Of the Field

CDAO Chicago 2026

he Midwest’s premier gathering for data and analytics executives—focused on enabling data-driven decision-making and accelerating AI adoption.

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41Voices

0Underwriters

0Exhibitors

14On the bill · sessions

37Companies · in total

§I

The Voices

Programmed at CDAO, in alphabetical order.

Adam Blalock

Director - Solution Architects, Americas and APAC · Starburst

Anne Homsy

Director of Analysis · Morningstar

Anusha Dwivedula

Director of Technical Product Management · Morningstar

Arindam Mukherjee

Director Data Strategy & Management · Ipsen

Ashish Garg

Principal Product Manager · WALMART

Austin Dreyer

Head Data Scientist · Good Sam

Christine Wallinger

Director, Data · RLI Insurance

Christopher Jones

Senior Director, Baseball Analytics · Chicago Cubs

Daniel Chertok

Sr. Data Scientist, AI Research and Commercialization · BMO U.S.

Deepak Konale

Former Chief Data and Analytics Officer · Northern Trust Wealth Management

Dhruv Baronia

Head of Analytics | Wealth Management · Northern Trust

Dr. Ram Singh

Chief Performance Media Officer · Night Market

Emma McGrattan

CTO · Actian

Farid Sheikhi

Senior Manager · Analytics Innovation RBCx

Hardi Gokani

Director of Product Engineering - AI/ ML · Grainger

Ivan Fastishevskiy

Global VP Strategic Reinvention Office · MARS VETERINARY HEALTH

Jason Moline

Director of Analytics · Good Sam

Jeannie Furlan

Financial Data Strategy VP · MUTUAL OF OMAHA

Jimmy Kozlow

CDO · Northern Trust

Jing Liu

Executive Director · Michigan Institute for Data and AI in Society

Jyoti Mishra

Sr. Director Analytics Executive · Amtrak

Kyongche Kang

Analytics Branch Chief Data Scientist · United States Army Reserve

— and 19 more, by name unsung —

§III

The Programme

Selected from 14 sessions on the bill.

Day 1
Keynote Presentation: Boosting AI Success Through Data Culture
In today's dynamic $100 billion AI landscape, organizations around the globe are refining their competitive edge. But for AI to be successful, programs must start with robust data …
Day 1
Keynote Presentation: Bridging the Gap: Universities & Industry Collaboration in the AI Era
• How can universities prepare the next generation of AI professionals and support the adaptation of the existing workforce? • What universities and industry can learn from each ot…
Day 1
Keynote Presentation: Building a Data Driven Culture: A paradigm Shift in Mindset
• Five characteristics of a Data Driven Organization • AI Quotient: Measuring the success of data in the organization • Transforming organizational mindset and steps to build Data …
Day 1
Keynote Presentation: Building Trust in the AI Era of Enterprise Analytics: From Data Integrity to Insight
Acceleration • How AI-driven observability frameworks can enhance trust, quality, and explainability in enterprise analytics pipelines • Scaling Responsible AI Through Data Product…
Day 1
Keynote Presentation: MDM – Your Data Journey Starts Here
The choices facing data leaders tasked to transform their data and analytics functions into levers of innovation and change are overwhelming. Mountains of and technical and data de…
Day 1
Keynote Presentation: Your AI Isn’t Failing. You Are
In this provocative keynote, we’ll unpack what it really takes to turn data into value. Through four bold truths, you’ll get a front-row seat to the uncomfortable – and necessary –…
Day 2
Keynote Presentation: Data as a Strategic Asset: How the most innovative companies are leveraging data and managing risk to gain an edge
• Data as a Moat: Unbreachable defenses that keep competitors at bay and investors engaged • Novel Data Analytics in the Age of AI: Fuse public, private & behavioral streams into e…
Day 2
Keynote Presentation: Data Storytelling- What Stories are Worthwhile and What is Just Noise? How Can you Tell the Most Effective Story Using your Data?
• How to separate valuable data stories from irrelevant noise to focus on what truly matters? • Turning complex data into a compelling story that resonates with your audience • Usi…
Day 2
Keynote Presentation: From Chaos to Scale: Product Management for AI Innovation
• Identifying High-Impact Opportunities for AI-Driven Value Creation • Building a Robust AI Ecosystem for Sustainable Value Generation • Quantifying and Communicating the ROI of AI…

Intermission

Part the Second · For the Buyer

An audience of 37 companies, parsed from the program.

“37 companies in attendance.”

The numbers below are derived from the speakers, sponsors, and exhibitors on this page — cross-referenced into one ledger. They are the only thing here that 10times.com cannot tell you.

№ 01Fig. 01 — Composition of the House

0All threespeak · spons · exh

0Sponsoringsponsor only

0Exhibitingexhibitor only

37Companies Speakingspeaker only

№ 02Fig. 02 — The Voices, by Seniority

78% of the speakers carry senior titles — C-suite, Founder, VP, or Director-level.

C-suite717%
Founder / Owner12%
VP-level922%
Director / Head of1537%
Manager / Lead37%
Product12%
Engineer · IC12%
Research / Science37%
Other roles12%

Of 41 on the bill · classified by free-text title

№ 03Fig. 03 — The Heaviest in the Room

№ 04Fig. 04 — By Tier

Tiers were not disclosed for this convocation.

CDAO Chicago 2026

Keynote Presentation: Boosting AI Success Through Data Culture

Keynote Presentation: Bridging the Gap: Universities & Industry Collaboration in the AI Era

Keynote Presentation: Building a Data Driven Culture: A paradigm Shift in Mindset

Keynote Presentation: Building Trust in the AI Era of Enterprise Analytics: From Data Integrity to Insight

Keynote Presentation: MDM – Your Data Journey Starts Here

Keynote Presentation: Your AI Isn’t Failing. You Are

Keynote Presentation: Data as a Strategic Asset: How the most innovative companies are leveraging data and managing risk to gain an edge

Keynote Presentation: Data Storytelling- What Stories are Worthwhile and What is Just Noise? How Can you Tell the Most Effective Story Using your Data?

Keynote Presentation: From Chaos to Scale: Product Management for AI Innovation

“37 companies in attendance.”