Learn. Connect.
Lead your
team forward.
For CDOs and leaders of data quality and master data management
In the age of AI, quality data is your competitive
edge. Join us at FWRD 2024, the ultimate data
event where industry leaders gather to share
insights, strategies, and the future of next-gen,
AI-driven data solutions.
Highlights
Witness the unveiling of an AI leap forward.
This new advancement doesn’t just meet industry standards‑it sets them. Empowering you to navigate the most complex data landscapes with ease and precision.
Stay tuned to see how you can accomplish in days what once took weeks.
Elevate your leadership impact
Discover how to amplify your influence as a CDO and lead your team to success. At FWRD 2024, you’ll uncover strategies to deliver successful AI projects, enhance your role’s value, and drive your company forward with confidence.
Unveil the latest data innovations
Stay ahead of the curve by mastering the latest in data management tools and techniques. You will learn about groundbreaking innovations in data quality, lineage, observability, and more, all designed to maximize your business outcomes and future-proof your strategy.
Learn new successful data strategies
Gain insights from top data professionals as they share best practices and real-world examples on aligning data initiatives with business goals. Learn how to quickly build data programs that deliver maximum business value.
Calling all data people!
For data leaders
Attend to stay current with the latest trends, network with people in the same position, and provide your teams with experience, knowledge, and guidance.
For data practitioners
Attend to learn about the latest technologies and how groundbreaking businesses use them to gain an advantage and improve enterprise operations.
For Ataccama users
Attend to hear about the latest updates to the Ataccama platform (including the AI copilot) and how you can begin leveraging them for your business.
Agenda
Embrace the future of data with AI at FWRDfuture
Rebecca Lane
suite
Jason Wright
Anup Bose
Jessica Goulart
initiatives
Chantale Boulanger
David Kalab
Heather Mitchell
Catherine Yoshida
Monica Zimmerman
Sukanya Konatam
Speakers
Our diverse lineup of speakers includes Ataccama experts, customers, and renowned data leaders.Register> for speaker announcements and more!
Michael McKee
CEO AtaccamaJay Limburn
CPO AtaccamaMarta DeBellis
CMO AtaccamaRandy Bean
Senior Advisor, Author, Speaker, Founder, CEO, Innovation Fellow, and Board MemberPrithwiraj Thakur
Director DeloitteRebecca Lane
Director Customer Success EMEA & International AtaccamaJessie Smith
VP of Product, Data Quality AtaccamaPetr Zacek
Direct of Product, MDM AtaccamaPhil Klippen
Head of Telecommunications SnowflakeJason Wright
Manager, Technical Products and Solutions T-Mobile USAnup Bose
Industry Principal, Leader Data & AI Governance InfosysJessica Goulart
VP of Partnerships AtaccamaLee Edney
Global Head of Business Value Consulting AtaccamaChantale Boulanger
Director, Performance & shared client data iA Financial GroupManan Joshi
Director of Customer Success AtaccamaDavid Kalab
VP of Data Management AdastraHeather Mitchell
Sr Business Analyst NissanCatherine Yoshida
Data Governance and Data Architect TeranetSukanya Konatam
Sr Manager, Enterprise Data Governance VialtoMonica Zimmerman
Sr. Data Governance Manager Baylor Scott & White HealthKrishna Cheriath
Chief Data Analytics and AI officer Thermo Fisher ScientificCelebrating our data community
Join us at the Ataccama Data Visionary Awards 2024, presented at FWRD. Celebrate the most innovative data management projects and the visionaries transforming industries and shaping the future of data.
Register now to witness the data champions pushing the boundaries! #FWRD24
Mike McKee
CEO
Mike McKee was appointed Chief Executive Officer and President of Ataccama in August 2023. Together with the leadership team, he executes on Ataccama’s mission to empower organizations to maximize the transformative potential of data and AI, enabling them to extract insights that help them make better business decisions.
