CDAO UK schedule

During this 10-minute networking session, the aim of the game is to go and meet two people you don't already know.  Have fun! 

Anna Gill, Digital Transformation Sr. Director , Europe, Pet Nutrition Digital Technologies – Mars
Sharada Khanna, Global Lead Analytics and Commercialisation, Retail Banking Originations-HSBC
Beatrice Russell, Global Data Management Office Leader -AON  
Martin Nelson, Data Platforms Adoption Lead and Product Owner- NFU MUTUAL 
James Davies, Chief Analyst Officer- By Rotation 
Essam Elhalhuli, Senior Enterprise Account Director, COURSERA

Great governance doesn’t get in the way — it guides without being seen. This session explores how to embed compliance and ethics directly into systems, without slowing teams down.
•    Designing governance frameworks that work for business, not static rulebooks 
•    AI risk management and embedding Responsible AI principles seamlessly  
•    Where data fits: foundations vs opportunities  
•    Our tops tips on making governance visible where it matters and invisible where it shouldn’t

Speakers:
Emma York, Chief Data Officer – London Stock Exchange Group
Sanja Hukovic, Group Director, Head of Model and AI Risk - London Stock Exchange Group

As AI adoption accelerates, organisations face increasing pressure to move beyond experimentation and deliver outcomes they can trust. For AI to produce consistent and reliable results, initiatives must be grounded in effective data governance. Organisations that succeed go beyond technology alone, fostering a strong data culture that prioritises quality, accountability, and shared understanding across the business.
Join this session to explore:
•    Finding the right culture balance with data
•    Maximizing AI's impact with a successful data governance framework
•    Implementing quality controls to ensure the efficacy of your AI program

Emma McGrattan, Chief Technology Officer - Actian

·    Adapting strategy when regulations evolve faster than your roadmap
·    Building credibility in the boardroom through risk-aware storytelling
·    Staying agile without weakening governance or trust
·    Leading teams through automation shifts without losing clarity or control

Moderator: Jay Reilly, SVP, Sales - Global Center of Excellence -Precisely

Speakers:
Francisco Mainez, Senior Director, Global Head of Financial Crime Strategy - Nium
Subramanian Ramakrishnan, Director - Head of Data and Analytics – SquareTrade
Martin Nelson, Data Platforms Adoption Lead and Product Owner- NFU Mutual
Premal Desai, Head of Data & AI - The Gym Group

Enterprise AI often fails due to “context starvation,” where models lack deep domain understanding. AstraZeneca addresses this with an Operations Knowledge Fabric: a semantic-first, graph-native architecture embedding living ontologies into data products. This shift enables faster AI deployment, better regulatory-aware decisions, and scalable, domain-expert AI agents, cutting development time from months to days.
Maria Sorokina, Knowledge Graph and
Semantic Lead, ASTRAZENECA 
Jesus Barrasa, Field CTO - AI, NEO4J

·    How to implement policy-as-code inside platforms and workflows
·    Making compliance adaptive to real-world business needs
·    Empowering data teams to move fast while staying within the lines
·    What effective, "quiet" governance looks like in 2026
Speakers:
Matthew Livermore, Director, Sales Engineering (EMEA) -Perforce Software
Uzo Okelue, Associate Director, Systems & Data - Aviva Investors
Elena Streltsova, Head of Data Analytics – Asahi Europe & International
Atul Agarwal, Senior Director, Data Strategy - Barclays UK

Everyone is looking for AI ROI. But with so many organisations invested — yet so few seeing a return — what needs to change?
For decades, companies have dutifully marched back and forth, loosening the reins when much-needed advancement becomes stifled, then pulling back to feel safe by "restoring order.” In 2026, however, the winning model when it comes to data doesn't rely on choosing the "right" side of this perpetual pendulum. It’s about deriving power through orchestration across both sides.
Join Kyle Jourdan, Head of AI Practice at Qlik, and Utsav Datta, Head of Data & AI Technology Partners EMEA at AWS, as they explore the trends reshaping AI adoption in 2026, and the strategic shifts leaders must make to move from experimentation to enterprise impact. 

