The Data & AI Chief

ThoughtSpot

Meet the world’s top data and AI leaders transforming how we do business. Hear case studies, industry insights, and personal lessons from the executives leading the data and AI revolution.

Join host Cindi Howson, Chief Data & AI Strategy Officer at ThoughtSpot, every other Wednesday to meet the leaders and teams at the cutting edge.

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142 episodes
Updated July 22

Episodes142

Newest first

Oct 25, 2023 · 1 hr
How to Organize Modern Data and Analytics Teams with Mode Analytics Co-Founder, Benn Stancil
On this episode, Benn Stancil, Co-Founder of Mode Analytics and current Field CTO at Thoughtspot shares his thoughts on who wants to use data to solve problems, and who just wants data to validate an opinion. He brings unique perspectives to how data excellence can be proliferated through an organization, whether shadow IT is a nuisance or a guide post, and how large language models will influence the future of data.
Oct 11, 2023 · 40 min
Democratizing Data with Colgate-Palmolive Chief Analytics & Insights Officer, Diana Schildhouse
How does a leader earn the top spot, number one, most influential person in data according to DataIQ? The answer is by driving unmatched business value. Meet Diana Schildhouse, Chief Analytics and Insights Officer at Colgate-Palmolive. On this episode, Diana takes us through Colgate-Palmolive's data journey and how she continuously demonstrates business value with the company’s data projects. Learn how she builds teams, involves stakeholders, and thinks about innovation and outcomes.
Sep 27, 2023 · 50 min
How to create an ecosystem moat via data sharing with CDAO at retailer Carrefour
As the world’s seventh largest retailer, Carrefour is using advanced analytics to transform operations, better serve customers, and pioneer the future of retail. Chief Data & Analytics Officer Sebastien Rozanes explains how the company is leveraging data and generative AI to drive measurable business value across merchandising, supply chain, marketing and more.
Sep 13, 2023 · 1 hr 6 min
Three Must-Read Data and Analytics Books with Dr. Barb Wixom, Vin Vashishta, and Asha Saxena
It’s that time of year again. On this episode of The Data Chief, Cindi dives into three of the hottest book recommendations for data and analytics leaders and sits down with Dr. Barb Wixom, author of Data is Everybody’s Business, Vin Vashishta, author of From Data to Profit, and Asha Saxena, author of The AI Factor.
Aug 30, 2023 · 39 min
Reimagining the banking experience with CDO of Singapore's GXS Bank
Not many CDOs get to enter a new role with a clean slate. But Geraldine Wong, CDO for GXS Bank in Singapore did just that. In this episode of The Data Chief, she explains how the bank has built a foundation of data literacy by providing employees the right tools, access, and knowledge to put data at the forefront of their workflow. This culture of education and understanding establishes trust, empowers departments to “self-serve” data for better productivity, and ultimately leads to stronger und
Aug 16, 2023 · 44 min
How to find and retain data team talent with the VP of Analytics at the Milwaukee Bucks
Hosts Cindi Howson and Sonny Rivera interview Sumathi Thiyagarajan, the VP of Business Strategy and Analytics for the Milwaukee Bucks and Fiserv Forum. Sumathi discusses being a data leader in professional sports, building a data team from the ground up, and leveraging insights to continually provide the best fan experience.
Aug 2, 2023 · 44 min
Balancing long-term vision with near-term action with Vercel’s VP of Data
Alex Viana, VP of Data at Vercel, has had a truly unique career. Starting with a role at the Hubble Space Telescope, Alex found his way into the data space by way of data security and searching for leaked data assets. Today, he leads the data organization at Vercel, where he views building – teams, technology processes, and metrics – as his primary responsibility. In this episode Alex shares his thoughts on leading data teams at different (but fast-growing) tech companies, the importance of buil
Jul 19, 2023 · 38 min
How healthcare data can save lives with Truveta CEO Terry Myerson
Each day, valuable patient data collected by healthcare systems. When used properly as part of healthcare analytics, this can help drive better outcomes for both patients and providers. However, when data management is not effectively implemented, organizations lose out on these benefits. Terry Myerson, CEO of Truveta, saw the need to unlock data’s potential while still ensuring privacy and security. In this episode, he discusses his company’s unique approach, the urgent need for better data in
Jul 5, 2023 · 41 min
How data is transforming commercial real estate at JLL
It’s one thing for a company to invest in new technology. It’s another for a company to become invested in technology. In this episode, Yao Morin, CTO of JLL explains how she isn’t just adding data to the company workflow, but is instead fostering a culture of innovation and data-driven mindsets across the 240-year-old company through education, and by demonstrating data’s business value across departments.
Jun 21, 2023 · 48 min
How to build a data culture with purpose
The role of data teams continues to evolve across industries. But in mission-driven fields such as healthcare, data creates efficiencies that could potentially save lives. In this episode of The Data Chief, Cindi is joined by Jeremy Forman of Seagen to discuss the pivotal role his data team plays in driving insights-informed decision-making, and how they successfully collaborate with other departments to improve patient outcomes.
