CDAO Sydney schedule

During this 5-minute networking session, participants can build their network. Have fun!

Moderator
Gladwin Mendez Fractional CDAO GEC Prudentia

Speakers
Shiva Storer Chief Strategy Officer Allianz Australia
Ash Nair General Manager - Data Analytics Automation and AI (CDAO) icare

For the first time, AI can interact with systems in a coordinated, task-driven and auditable manner. With MCP AI, the Model Context Protocol, organisations gain a universal gateway that enables secure robot-to-robot and agent-to-agent communication across the high-trust environments they rely on.

In this keynote, InfoTrack will demonstrate how you can eliminate friction from critical data sources and empower developers to build at velocity.

Learn how to access authoritative government data through an MCP gateway that unlocks entirely new possibilities for agentic AI workflows within commercial organisations, enabling processes that were previously too fragmented, too labour-intensive, or too constrained by legacy systems to automate effectively. Propel your AI agent to take on structured work with consistency, transparency, and scale.

The opportunity for CDAOs is clear, when intelligent agents can safely use trusted external data as part of a programmable workflow, entire categories of operational bottlenecks disappear, and new forms of competitive advantage emerge.

• Are there any tangible business outcomes driven by AI?
• Is AI out of control and is governance holding us back?
• Can data leaders ensure the organisation has the right talent and skills to uplift capability?

Moderator
Shashank Pawar Data Modernisation Lead, Asia Microsoft

Speakers

Suzie Cardwell Chief Data Product & Technology Officer – Enterprise Nine

James Fitzpatrick Chief Data Officer Allianz Australia Insurance

Urvashi Chadha Head of Data ASX

The data and analytics space has never been hotter. Under the pressure of rising executive expectations, emerging regulatory demands, and a rapidly evolving data ecosystem landscape, your annual outlook is brimming with opportunity—and risk.

To help you stay ahead, hear expert guidance on the forces reshaping data, analytics, and AI from Cindi Howson Chief Data & AI Strategy Officer at ThoughtSpot. Learn about this year’s most critical trends, and get an insider’s perspective on what’s changing, why it matters, and most importantly, what youcan do about it.

Don’t wait for an innovation mandate or fall into a fading AI fad. Get the insights you need to build an adaptable data strategy and lead with confidence through data and analytics’ most dynamic era.

• What are the most common points of disconnect that prevent data teams from delivering value—strategy, culture, skills, or something else?
• How do you ensure individual hires come together as a cohesive team that can execute and deliver under pressure?
• What frameworks or practices have helped your teams move beyond the proof-of-concept phase into scaled, operational success?

Moderator
Durjoy Patranabish VP and Head of Global Business Tiger Analytics

Speakers:

Andrew Spiegelman Head of Data & Analytics Service NSW

Vasyl Nair Group Chief Executive Officer Team Super

Kate Carruthers Head of Data, Analytics & AI Australian Institute of Company Directors 

Brett Wilson Chief Information Officer The Royal Australasian College of Physicians

Imagine a world where every system, workflow, and AI agent in your company operates from a single, shared source of truth—where every piece of data is fully understood in its real context. This is the power of Trusted Context, the foundation that transforms raw data into actionable intelligence and drives smarter, faster decisions. In this session, you’ll learn how Informatica, now part of the Salesforce family, is helping leading companies like Takeda and Holiday Inn build this new standard for intelligent enterprises. We’ll walk you through a practical blueprint to create your own trusted context, deeply integrating world-class data management with the platforms where your business runs.

Why managing data feels broken and what modern teams are doing differently:

The old way of managing data is breaking under its own weight and it’s now a board-level risk. As AI accelerates, fragmented architectures, brittle governance and slow decision cycles are actively constraining growth. High performing organisations are rethinking how data is governed and accessed, shifting from rigid control models to approaches that scale trust, speed decision making and enable AI at pace. This session will explore how leaders are modernising data foundations to reduce risk and turn data into a strategic asset – without adding yet another layer of complexity.