Utsav Datta, Head of Data & AI Technology Partnerships, EMEA -AWS
Kyle Jourdan, Head of AI Practice -Qlik

How are organisations seeing and recognising data fatigue in teams today?
•    What’s helping teams stay focused and resilient when everything feels urgent?
•    How are leaders using purpose and storytelling to keep teams aligned?
•    What helps create psychological safety in data and highly technical environments?
•    Which leadership practices are helping sustain energy and motivation through ongoing change?

Speakers:
Gael Decoudu, Director Data Science - Chetwood Financial Services
Ivonne Appleyard, Senior Data Domain Owner / Data Product Owner –MERCK GROUP
Meena Munawar Khan, Chief Product Officer - Zindigi
James Robinson, Principal Customer Engineer- Collibra  

•    Managing risk and quality while accelerating AI and analytics delivery
•    Why traditional QA models struggle in data and AI environments
•    Continuous assurance as an enabler not a blocker of innovation
•    Aligning data, analytics, IT, and business teams around shared accountability
•    What “confidence at scale” really looks like in complex enterprises
Andy Spires, EMEA Lead - Tricentis Data Integrity, TRICENTIS

•    What “data as a product” really means (in practical terms, not buzzwords)
•    How ownership and accountability need to be set up to make it work
•    How to apply product thinking to data roadmaps and delivery
•    Common execution pitfalls organisations hit
•    What helps turn data strategy into real business outcomes

Vladimir Bendikow, Chief Data Officer – FirstBank UK Limited

•    How we make federated or hybrid data teams work in real life
•    How we keep domains aligned on shared goals and metrics without slowing delivery
•    Where we see data consistency and trust break down, and what’s helped without re-centralising
•    The main areas where we experience fragmentation — across tools, ownership, or ways of working
Speakers: 
Franck Carassus, CSO – Huwise
Yiu-Shing Pang, Data Sharing Manager - UK Power Networks
Elena Streltsova, Head of Data Analytics – Asahi Europe & International
Ivonne Appleyard, Senior Data Domain Owner / Data Product Owner –MERCK GROUP

AI is moving from experimentation to enterprise muscle - reshaping how organisations decide, operate, and compete.
In this session, we will take senior leaders through what it truly means to become an Intelligent Enterprise.
•    Discover how a skills-based approach across the department delivered culturally sustainable and “sticky” change - addressing challenges at the root cause.
•    See why Alteryx One supported their transformation with low barrier to entry, embedded AI, centralised execution, speed, auditability, and self-automation capabilities.
•    Leave with a clear, practical blueprint for turning AI ambition into trusted, enterprise-wide impact, without sacrificing control.
Rishi Kapoor, Sales Engineering Lead, ALTERYX
Phil Kent, Partner - Digital Practice NEXTWAVE CONSULTING

The future of AI is autonomous. Amit Nandi will show how leading enterprises can evolve beyond MLOps to unlock new business value with LLMs and AI agents. Learn how to modernize your AI infrastructure to enable real-time, human-in-the-loop intelligence while ensuring governance and scale.

·    What executives need to know about the shift from MLOps to AgentOps
·    How to align AI systems with business objectives and compliance requirements
·    Strategies to future-proof your tech stack and stay ahead of emerging AI trends

Amit Nandi- Vice President Solutions & Data Architect-Barclays Investment Bank

·    Where do organisations feel the most tension between governance, ethics, and business pressure?
·    How are teams balancing responsible data use with the need for speed?
·    What challenges come up when rules differ across countries or regions?
·    What does ethical decision-making look like in practice, especially under pressure?
  
