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! 

• What does the data team look like today, and how is it evolving? 
• Which new skills or roles are becoming part of data teams? 
• How are teams staying flexible as tools and business priorities change? 
• How are GenAI and automation supporting teams in day-to-day work? 
• How does diversity of skills and perspectives help teams deliver better outcomes? 

Speakers: 

Anna Gill, Global Digital Core Deployment Senior Director – 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  

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. 

• Building policy-as-code directly into platforms, data pipelines and AI models, so guardrails run silently in the background 

• Designing governance frameworks that respond in real-time to business events, not static rulebooks 

• Giving developers and data scientists built-in tools, defaults and nudges to support responsible choices without added friction 

• Moving from reactive compliance to proactive design — where trust and flexibility can scale together 

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 

• 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 

Pedro Liaño, Executive Director Data Intelligence- Bed Bath & Beyond 

Martin Nelson, Data Platforms Adoption Lead and Product Owner- NFU Mutual 

Premal Desai, Head of Data & AI - The Gym Group 

Privacy isn’t just a compliance box — it’s a foundation for credibility. Here’s how to use sensitive data responsibly, without eroding trust. 

• How to apply concepts like federated learning and differential privacy 

• Ways to stay compliant as global data laws evolve 

• How to balance innovation with user expectations on privacy 

• Communicating trust clearly, and what your data policy really tells users

• 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 Investment Bank 

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, as he explores the trends reshaping AI adoption in 2026, and the strategic shifts leaders must make to move from experimentation to enterprise impact. 

Kyle Jourdan, Head of AI Practice –Qlik 

Utsav Datta, Head of Data & AI Technology Partnerships, EMEA -AWS

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   

• 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

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 

• 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 

• 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 Investment Bank 

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 

Tom Trolez, Director of Global Data & Analytics Solution Deliver - Novartis  

Murtz Daud, Director of Data & AI – British Gas  

• From Technology to Transformation: How the Chief Data Architect role is evolving to shape organisational strategy and outcomes. 
•  Building High-Performance Teams: Turning data engineers and architects into change agents who can deliver at scale. 
• Data Foundations for AI: How to design resilient, secure, and adaptable data architecture to power responsible AI. 
• Governance and Agility: Balancing control and innovation in a public-sector context. 
• Empowering the Organisation: Driving data literacy and cross-functional collaboration across departments. 

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 

If data is the new oil, where’s the balance-sheet line for it? This session looks at how to turn enterprise data into something financial leaders can track, value, and manage like any other strategic asset. 
 

• How to quantify data as an asset — from classification and valuation models to real-world accounting methods 

• Building frameworks that connect risk, quality, and usage to financial value, enabling more informed investment decisions 

• Working with finance leaders to define data ROI in terms they trust — not just dashboards, but economic impact 

• Shifting the CDAO role from enabler to asset manager, with accountability over data’s tangible contribution to the business  

 
JP Bhamu, Director of Data & AI - NHS Business Services Authority 

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 

Tom Trolez, Director of Global Data & Analytics Solution Deliver - Novartis 

Felix Sanchez Garcia, Director of Data & AI - Unmind 

Igor Stojkovic , Data Science Lead– ING

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