Mike brings three decades of senior leadership experience and startup expertise, having formerly served as Chief Executive Officer and President at Dotmatics. He also held the role of Chief Executive Office at ObserveIT, and subsequently was appointed EVP & GM, Insider Threat Management, at Proofpoint after its acquisition of ObserveIT. Previously, he was SVP, Services & Customer Success at Rapid7, which completed an IPO on the NASDAQ during his tenure, and SVP, CAD Operations & Strategy at PTC, an organization at which he spent over 11 years and held senior positions in sales, finance, and services.
Mike’s experience also includes business strategy consulting at McKinsey, and his self-founded Onward & Upward Consulting initiative, as well as roles in investment banking with Goldman Sachs and Broadview International. Mike holds a MBA from Harvard Business School and a degree in Economics and Politics from Princeton University.
Mike’s heart originally belonged on the ice and he was a professional player for the Canadian National Hockey League. Mike has four children and has coached them all in hockey over the last decade. Mike loves to exercise by trying to keep up with his teenage son playing men’s hockey together, doing Peloton workouts or playing tennis, squash and golf with friends. Fortunately, Mike can enjoy the last three sports with his wife (though she is MUCH better than he is at squash) who is very busy with her own residential architecture business. Mike loves time with family, Taylor Swift (thanks to his youngest daughter), sports, and travel.
Jay Limburn
Chief Product Officer
Jay Limburn is Chief Product Officer at Ataccama, where he leads a worldwide team of product managers to deliver market leading data management software products. Jay has a deep background in data governance, data quality, MDM and AI, and has spent over two decades helping companies align their technology vision, strategy and execution to deliver business outcomes.
Jay holds 17 patents in areas including machine learning, data governance and data generation. His passion is building market-leading, customer-focused products that enable enterprises to embrace AI innovation to augment human intelligence.
Before joining Ataccama, Jay was Vice President of Product Management at IBM, where he led the team responsible for the watsonx AI platform and IBM’s Data Fabric portfolio. In this role, he was focused on delivering cutting-edge generative AI, machine learning, and data and analytics capabilities to address some of the world's most complex problems.
In his spare time, Jay is an ardent follower of Formula 1 and spends his weekends golfing, playing guitar and enjoying time with his family.
Marta DeBellis
Chief Marketing Officer
Marta DeBellis is Chief Marketing Officer at Ataccama and is responsible for aligning company business goals with the innovation roadmap to deliver a robust go-to-market strategy. An experienced CMO and GTM leader with a track record that includes Adobe, Intel and MRM Worldgroup on the Microsoft account, Marta has deep expertise in strategy, marketing, customer engagement, business development and operations, with a focus on B2B Software-as-a-Service companies at all stages of growth.
Marta has held senior leadership positions at several large, global brands across multiple regions and is adept at translating global strategies to local markets to achieve results and scale in new markets. She served as Chief Marketing Officer at Dotmatics, a scientific data platform, where she consolidated the narrative, branding and category positioning of 11 companies. Previously, she held Global Chief Marketing Officer roles at B2B SaaS companies HireVue, and Instructure, at which she led a 120-person strong global marketing team.
Marta serves on the Board of Civis Analytics, which helps nonprofit and public sector organizations to gain better insights into their data for competitive advantage. Passionate about developing teams, she is a Thinking Partner business coach and qualified to help people identify their strengths, and is also a mentor for scholars of the Marketing Academy. Marta has a BSc in Electrical and Computer Engineering from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
A world traveler, Marta has lived in Germany, Thailand and Australia for work assignments but loves spending time outdoors at home in the US. An always-active person, Marta backpacked around the world for a year in her 20s, and still enjoys hiking and mountain biking, camping and spending time with her three children and dog at their family lake house in Wisconsin, and snow skiing in her hometown of Park City, Utah.