Speakers:
Francisco Mainez, Senior Director, Global Head of Financial Crime Strategy – Nium
Gael Decoudu, Director Data Science - Chetwood Financial Services

Most data strategies fail by building a foundation before proving anyone wants the data for a use case. Faced with declining lead quality and slow time-to-value, Nissan shifted its strategy: building foundations as the byproduct of successful delivery.

By focusing on just 4 datasets: Web, Lead, Sales, and CRM, Nissan moved from siloed execution to strategic journey discovery within sales and marketing. This session explores how a use-case-led approach de-risks CX transformation, turns data into a sales driver, and provides the momentum needed to scale what works across multiple markets globally.
Jivesh Juneja, Head of Data Products, NISSAN

•    Why do insights still fail to turn into action in many organisations?
•    What helps teams use data in day-to-day decisions?
•    Where are workflows breaking down between insight and execution?
•    What habits, tools, or relationships are helping close the “last mile” gap?
Speakers:
Subramanian Ramakrishnan, Director - Head of Data and Analytics - SquareTrade
Vladimir Bendikow, Chief Data Officer – FirstBank UK Unlimited
James Davies, Chief Analyst Officer- By Rotation
Patrick Osborne, Data Analytics Manager - Estee Lauder

•    Driving leadership engagement
•    Data interoperability: organisational, technical, semantic
•    Managing data complexity
•    Setting up an operating model for lasting success
 
Beatrice Russell, Global Data Management Office Leader -AON  

•    How are organisations thinking about sustainability in data and AI today?
•    Where are teams starting to measure or reduce the footprint of data platforms and AI workloads?
•    How are leaders balancing cost, performance, and sustainability goals in practice?
•    What’s helping embed sustainability into data governance and procurement, not just strategy decks?
Speakers:
Elena Streltsova, Head of Data Analytics – Asahi Europe & International
Atul Agarwal, Senior Director, Data Strategy – Barclays UK
Aditya Sharma, Head of Engineering - Data Platform & Analytics - Tide

During this 5-minute networking session, the aim of the game is to go and meet two people you don't already know.  Have fun! 

•    Why do dashboards and reports still fail to drive action at senior levels?
•    How are data leaders framing insights so they resonate with CFOs, COOs, and Boards?
•    What’s helping teams move from reporting metrics to influencing decisions?
•    How are complex or technical outputs being translated into clear business value stories?
Speakers:
Akhil Lalwani, Chief Data Officer – Allianz UK
Deepika Adusumilli, Chief Data and AI Officer - BT Group
Murtz Daud, Director of Data & AI – British Gas 

•    Why do dashboards and reports still fail to drive action at senior levels?
•    How are data leaders framing insights so they resonate with CFOs, COOs, and Boards?
•    What’s helping teams move from reporting metrics to influencing decisions?
•    How are complex or technical outputs being translated into clear business value stories?
Speakers:
Akhil Lalwani, Chief Data Officer – Allianz UK
Deepika Adusumilli, Chief Data and AI Officer - BT Group
Murtz Daud, Director of Data & AI – British Gas 

Over the past decade, data and analytics have grown rapidly in scale, usage, and strategic importance, creating new opportunities as well as new risks for organisations.
The speaker has presented at multiple data and analytics events over the last 15 years. In three of these—2014, 2018, and 2023—the same set of questions was posed to audiences of more than 150 professionals to capture their views on data, analytics, associated risks and benefits, and industry progress.
Although some questions may now feel slightly dated, they were intentionally repeated to allow clear comparison over time. In today’s session, you will be asked the same questions, and we will review your results alongside those from previous years to explore how perspectives have evolved.

Angel Serrano, Senior Director – Data Science, VISA

Data trust isn’t a given, it’s engineered. This session explores how leading organisations are reshaping their data foundations to deliver transparency, accountability, and measurable business confidence at scale. 

