Champions
of Data + AI

Data leaders powering data-driven innovation

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Dive into the world of data leaders

In each episode we salute Champions of Data + AI, the change agents who are shaking up the status quo. These mavericks are rethinking how data and AI can enhance the human experience. We’ll dive into their challenges — and celebrate their successes — all while getting to know these leaders a little more personally.

Episode 25:
The Impact of Analytics and AI on the Future of Insurance
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Episode 23:
How Data and AI Are Revolutionizing Telecoms
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Episode 22:
Democratizing Data to the Front Lines
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Episode 21:
The Power of Data Fusion
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Episode 20:
Cloud-Powered Innovation
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Episode 19:
Data for the People
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Episode 18:
AI in Retail
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Episode 17:
Solving Business Problems With Data
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Episode 16:
Data Veracity and Diversity
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Episode 15:
Wall Street to Hollywood and the Role of Data
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Episode 14:
Representation Matters in Data + AI
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Episode 13:
Making the Case for Digital Transformation
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Episode 12:
Scaling Data Marketplaces
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Episode 11:
Failing Fast With Data Science and ML
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Episode 10:
Next-Gen Customer 360 With Data + AI
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Episode 9:
The Role of Data + AI in Healthcare Equity
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Episode 8:
The Critical Job of Building a Data Culture
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Episode 7:
Why AI Starts With Effective Data Management
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Episode 6:
The Role of the Data Platform in Transforming Business
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Episode 5:
Ethical Use of Data for AI
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Episode 25:
The Impact of Analytics and AI on the Future of Insurance
Dr. Michael Zimmer
CDO and Head of AI, Zurich Insurance Germany
Episode 23:
How Data and AI Are Revolutionizing Telecoms
Andy Markus
Chief Data Officer, AT&T
Episode 22:
Democratizing Data to the Front Lines
Thom Kenny
Former CDO, U.S. Special Operations Command
Episode 21:
The Power of Data Fusion
Yanyan Wu
VP, Data and Data Analytics, Wood Mackenzie, a Business of Verisk
Episode 20:
Cloud-Powered Innovation
Michael O’Rourke
SVP, Head of Artificial Intelligence and Data Services Technology
Nasdaq
Episode 19:
Data for the People
Jack Berkowitz
Chief Data Officer
ADP
Episode 18:
AI in Retail
Vimal Kohli
VP, Data Science and Analytics
Gap Inc.
Episode 17:
Solving Business Problems With Data
Sanjeeva Fernando
Senior Vice President, AI Products and Platforms
Optum Labs
Episode 16:
Data Veracity and Diversity
Yao Morin
Chief Data Officer
JLL
Episode 15:
Wall Street to Hollywood and the Role of Data
Duan Peng
SVP of Data and AI
WarnerMedia
Episode 14:
Representation Matters in Data + AI
Jeffrey Reid
VP, Chief Data Officer
Regeneron Genetics Center
Episode 13:
Making the Case for Digital Transformation
John Irvin
Chief Data Officer – Information Technology Services
Deloitte
Episode 12:
Scaling Data Marketplaces
Warren Breakstone
Managing Director and Chief Product Officer, Data Management Solutions
S&P Global
Episode 11:
Failing Fast With Data Science and ML
Dan Jeavons
VP for Digital Innovation and Computational Science
Shell
Episode 10:
Next-Gen Customer 360 With Data + AI
Don Vu
Chief Data Officer
Northwestern Mutual
Episode 9:
The Role of Data + AI in Healthcare Equity
Slawek Kierner
SVP, Chief Data and Analytics Officer
Humana
Episode 8:
The Critical Job of Building a Data Culture
Yao Morin, Ph.D., CDO at JLL, Don Vu, Chief Data Officer at Northwestern Mutual, Patrick Baginski, Sr. Director of Data Analytics at McDonald’s, Sherman Cooper, VP of Data Management and Strategy at Mastercard, Randy Bean, CEO, NewVantage Partners
Episode 7:
Why AI Starts With Effective Data Management
Habsah Nordin
Head of Enterprise Data, Group Digital
PETRONAS
Episode 6:
The Role of the Data Platform in Transforming Business
Pallaw Sharma
Chief Data Science Officer, Supply Chain
Johnson & Johnson
Episode 5:
Ethical Use of Data for AI
JoAnn Stonier
Chief Data Officer
Mastercard
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Hosted by

Chris D’Agostino
Global Field CTO at Databricks

From 2014 to 2020, Chris was responsible for leading Capital One’s enterprise data transformation initiative. Chris managed a 1,000 person data engineering team with a budget of $120 million-plus to develop cloud-native solutions and platforms for streaming data, data lake, on-demand compute, data warehouse, data management, data governance, business intelligence and machine learning. He was also responsible for migrating Capital One from on-prem versions of Teradata, SAS, Hadoop and Ab Initio to the new AWS-based Modern Cloud Data Architecture leveraging Databricks and Snowflake for various workloads.

Prior to Capital One, Chris founded, led and successfully exited a software company after serving as its president and CEO from 2002 through 2014. He served as an adjunct professor at George Mason University and the University of Virginia and is a frequent presenter at major technology conferences. Chris holds B.S. and M.S. degrees in Electrical Engineering with a concentration in Computer Science from Virginia Tech.

Alexandra Mysak
Director of Sales, Financial Services

Alex leads the dedicated sales team for financial services at Databricks. Before her career in big data, Alex led Americas sales and accounts for the collaboration software company, Symphony Communication. Prior to that, Alex was in finance, spending 15-plus years in equity advisory, capital markets and corporate banking at Goldman Sachs and Standard Chartered. Alex holds a bachelor’s degree in Japanese and management from Durham University in the UK.