydawy, Informatica Director & Global Practice Leader, Digital Supply Chain & Product; Chad Salstrom, Qlik Enterprise Account Executive; Terry Simonds, Informatica Domain Expert, Data Governance & Privacy; Sarah Spaeth, Cyera Account Executive; Hunter Wanket, SqlDBM Director,  Enterprise Solutions; Gerri Caveness, CDO Magazine Community Director; and John Vulopas, CDO Magazine Strategic Account Director.