Jun 7, 2023 · 43 min
How to manage consumption creep in a cloud-based world with TIFIN CPO
When it comes to investing, it’s been said that the biggest risk of all is not taking one. But for many of us, the prospect of figuring out how and where to smartly invest our money is overwhelming if not flat-out confusing. TIFIN is a FinTech company focused on democratizing this process by matching investors to potential investments with AI. In this episode, Raja Musunuru, the Chief Product Officer of financial tech leader TIFIN, covers a wide range of topics, from the importance of understand
May 17, 2023 · 46 min
Netflix on Balancing Data with Judgment for Better Insights
Using data to gain customer insights can be difficult. Using data to gain customer insights from an ever-growing, ever-changing entertainment audience presents a much steeper challenge. In this episode, Elizabeth Stone, VP, Data & Insights at Netflix, explains how her dedicated team reflects the larger Netflix culture, balancing hard data with a mindset of learning and experimentation to make decisions that improve the Netflix experience.
May 3, 2023 · 50 min
Why Online Retailer Zalando Was First to Embrace the Data Mesh
Most data professionals aspire to be leaders within a single industry. It’s rare to see professionals establish and re-establish themselves as powerful influencers across multiple verticals. But this is precisely what Dr. Alexander Borek has done, helping some of the world’s most recognizable brands scale tangible value from data, analytics, and AI. In this episode, he covers a wide range of topics, including his personal career journey, creating cultures of innovation, centralized vs. decentral
Apr 19, 2023 · 41 min
Delek US on Proving Value as the CDO
The role of the CDO is changing, and with these changes come new opportunities to prove business value. On this episode of The Data Chief, Ido Biger, EVP of Data and Technology for Delek US, explains how he’s breaking down data silos and turning insights to actionHe also takes listeners through several analytics use cases including creating operational efficiencies for frontline workers and reducing customer churn.
Apr 5, 2023 · 48 min
Bill Schmarzo on Why Companies Need to Pivot from Data-Driven to Value-Driven
What is the true value of data? Whether you’ve been collecting data for years or are just getting started, the reality is that data holds zero value on its own. In fact, it’s a huge cost. In this episode of The Data Chief, industry veteran Bill Schmarzo, currently in Customer Data Innovation at Dell Technologies, shares why modern data leaders must let go of the notion of being data-driven and focus on business outcomes. He also discusses how having more data isn’t always the right move, especia
Mar 22, 2023 · 46 min
How to Connect Data Strategy to Business Value
Modern data leaders know creating a data-informed culture requires cross-functional partnership and collaboration across the entire business. IT by themselves can’t do it. Nor can individual business departments. Both the IT and business strategy must be in lock step to achieve results. On this episode of The Data Chief, Dora Boussias, Senior Director of Data Strategy and Architecture at Stryker, discusses the role of modern data executives, three keys to creating a data-informed culture, and h
Mar 8, 2023 · 35 min
The Big Data Behind How You Get Paid
Every month, millions of people start jobs, end jobs, and receive pay for their work, resulting in billions of rows of workforce data. As a leader in HR management services, ADP is not only capturing this data for customers, it’s empowering them to turn their data-driven insights into action. In today’s episode, Chief Data Officer, Jack Berkowitz, shares how the pandemic disproportionately impacted certain industries and workers, findings from the company’s most recent National Employment Report
Feb 22, 2023 · 46 min
How to Harness the Explosive Growth of ChatGPT for AI Innovation
Historically, computers haven’t been particularly good at determining user intent from real-world language inputs. However, the advancement of natural language processing technologies, like ChatGPT, has led to remarkable improvements in AI systems' accuracy in responding to human queries. In this episode, Amit Prakash, Co-founder of ThoughtSpot, discusses the development of AI and the accountability required to make it ready for daily use.
Jan 18, 2023 · 49 min
Top Data & AI Industry Trends in 2023 with Tom Davenport, Tony Baer, and Sonny Rivera
Everywhere you look, change is redefining the data landscape. From the rise of the analytics engineer to data leaders clamoring to make self service analytics real, it’s clear organizations are looking for new opportunities to put their data to work. But which changes matter? In this episode, we break down some of the data and analytics trends for 2023 that will help you identify key ways to rise above your competitors. Tom Davenport is back for another episode and this time he’s here to talk
Nov 16, 2022 · 45 min
Six Rules to Dominate the Decade of Data
Today’s digital economy is more competitive than ever, and making smart data decisions can be what sets the leaders apart from the rest of the field. With new technologies now democratizing data at an accelerated pace, how can companies ensure that their data strategy is helping them stay ahead of the curve? As our third season comes to a close, Cindi takes a look back at some of our most insightful conversations to lay out six essential rules that every Data Chief should follow to dominate the