As AI advances and replaces many of data leaders’ admin work, the CDO role is shifting from stewarding data to shaping business results. It also signals a fear in the job security of data leaders. 2025 was a brutal year for CDOs, with organizations downgrading the influence of data leaders. Influence and authority doesn’t come from producing more reports, but from setting a cadence of visible wins that compound into credibility – and ultimately a seat at the board. The skills you’re being measured on today are change management, storytelling, and business acumen. CDO influence only grows when projects move the needle, projects demonstrate real value, and wins are clearly defined -not when reports accumulate.

Masood Alam

Chief Data Architect
The Scottish Government

See Bio

Two vendors, same brief and business challenge. Watch claims hold up under end-user questioning on timelines, terms and outcomes. Take the scorecard home. 

Not all data leaders come from the same backdrop, and there are ultimately several ways to becoming a data leader. Business acumen, technical data skills, and leadership skills all matter equally. We've invited a panel of CDOs, can you guess their background?

Models drift, hallucinate, or rack up hidden costs once live. This roundtable explores how to set SLOs for accuracy, latency, and spend, monitor for drift, and act quickly without killing trust. Peers will share lightweight playbooks and metrics that keep AI predictable, reliable, and defensible long after launch.

Sharing data across borders and industries is essential for innovation but is also a legal and regulatory minefield. This roundtable explores the challenges of global data sharing and provides practical guidance on how to navigate the complex web of regulations. You'll learn how to build a data-sharing framework that is both compliant and effective.

Agentic AI is the next big thing, but it's hard to separate the hype from the reality. This roundtable provides a no-nonsense look at the current state of agentic AI, exploring what's real, what's hype, and what's next. You'll get a clear understanding of the technology and its potential applications, and learn how to make informed decisions about where to invest.

Legacy systems are the bane of many data leaders' existence. They're often inefficient, unreliable, and a major source of data silos. This roundtable explores practical strategies for overcoming the legacy challenge, from modernizing your existing systems to migrating to a new platform. You'll learn how to defragment your data silos and build a modern data architecture that is fit for the future.

Data commercialization is a huge opportunity – it’s also posits huge risks. How do you balance the desire to make money with the duty to protect consumer privacy and maintain trust? Commercialization fails if consent fails. The real challenge is designing offers people actively accept, with transparent controls and clear proof for the board. Done well, consent, and governance isn’t friction; it’s a green light for monetization that scales.

Personalization is a key driver of customer engagement and loyalty, but it's

not a one-size-fits-all solution. What resonates in one region or market can

flop in another. This "personalization station" will bring together leaders from

across different industries to share insights and experiences in

personalization. You'll learn what's working, what's not, and how to adapt

best practices from other industries to your own unique context.

• Discover how to separate global patterns from local truths.

• Compare how different sectors approach personalisation and uncover tactics you can adapt to your own customers.

• Learn how to measure real customer uplift, not vanity metrics.