Randy Bean
Senior Advisor, Author, Speaker, Founder, CEO
Randy Bean has been an advisor to Fortune 1000 organizations on data and AI leadership for nearly 4 decades. He is a Senior Advisor, Author, Speaker, Founder, CEO, Innovation Fellow, and Board Member. Randy is the bestselling author of Fail Fast, Learn Faster: Lessons in Data-Driven Leadership in an Age of Disruption, Big Data, and AI, and a regular contributor to Forbes, Harvard Business Review, and MIT Sloan Management Review. He was a former contributor to The Wall Street Journal and has been referenced and quoted on AI leadership in The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, and The Economist in 2024. Randy was previously founder and CEO of NewVantage Partners (NVP), a data and AI leadership advisory firm to Fortune 1000 clients, which he founded in 2001. NVP was acquired by Paris-based global consultancy Wavestone in 2021, where he served as Innovation Fellow until January 2024.
Prithwiraj Thakur
Director
Prithwiraj is the National Leader for Master Data Management (MDM) capabilities at Deloitte Canada. With over two decades of unparalleled experience, he stands as a distinguished architect and a leader in data management practices. His career is a testament to his adeptness in harnessing advanced tools and technologies to resolve complex data challenges with precision and innovation. Prithwiraj’s unparalleled expertise encompasses the implementation of sophisticated multi-domain MDM, Product Information Management, Data Quality as a Service, and comprehensive enterprise Data Governance solutions. He has a proven track record of steering extensive delivery teams, composed of professionals from diverse backgrounds and global locations, towards achieving excellence by delivering business value using modern technology and process solutions. Under his leadership, teams have envisioned, designed, and delivered intricate enterprise transformation solutions across a multitude of industries, serving as a pivotal force for transformative change.
Rebecca Lane
Director Customer Success EMEA & International
Rebecca Lane is the Director of Customer Success for EMEA & APAC at Ataccama, passionate about ensuring customers deliver value at every stage of their adoption journey. She has significant experience across Sales Engineering, Solutions Architecture and Customer Success in a number of data focused software companies. Starting her career as a hands on data analyst and later a management consultant reflects her passion for leveraging data to drive business outcomes.
Jessie Smith
VP of Product, Data Quality
Jessie Smith is an experienced enterprise software executive with a decade of experience in product management and product development, specializing in areas of Enterprise Data Quality, Data Integration, Data Fabric, and Cloud. She currently leads Product Management for Ataccama's Data Quality portfolio.
Petr Zacek
Direct of Product, MDM
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Jason Wright
Manager, Technical Products and Solutions
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Phil Klippen
Head of Telecommunications
Phil Kippen is Head of Industry, Telecommunications at Snowflake. Phil has over 20 years of experience working with more than 200 wireless and wireline telecommunications services providers globally, advising on technology evolution strategies, driving customer and industry thought leadership, transforming network and cloud services delivery architectures, and designing new, innovative enterprise and subscriber services.
Anup Bose
Industry Principal, Leader Data & AI Governance
Anup Bose, Leading Data & AI Governance consulting practice. He has established & led, data governance & data privacy practices. Anup collaborates closely with senior executives & business users across globe & industries, to recommend best practices for drive technology innovation, process enhancement & people fitment. He is serving as a Data Governance Program Director for one of the largest telecom operators in the US. Anup, an influential figure in shaping data organizations, has been a staunch advocate for governance & compliance with privacy regulations. His current focus is on elevating organizations to the next level by constructing AI systems rooted in trust & ethics powered by holistic practices of privacy/security/compliances.
Jessica Goulart
VP of Partnerships
Jessica Goulart is the Global VP of Partnerships at Ataccama, where she spearheads global collaboration and growth initiatives. With extensive experience in managing strategic partnerships, Jessica previously held senior roles at Bloomreach and Adobe, driving successful partnerships across North America. Her expertise in building alliances and crafting strategic GTM initiatives makes her a leader in fostering meaningful collaborations across industries.
Lee Edney
Global Head of Business Value Consulting
Lee Edney is the Global Head of Business Value Consulting at Ataccama, where he leads a team dedicated to driving measurable business impact through data management solutions. With extensive experience in consulting and strategic planning, Lee helps organizations unlock the value of their data, improve operational efficiency, and achieve business growth. His expertise spans across industries, enabling companies to align data strategies with broader business goals. Lee is passionate about delivering results through innovative data practices and fostering long-term customer success.
