New York, New York — September 23, 2026 — As organizations move artificial intelligence from experimentation toward enterprise-wide adoption, data leaders are confronting a familiar reality: AI ambitions can move quickly, but the data, governance and organizational foundations underneath them have to keep pace.

That challenge brought Chief Data Officers (CDOs) and other senior data, analytics, technology and AI leaders together for the CDO Magazine Executive Boardroom Dinner at The Palm Midtown in New York City.

The intimate gathering gave executives an opportunity to move beyond prepared talking points and compare what is actually working inside their organizations. The conversation ranged from data readiness and selecting high-value AI use cases to AI governance, responsible scaling and the practical realities of turning enterprise data into intelligence.

The diversity of industries represented in the room also revealed how much common ground exists among leaders tackling these challenges.

“What I enjoyed most was connecting with people from very different industries and discovering how much common ground we share around data strategy and AI governance,” said Aadesh Gandhre, DTCC Chief Audit Executive. “CDO Magazine brought together a terrific group for meaningful conversation.”

Richard Martin, PepsiCo Senior Director Strategy & Transformation – Data, Analytics & AI, shares his perspective during the CDO Magazine New York Executive Boardroom Dinner.

From AI ambition to AI readiness

One theme running through the evening was the gap between wanting to scale AI and having the underlying enterprise foundations required to do it responsibly.

For organizations working through AI adoption, that means looking beyond individual models or applications. Data quality, governance, context and use-case selection increasingly determine whether an AI initiative can move from experimentation to measurable business value.

That challenge can be particularly pronounced in highly regulated industries, where the potential value of AI must be balanced against the need for trusted data, transparency and responsible deployment.

Cat Ihonvbere, JPMorgan Chase & Co. Executive Director – Head of Analytics, described the value of being able to have those conversations away from the constraints of a traditional conference panel.

“Sitting around an intimate table with 35 peers—debating beer bubbles one minute and raw AI challenges the next—was a total breath of fresh air. Having an unfiltered, relaxed space to talk candidly about data readiness, picking the right use cases, and scaling AI responsibly in financial services gave us real clarity you just don’t get at standard panels.”

The discussion reflected a broader shift taking place inside enterprises: AI readiness is becoming less about access to technology and more about whether organizations have the data, governance and operating discipline necessary to put that technology to work.

Carlos Calegari, JPMorgan Chase & Co. Managing Director | Head of Data – Operations, shares his perspective as Edward Porter, 4Minds VP of Sales and dinner moderator, guides the discussion on data readiness, AI adoption and identifying high-value use cases.

Data quality still sets the ceiling

Even as enterprise AI capabilities advance, the fundamentals of data management remain difficult to bypass.

For Carlos Calegari, JPMorgan Chase & Co. Managing Director | Head of Data – Operations, the conversation reinforced the importance of combining strong data foundations with disciplined decisions about where AI should be deployed.

“Navigating AI adoption across a massive financial institution comes down to rigorous data quality and targeting the right high-value use cases,” Calegari said.

That focus on data quality also connects AI strategy back to data governance. Organizations need to understand not only whether data is available, but whether it is accurate, governed and appropriate for the decisions and workflows in which AI will use it.

The result is a growing convergence between enterprise data strategy and AI strategy. Rather than treating AI as a standalone technology initiative, leaders are increasingly examining how their data architecture, governance practices and operating models need to evolve alongside it.

Alaa Moussawi, New York City Council Chief Data Scientist and member of CDO Magazine’s Global Board, contributes to the peer discussion at the New York Executive Boardroom Dinner.

The value of comparing notes

The evening was also a reminder that some of the most useful executive conversations happen when leaders have enough space to talk openly about what they have learned, including where things have not gone according to plan.

“It was a fantastic evening,” said David Cost of Rainbow Apparel Co. Chief Digital Officer. “There is nothing quite like trading ideas and sharing experiences with such a talented and forward-thinking group of peers.”

Those exchanges matter as organizations navigate a technology environment changing faster than established enterprise playbooks can always accommodate. Different industries may face different regulatory, operational and customer requirements, but questions around trusted data, governance, organizational readiness and business value increasingly cut across sectors.

For Girish Gajwani, Barclays Vice President/Architect – Securitized Products Technology, the connection between those pieces could be summarized simply:

“Connect the data, unlock the intelligence, and transformation will follow.”

Data and AI executives connect during the networking reception ahead of the CDO Magazine New York Executive Boardroom Dinner.

A community built around candid conversation

The evening underscored the purpose of CDO Magazine’s Executive Boardroom Dinner series: creating smaller, community-driven environments where executives can move past surface-level discussion and learn directly from peers facing many of the same challenges.

The conversations may begin with technology, data and AI, but the value often comes from discovering that challenges that feel unique inside one organization are being confronted in different ways across industries.

The gathering brought together leaders spanning financial services, healthcare, technology, media, consumer products and the public sector, creating an opportunity to build relationships alongside the exchange of practical experience.

Special thanks to 4Minds for supporting the evening and helping bring the New York data and AI community together.

Executives attending the CDO Magazine New York Executive Boardroom Dinner included:

• Manal Alimari, Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation Head of Enterprise Data Governance and Transformation
• Pooja Batra, Bloomberg Head of Technical Product Management – Fixed Income Pricing
• Matthew Bernstein, Bernstein Data
• Carlos Calegari, JPMorgan Chase & Co. Managing Director | Head of Data – Operations
• Sabrina Chen, AML RightSource North America Head of Financial Crimes Analytics
• Xu Cheng, Ascot Group Group Head of Data Strategy & Insights
• Franzine Co, Starz Executive Director, Business Intelligence & Data Science
• David Cost, Rainbow Apparel Co. Chief Digital Officer
• Marla Dans, formerly Chicago Trading Company CDO
• Christopher Di Gioia, PGIM Investments Vice President, Head of Product Data Governance
• Brandon Dombroski, MUFG Managing Director | Head of the Data Office
• Dominick Gaglio, PGIM Head of Personalization
• Aadesh Gandhre, DTCC Chief Audit Executive
• Stephanie Garland, State of Maryland Director of Data Literacy
• Girish Gajwani, Barclays Vice President/Architect – Securitized Products Technology
• Hirdey Gupta, Boost Payments Head of Data & Reporting
• Cat Ihonvbere, JPMorgan Chase & Co. Executive Director – Head of Analytics Controls for Commerce Enablement
• Raj Koltur, PGIM Investments Head of Product and Architecture, Technology
• Alma Kondili, UNJSPF Data and AI Governance
• David Krauza, Comcast VP, Data Strategy, Products, and Governance
• Richard Martin, PepsiCo Senior Director Strategy & Transformation – Data, Analytics & AI
• Alaa Moussawi*, New York City Council Chief Data Scientist
• Michael Raj, Verizon Vice President of Enablement (AI & Data)
• Christopher Barone, 4Minds Enterprise GTM
• Chad Hardy, 4Minds Senior Account Executive
• Jay Hershman, 4Minds Global Sales + Partnerships Leader
• Edward Porter, 4Minds VP of Sales
• Gerri Caveness, CDO Magazine Global Community Director
• Anthony Losanno, CDO Magazine Managing Director

*Alaa Moussawi is a member of CDO Magazine’s Global Board.