•    How can CDAOs scale AI responsibly while ensuring governance and compliance keep pace?
•    What strategies build trust across the business, so AI adoption is embraced,
not resisted?
•    How do leaders balance the urgency for AI-driven growth with the risks of misalignment or misuse?
Speakers
Matt Minor Group Manager Enterprise Data & Analytics Evolution Mining

Robbie Cook Enterprise Information and Data Architect Endeavour Energy 

• Role of Automated Data Integrity testing in implementing an effective data governance program
• How to use Data Integrity testing to validate and enforce your data governance strategy
• How to measure data quality, including the checkpoints and milestones that can help you track your progress over time

• How can you tell what works for your business without investing first? Best practices, tell-tale signs and trends to pick up from the get-go
• Developing a robust AI strategy deeply rooted in your business objectives, data capabilities, and operational realities
• Implementing a data-driven approach comes with numerous advantages that directly impact bottom lines and competitive positioning, such as measurable business goals, informed decision-making, and real-time insights

Legacy mainframes can stall digital futures—especially when previousmigration attempts, tight timelines, and complex, cross-departmental datalandscapes threaten transformation. Discover how one major governmentdepartment, after three failed migrations and mounting operational risks,embraced a new approach.

Glenn, Chief Architect and Fragile to Agile founder, reveals anaward-winning, repeatable framework that slashed migration barriers. In thissession you will:

• Learn how a proof-of-concept with Rocket Software empowered seamless, secure data replication and synchronisation, enabling incremental migration—and unlocking Agentic AI for safe, scalable re-platforming.

• See how CDOs can realise rapid modernisation, de-risk legacy transition, and reposition data as a strategic asset, even under extreme timeline and complexity pressures.

As AI and data initiatives accelerate, governance often becomes either a bureaucratic bottleneck or an underdeveloped afterthought. Both approaches stall value.

Drawing on published research on “Minimum Viable Governance” for data science initiatives and real-world experience delivering six large-scale data science initiatives in the public sector and leading Digital and AI Strategy at Greenpeace Australia Pacific, this session reframes governance as architecture for speed, scale, and trust.

Attendees will explore practical principles for balancing agility with accountability, funding value streams instead of projects, measuring flow instead of milestones, and embedding AI governance by design.

The result: governance that enables experimentation, accelerates delivery, and transforms data and AI into measurable strategic advantage.

Unleash the massive potential of AI in the enterprise by shattering the primary roadblock: data controls. With 90% of organisational data being unstructured, safe governance is non-negotiable for GenAI success. Securiti accelerates safe, scaled AI adoption by providing the necessary enterprise data and AI controls through its Data+AI Command Center, implementing a critical 5-step approach to AI Governance—from shadow AI discovery to comprehensive compliance.

As organisations move from AI experimentation to intelligent, delegated decision-making, a new question emerges: what data is your AI actually acting on?
In an instantaneous economy, customer intent forms and fades in seconds. Yet many enterprises still rely on delayed, decontextualised signals to power automation.

Real-time, consented customer interaction data is fast becoming the true differentiator, enabling context-aware decisions while preserving trust and compliance.
This session explores why data velocity, identity integrity, and governed activation are foundational to scalable AI, and how forward-thinking CDAOs are preparing their architecture for what comes next.

Moderator:

Su Jella Board Member Women’s Tennis Foundation

Speaker:

Ram Radhakrishnan Chief Analytics Officer TEG 

• An inside look at EMA’s latest research - The shift toward intelligent orchestration​
• Insights on making AI core to your data and cloud workflow orchestration strategies

• Why does hiring top technical talent individually not guarantee a high-performing team?
• How do you foster collaboration and proactivity in newly formed data teams?
• What hiring and retention strategies help turn strong individuals into a cohesive unit that delivers value?

Moderator

Gladwin Mendez Fractional CDAO GEC Prudentia

Speakers
Andrew Spiegelman Head of Data & Analytics Service NSW
Steven Turnbull Associate Director - Performance Insights Optus

Speakers:

Yash Khanna General Manager, Data Governance nbn

Ken To Executive Manager, MetaData Expert nbn 

CDAOs are driving AI transformation, requiring a bold vision for enterprise data and analytics. As this vision unfolds, what will the impact be on D&A teams and the evolving role of the CDAO? This keynote will deliver actionable strategies to help you navigate these changes with confidence. 