Chantale Boulanger
Director, Performance & shared client data at iA Financial Group
Chantale Boulanger is an experienced leader in data and performance management, currently acting as Director of Shared Client Data and Performance at iA Financial Group. With expertise in developing data-driven strategies and managing large-scale digital transformations, Chantale has successfully led initiatives that optimize customer experience and streamline performance monitoring. She has a strong track record of translating vast datasets into actionable insights, fostering a 360-degree client view. Chantale is passionate about leveraging analytics to align teams and enhance decision-making across business sectors.
Manan Joshi
Director of Customer Success
Manan Joshi has a wealth of experience that spreads across geographies, high growth technology companies and a number of data projects. He leads the high performing NA customer success practice at Ataccama. His team engages with customers on data strategy, use-cases, adoption and value realization.
David Kalab
VP of Data Management
With 19 years of experience at Adastra, David Kalab has gradually transitioned from a consultant role to Vice President of Data Management. He now leads a team of 350 data experts and oversees an expansive data management practice renowned for its success in reselling and implementing Ataccama solutions. Having implemented over 30 Ataccama projects for enterprise clients across EMEA, David's team takes pride in maintaining a zero client attrition rate.
Heather Mitchell
Sr Business Analyst
With over two years of experience as a Senior Business Analyst at Nissan Motor Corporation, Heather Mitchell is a data-driven professional who uses her analytical expertise and human-centered approach to drive business decisions and optimize processes. Holding a Bachelor of Science in Human Services and certifications in Google Data Analytics and AWS Fundamentals, Heather blends technical skills with customer insights. She excels at managing cross-functional teams, overseeing Master Data Management tools, and providing proactive insights to support long-term business strategies and success.
Catherine Yoshida
Data Governance and Data Architect
Catherine Yoshia is a Data Governance practitioner with over three decades of experience and a strong desire to ensure data integrity, security, compliance, and the promotion of ethical data management in the ever-changing data and information management landscape. She has had the opportunity to engage with one of Canada's most prominent banks in many divisions, assisting them in realizing the full potential of their data assets. Throughout her career, Catherine has led data governance practices, ensuring accuracy and reliability through cleansing, validation, and monitoring systems. In those roles, she designed security measures, access restrictions, and compliance methods to protect sensitive information, all while collaborating with teams to develop data strategies that align with organizational objectives. Her goal at Teranet is to create a data-centric culture by developing and delivering training programs that promote data literacy and empower staff to make data-driven decisions. Catherine is genuinely devoted to furthering the field of data governance and assisting Teranet in realizing the full value of its data and information assets while guaranteeing responsible and ethical data management.
Sukanya Konatam
Sr Manager, Enterprise Data Governance
Sukanya is a Senior Manager in Enterprise Data Governance with over 19 years of experience driving digital transformation across diverse industries, including banking, telecom, healthcare, and automotive. As a thought leader, she excels in AI governance, data governance, data science, architecture, modeling, analytics, Master Data Management (MDM), and BI modernization.
Currently, Sukanya leads data governance modernization efforts at Vialto Partners, overseeing cross-functional teams of data engineers, data scientists, and Power BI specialists. She has successfully established enterprise-wide data governance frameworks that enhance data quality and compliance while driving strategic insights to increase revenue.
Sukanya holds the patent for the "Apparatus for AI-Enhanced Data Governance and Integrity Management" and has authored numerous articles on data governance and AI governance, as well as various journals addressing AI bias across multiple sectors and strategies for overcoming it. Her background includes implementing data-centric solutions and creating KPI metrics to identify business opportunities. She has a Master’s in Computer Applications and a Postgraduate degree in Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning from UT Austin.
Monica Zimmerman
Sr. Data Governance Manager
Monica brings over 30 years of experience in analytics and data governance across multiple industries, with a recent 8-year focus on healthcare. Throughout her career, she has spearheaded major BI implementations, data governance initiatives, and digital transformations in both consulting and full-time roles. Her entrepreneurial experience running an internet business enhances her ability to align data strategies with business goals and articulate their value to stakeholders.
