We are pleased to announce Sushma Punuru as the newest member of CDO Magazine’s Global Board. Punuru is the Chief Data Officer at Global Payments, where she leads the company’s data and AI strategy, engineering execution, and responsible governance. With over 20 years of driving enterprise digital transformation, she oversees the end-to-end data and AI lifecycle, driving global growth, risk mitigation, and business modernization for one of the world’s largest payments and commerce technology firms.

Punuru reengineers processes, modernizes technology ecosystems, and builds capabilities that power growth, mitigate risk, and deliver competitive advantage in complex, regulated environments.

Before joining Global Payments, Punuru served as Senior Vice President and Global Head of Enterprise Data Engineering at MetLife, where she built scalable data capabilities enabling outcomes such as connected benefits and automated claims processing. Her distinguished tenure at MetLife also included roles as Chief Data and Analytics Officer for U.S. businesses and CIO of Group Products, following a foundational career in financial services consulting at PwC.

Punuru holds a Bachelor of Technology in Chemical Engineering from the National Institute of Technology, Warangal. She serves on the board of Triangle Disability and Autism Services and chairs the Business Development Committee for T200. She is named to the Top 25 Atlanta Data & AI Leaders 2026.

CDO Magazine’s Global Board represents an elite network of executives from Fortune 500 and other world-class enterprises shaping the future of data, analytics, AI, and security. Their insights guide our thought leadership, research, and events — ensuring every conversation reflects the highest levels of strategic vision and impact.

The CDO Magazine community welcomes Sushma Punuru to our Global Board.