Key takeaways: 
•    Modernising data ecosystems to build trust and resilience 
•    Turning governance into a business enabler, not a blocker 
•    Creating full data lineage and auditability from source to insight 
•    Embedding shared accountability across business, data, and compliance 
•    Measuring trust: linking data quality, transparency, and confident decision-making 

Akhil Lalwani, Chief Data Officer – Allianz UK

•    How are organisations building trust into data and AI systems today?
•    Where are teams adding traceability or explainability into pipelines in practice?
•    How is consent and data provenance being managed day to day?
•    What does a working trust layer look like across technology, processes, and teams?

Speakers:
Masood Alam, Chief Data Architect – The Scottish Government
Andy Isaacs, Director of Data & Analytics - UK TV

Why most data contracts fail in production
•    What a real, enforceable data contract includes
•    How to embed governance and trust at ingestion
•    Practical enforcement patterns for regulated environments

Aditya Sharma, Head of Engineering - Data Platform & Analytics - Tide

Takeaways:
•    What modern data governance looks like today (less control, more enablement)
•    How teams can move faster with data without breaking trust or compliance
•    How to make governance work for AI, distributed teams, and real business decisions

Workshop flow
•    Governance today: Moving from gatekeeping to enabling teams
•    Speed vs control: Where organisations tend to over- or under-govern — and what works better
•    Scaling governance: What flexible, practical frameworks look like in real organisations
•    Looking ahead: How automation and policy-as-code can reduce manual effort over time

Speakers:
JP Bhamu, Director of Data & AI - NHS Business Services Authority
Calum Conejo-Watt, Head of Data Governance & Quality – Lombard Odier Investment
Alan Strange, Head of Underwriting & Analytics - Sophro

•    Where do governance and compliance most often break down when teams adopt LLMs outside approved channels?
•    How can organisations scale LLM use while controlling data quality, regulatory risk, and exposure of sensitive information?
•    What does effective LLM governance look like in practice — and how do you set guardrails that enable innovation rather than slow it down?
•    How well do teams understand how LLMs work, and how do limitations, bias, and data quality issues impact business decision-making?

Speakers:
Kaushik Chaubal, Senior Director - BlackRock
Calum Conejo-Watt, Head of Data Governance & Quality – Lombard Odier Investment
Felix Sanchez Garcia, Director of Data & AI - Unmind

An informal, conversational session focused on how organisations are working with data, analytics and AI in practice today.
Rather than definitive answers or deep technical detail, the discussion will centre on real experiences, lessons learned, and common challenges leaders encounter when turning data into value — from decision-making and operating models to skills, culture, and trust.
Audience questions act as conversation starters, allowing the session to flow naturally and focus on what’s most relevant in the room.

A sharp, audience-driven debate on where data ends — and decision-making begins.
 
·    Live audience poll to kick things off and see where the room stands — then again at the end to track any mindset shifts. 
·    Debate on a big question: Should AI be trusted to act on its own during a cyber threat in FS? 
·    Audience gets involved — ask questions, share views, and see how your take compares to the room. 
 
Speakers:
Calum Conejo-Watt, Head of Data Governance & Quality – Lombard Odier Investment

When everything can be automated, the real skill is knowing when not to. This session challenges leaders to make smarter, sharper calls on automation.

·    How to identify the business areas where automation delivers real, measurable value
·    Recognising the processes that should stay human-led — and spotting early warning signs
·    Balancing speed and oversight in decisions that affect customers, risk, and reputation
·    Moving from “AI-first” hype to selective, high-impact deployment across the organisation

Adrian Matei, Product Manager – JAJA Finance

·    Navigating federated vs centralised governance models and knowing when each works best
·    Aligning cross-functional pods to shared metrics, business outcomes, and data accountability
·    Avoiding fragmentation in tools, platforms, and decision-making culture across teams
·    Building lightweight coordination mechanisms that preserve speed without losing cohesion
·    Structuring roles and ownership so that autonomy doesn’t become chaos

Speakers:
Andy Isaacs, Director of Data & Analytics - UK TV
Rickie Glasgow, Global Head of Data Governance -Northern Trust