Holding CDMP and PMP certifications, along with an MBA in Business Analytics, Monica excels in developing data governance frameworks, crafting analytics strategies, and cultivating high-performing teams. Recognizing the critical need in healthcare, she has championed data governance, driving strategic impact in an industry where it's often underutilized.
Krishna Cheriath
Chief Data Analytics and AI officer
Krishna Cheriath serves as the Chief Data, Analytics and AI Officer at the PPD™ clinical research business of Thermo Fisher Scientific, the world leader in serving science, where he leverages advanced analytics and AI to enhance clinical research and patient outcomes. With leadership roles at Zoetis, Bristol Myers Squibb and prominent consulting firms like PWC and IBM, Krishna brings over 15 years of expertise in data strategy. Additionally, he is an Adjunct Faculty at Carnegie Mellon and Rutgers, contributing to the development of data-driven leadership programs.
A digital, data, and analytics evangelist, Krishna advocates for responsible and ethical innovation. His passion for positive societal change through data and digital transformation fuels his work, along with his commitment to fostering a more connected humanity. As a champion of empowered, empathetic leadership, Krishna constantly seeks new innovations and ideas to drive impactful change.
In today’s data-driven world, the role of the Chief Data Officer is mission-critical. Data is transforming every industry, fundamentally reshaping how enterprises strategize and operate. Yet many CDOs face institutional challenges that hinder their ability to realize their data vision and deliver on their goals. This masterclass is designed to empower CDOs, and will provide you with the right tools to demonstrate data–driven impact, manage stakeholders effectively, nurture your team, and harness the CDO role to become the driving force behind your organization’s success.
Data management stack is evolving, and the future is AI-powered. In this session, we’ll unveil groundbreaking innovations in Ataccama ONE that will redefine how people work with data. Learn how to leverage the next-gen tools to maximize business value and empower your entire organization to move faster and smarter. Be the first to see how AI is reshaping data management and unlocking possibilities you never imagined.
The Chief Data Officer role is evolving rapidly as CDOs assume responsibility for analytics and AI. Today, we have many variations of the CDO role and responsibilities – CDO, CDAO, CDAIO. How will the CDO role evolve in the coming years in a rapidly accelerating AI future? Randy Bean will share the latest industry findings and discuss the evolution of this critical role and how companies can prepare for data & AI leadership in an AI future.
In data governance, the biggest challenge often isn’t the software but establishing effective processes, defining roles and responsibilities, and ensuring successful adoption. This session will focus on the critical people and process elements that enhance technology. Experts from Deloitte and Ataccama will share how to maximize your data tech stack, identify organizational blockers, and offer practical tips for building a framework that supports your data transformation goals. Join us to learn how to align your teams and processes for data governance success.
EMEA & International Ataccama
Discover the power of Ataccama ONE Data quality & catalog suite in this hands-on session designed for data professionals. We’ll dive into why managing data quality is absolutely essential for building trust in your data and driving better business decisions, and how Ataccama ONE helps you streamline this process. You’ll see the product in action through a live demo, showcasing how our unified platform provides end-to-end coverage for all your data quality and governance use cases. Plus, you’ll get a sneak peek at the next innovations we’ll be rolling out in the future.
Experience the Ataccama ONE Master data management suite in this engaging, hands-on session. MDM is a key component of trusted data management, delivering a comprehensive 360-degree view of customers that businesses have relied on for years. This session will showcase how Ataccama ONE simplifies and enhances the creation of this trusted source of truth, featuring a live demo that illustrates the platform’s comprehensive approach to mastering data across all areas. Plus, get an early look at upcoming features that will further refine your MDM strategy and help you get the most out of your data assets.