Join to gain insights on:  

- Automating data management and simplifying dashboard creation 
- Keys to successful enterprise-wide AI operations 
- Measuring outcomes and ROI for AI initiatives

• How can data leaders effectively translate complex AI-driven insights into compelling, actionable narratives for diverse audiences, including the C-suite and frontline teams?
• What storytelling techniques help build trust and credibility around AI outcomes, especially when dealing with uncertainty or probabilistic results?
• How do data leaders balance transparency and simplicity without oversimplifying AI models or data nuances when communicating to non-technical stakeholders?

Moderator

Simone Roberts Head of Data and AI Snowy Hydro

Speakers:

Imma Chippendale Senior Strategic Advisor, Data ACCC

Sam Stark Head of Capabilities - Data & AI Endeavour Group

Iain Hart Head of Risk Management Crown Resorts

Jonathan Shen AI Practice Executive - Strategy & Governance Suncorp

• What frameworks or KPIs can help data leaders clearly articulate ROI to executive stakeholders?
• How do you link data and AI initiatives to business outcomes without oversimplifying complex value chains?
• What’s the best way to balance long-term capability building with the need for quick, visible wins?

Most AI initiatives don’t fail because of weak models — they fail because organisations can’t trust or activate the data those models rely on. As AI moves from experimentation to autonomy, fragmented data, static governance, and disconnected systems quietly become the real blockers to scale.

In this session, David Irecki (CTO, APJ, Boomi) explores the shift required to move beyond pilots and unlock measurable AI value. Drawing on real-world examples and emerging best practices, he will show how data readiness, integration, and governance must evolve to support agentic AI operating safely inside core business processes.

• How do you move beyond slogans to real executive accountability and aligned data behaviours?
• What’s working (and what’s not) when shifting mindsets in teams that aren’t data-native?

• How do you know your culture is actually changing – and not just your strategy deck?

Moderator:
 Chantal Velasque Head of Data & Analytics Uniting  

Speakers:

Alix Higgins Associate Director, Data Governance and Analytics NSW Telco Authority

Mudit Srivastav Director, Data Science and Engineering Colonial First State

Imma Chippendale Senior Strategic Advisor, Data ACCC

Bish Nath Principal, Data Platforms AMP 

AI innovation often stalls at the infrastructure layer. This session provides the executive playbook to move beyond experimental pilots and into profitable production. We'll explore how an API-first architecture solves the scalability crisis (Build), ensures strict governance over sensitive data (Secure), and turns model access into a tangible revenue stream (Monetise).

• How can you effectively decentralise stewardship responsibilities while ensuring alignment with enterprise standards?
• What tools, training, or automation are needed to scale stewardship across diverse teams and domains?
• How do you measure the success of a scaled stewardship model
  — beyond just policy adherence?

Moderator
Fergal Murphy Regional Manager Australia & New Zealand Ab Initio Software
Speakers
Akanksha Wangnoo Chief Privacy, Data Ethics and Data Governance Officer NAB
Urvashi Chadha Head of Data ASX
Simone Roberts Head of Data and AI Snowy Hydro

• What are the most meaningful metrics for demonstrating the business value of data, and how do they vary by stakeholder?
• How can you tie data KPIs to broader organisational goals like revenue growth, risk reduction, or customer experience?
• What common pitfalls do data teams face when trying to quantify impact, and how can they be avoided?

• What’s one ‘unsexy’ data trend that you think will quietly dominate in 2026 – and no one is paying enough attention to yet?
• If you had to kill one overused data buzzword or practice before the year ends, what would it be, and what should replace it?
• If you were placing a bold bet on where data is headed in 2026 — technology, talent, AI, governance, anything —what would you bet on, and what do you think would make it succeed or flop?
• What's your most unusual opinion about where data, AI, or governance is headed and why do you stand by it?
• How do you expand your thinking to meet the challenges of tomorrow?

Moderator
Bismi Palatty Manager, Data Platforms and Integrations Alfred Health
Speakers
Craig Price Head of Artificial Intelligence Suncorp
Ahona Dutta Data Quality, Governance and Reporting Manager NSW Health SESLHD
Matt Minor Group Manager Enterprise Data & Analytics Evolution Mining
Hari Marappan Senior Manager - eComX Data Strategy and Delivery WooliesX