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IN-PERSON
Chicago
CDAO Community
Executive Summit
October 16, 2025 | Convene at 233 South Wacker Drive (Willis Tower)
October 16, 2025
Convene at 233 South Wacker Drive (Willis Tower)
Collaborate with your peers
Get together with Chicago's top CDAOs to tackle shared business challenges and critical priorities facing your role today. Participate in this one-day, local program with peer-driven topics and interactive discussions with your true C-level peers.
Join your peers to discuss the most critical issues impacting CDAOs today:
Scaling AI and Establishing Value
Developing a Data-Driven Culture From the Top
Ensuring Trust and Reliability in Data for AI Initiatives
Chicago CDAO Governing Body
The Governing Body Co-Chairs shape the summit agenda, ensuring that all content is driven By CDAOs, For CDAOs™.
Governing Body Co-Chairs
Kristina Chambers
TTX
Chief Data & Analytics Officer
Madhav Madaboosi
bp
Head of Digital Transformation, Future Midstream & Strategy
Prasannal Nithyanandam
Volkswagen Financial Services
Head of Data and Advanced Analytics
Sid Raina
Medline
VP & Global Head of Artificial Intelligence and Data Analytics
Vijay Rajandram
Northern Trust
Chief Data Officer
What to Expect
Interactive Sessions
Hear from CDAO practitioners and thought leaders on how they're solving critical challenges impacting your role today in Keynote sessions, and join smaller, interactive discussions with your peers in Breakout and Boardroom sessions.
Community Networking
Make new connections and catch up with old friends in casual conversations during dedicated time for networking designed to better acquaint you with your Chicago CDAO community.
Peer-to-Peer Meetings
Connect with like-minded peers in a private, one-on-one setting through Peer-to-Peer Meetings. You will be matched with peers in your community based on your shared interests and priorities.
Agenda
Keynote Session
One Team, One Vision — Data & Analytics for Impact
Fostering a strong data culture is essential for building trust, enabling cross-functional collaboration and achieving organizational alignment in any large enterprise. By focusing on practical AI applications—such as automation and operational efficiency—organizations can move beyond hype to deliver real business value, grounded in high-quality, integrated data. Collaborative leadership approaches and a “one team” culture help balance innovation with strategic priorities for maximum enterprise impact.
Join this session as Michelle Gansle, CDAO, McDonald's & Wei Manfredi, VP, Global Architecture, Data & Generative AI, McDonald's share ways to:
- Establish unified governance and standards to strengthen trust and collaboration
- Implement practical AI use cases to drive measurable business value
- Foster a “one team” culture to align innovation with strategic objectives
Executive Boardroom Sessions
AI Maturity — Navigating Enterprise Innovation to Impact
AI adoption varies widely across organizations—some are just starting, while others are scaling enterprise-wide. But what defines true AI maturity, and how can companies accelerate their journey?
Join this roundtable to discuss:
- How organizations measure progress
- What drives successful AI deployments
- What trends will shape AI adoption
AI Data Readiness — Empowering CDAOs for Strategic Transformation
In today's digital era, AI data readiness is crucial for organizations aiming to leverage data-driven insights for strategic advantage. CDAOs play a pivotal role in preparing their companies by enhancing data infrastructure, fostering a culture of innovation and aligning AI initiatives with business goals.
Join this session to discuss:
- Evaluating and enhancing data infrastructure to support AI integration
- Balancing data governance with AI policies that encourage innovation without creating risk
- Aligning AI initiatives with overarching business objectives for sustainable growth
Apply to Participate
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Our selective approach maintains the high quality of the network and ensures top-level discussions with peers from the world’s leading organizations.
Each application will be reviewed, and once your participation is confirmed, you will have access to year-round community programs.
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