Join a fireside chat with Phil Klippen (Head of Telecom at Snowflake), Anup Bose (Head of Data & AI at Infosys), and Jason Wright (Manager, Technical Products and Solutions at T-Mobile US), moderated by Jessica Goulart (VP of Partnerships at Ataccama), as they dive into the latest trends and challenges in data and AI within telecom and similar industries. Explore real-world applications of AI, from successful projects to lessons learned from failures, and discover how data is transforming the industry. Get insights into what the future holds for consumers and learn what other industries can take away from telecom’s data-driven approach. Don’t miss this engaging session on the forefront of data and AI in telecom.
Value measurement is a red hot topic for Data Leaders and Analysts. In this session, hear from our experts as we share some best practices for how to quantify the value of your data initiatives and their impact on your organization. From the initial business case to get a data initiative stood up, as well as tracking the ongoing value of live data initiatives, learn how other organizations are making value measurement a critical part of their efforts to accelerate adoption, drive Executive sponsorship and ensure alignment between data and strategic outcomes.
Key takeaways:- Takeaway 1: Connecting data to business outcomes is not always easy, but it’s not impossible. The right framework and engagement with the business can help to bridge the gaps and make the connections clear
- Takeaway 2: If you can’t measure it, you can’t manage it. Maintaining a focus on tracking business value tells the business a lot about how you want to operate, and allows you to become ‘famous’ for delivering outcomes Execs care about
- Takeaway 3: “You get to speak to who you sound like”. It’s important for data professionals to speak the language of the business when interacting with them.
- Takeaway 4: Internal ‘marketing’ is one of the biggest challenges data leaders face, learn how to connect data issues > business KPI’s > financial outcomes to build Executive sponsorship and alignment
Organizations invest a considerable budget in Data Quality initiatives but they struggle with platform user adoption. Once the program is over, how can you ensure the solutions are being used? Planning adoption as part of your program, or shortly after it is delivered, is vital.
In this session, hear from our experts on the foundation of platform adoption, key strategies on driving adoption and scaling the program. We will also share a customer story on successful platform implementation and adoption.
Key takeaways:- Takeaway 1: Adoption strategies and preparing for scale.
- Takeaway 2: Practical application of elements in adoption e.g. awareness, adaptation, promotion, education.
- Takeaway 3: Customer story on implementation and adoption journey.
Unlock the full potential of your data with Ataccama ONE, the unified platform that delivers data quality and governance 95% faster, reducing manual efforts by 80%. Join us for an in-depth session on Ataccama ONE, our unified data management platform that empowers you to deliver trusted, high-quality data across your enterprise. This session will explore how Ataccama ONE’s advanced capabilities in data quality, governance, and observability can streamline your data operations, reduce manual efforts, and enable smarter decision-making. Whether you’re optimizing your current deployment or just getting started, learn how Ataccama ONE can help you unlock the full potential of your data strategy and drive innovation within your organization.
Join our panel of accomplished female data leaders as they explore how aligning data strategies with business goals drives impactful outcomes. The discussion will spotlight their successes in 2024, showcasing how they leverage data to enhance decision-making, optimize operations, and deliver measurable business value. With a focus on integrating data into the heart of business strategy, they will share their vision for the next 12-18 months and discuss how data and AI will continue to shape the future of business. The panel will also address the unique challenges of leading with data in an evolving business landscape.
Key takeaways:- Aligning data strategies with business goals: The session will highlight how successful female data leaders are using data strategies to drive business impact, emphasizing the importance of aligning data efforts with core business objectives.
- Leveraging data for enhanced decision-making and business value: The discussion will showcase examples from 2024 where data has been used to optimize operations, improve decision-making, and deliver measurable business outcomes.
- Future vision and challenges in data leadership: The panel will explore the evolving role of data and AI over the next 12-18 months, discussing how these technologies will shape business strategies while addressing the challenges of leading in a changing business environment.
Organizations have historically struggled with enterprise data strategy. The acceleration of AI value cases offers a unique opportunity to put in place pragmatic yet powerful data strategy practices that will help sustain the value unlock from AI through data foundation, data governance and management, unlocking value from data, and digital fluency and adoption.
Register below to reserve your place at the event and receive email updates about speakers, agenda, and everything FWRD 2024