CDAO Financial Services & Insurance UK 2026 schedule

During this 5-minute networking session, the aim of the game is to go and meet two people you don't already know.  Have fun! 

• Why many AI initiatives in financial services fail to move beyond pilot stage and the common organisational and data maturity barriers preventing enterprise scale.
• What separates AI leaders from laggards including differences in operating models, leadership alignment, and business ownership of AI initiatives.
• How governance is evolving from a control function into an AI enabler and what effective model risk and data governance looks like in AI-mature organisations.
• Where leading financial institutions are prioritising investment across data platforms, talent, operating models, and AI infrastructure to accelerate adoption.
• The critical foundations firms must fix first, whether that is data quality, architecture, skills, or business alignment, before AI can deliver measurable value.

• How the traditional CDO role is evolving in an AI-native financial services landscape. • Identifying the boundary between data leadership and AI leadership, and what overlaps require attention.
• New organisational expectations for CDAO/CAIO executives, including collaboration with business units, compliance, and technology teams.
• Key skills, mindset shifts, and leadership qualities required to succeed as a next-generation data and AI leader.
• Insights from early adopters who have successfully transformed their CDO role into a CAIO function.

• Why clean, governed, and harmonised data remains the most persistent barrier to AI success in financial services.
• Common pitfalls in large-scale data modernisation programmes, including legacy system integration and cross-functional alignment challenges.
• Approaches for building scalable governance frameworks that balance agility with compliance. • Techniques to measure the impact of data quality on business outcomes, including KPIs for risk, operational efficiency, and customer experience.
• Case studies of organisations that have successfully transformed data foundations to enable AI initiatives.

• How UK FSI organisations are balancing innovation with regulatory scrutiny, including practical examples from retail banking, investment, and insurance sectors.
• Strategies for data leaders to manage AI risk while maintaining progress on digital transformation and AI adoption.
• Emerging governance models, frameworks, and board-level oversight structures that are proving effective in large-scale financial institutions.
• How boards are increasing expectations for accountability, explainability, and risk mitigation in AI deployment.
• Lessons learned from firms that have faced regulatory challenges or compliance audits around AI and data use.

Panelists: Vinod Chawda, AI Governance Chief Strategy & Innovation Office – Deutsche Bank

• Moving from reporting to decision intelligence
• Event-driven architecture in FS
• Real-time fraud and CX improvements
• Operational challenges scaling real-time data
• Where real-time delivers ROI

• Where GenAI and agentic AI are delivering real, measurable value in banking operations today — beyond the pilots
• The infrastructure, data, and governance foundations needed before deploying AI agents at scale
• Managing risk and accountability when AI systems are making or influencing decisions
• Lessons from early implementations, what worked, what failed, and what teams wished they'd known sooner

Panellists: Available

• Comparing approaches: which architecture is delivering tangible results in UK banks?
• Lessons from large-scale implementations: successes, pitfalls, and adoption challenges.
• Organisational readiness considerations: governance, team structure, and culture.
• Technology vs. culture: how to align data architecture strategy with operational and regulatory needs.

Facilitator roles: Available

Roxanne Howdle-Rowe, Managing Director, Group Head of Data & Analytics Office – British Business Bank

• Committing to elevating customer experience 

• Harnessing Open Banking to enable financial inclusion 

• Implementing sophisticated analytics and risk models to ensure responsible lending practices. 

• Unlocking the power of partnerships 

• AI Governance vs. Data Governance – Clarifying the distinction and why both are critical.

• Compliance & Adoption – How senior leaders can accelerate AI adoption while staying aligned with DORA, NIS2, and the EU AI Act.

• Trust & Assurance – Frameworks to ensure AI models are explainable, auditable, and trusted by regulators and customers.

• Data Governance Foundations – Are formal processes essential, and what are the first steps in a regulated environment?

• Adaptability – How to keep governance frameworks flexible as regulations evolve.

• Accountability – Preventing gaps when multiple stakeholders are involved.

Sheetal Bakshi, Data Strategy and Management Lead – Capco 

Dr Madhura Shivaraju, Senior Data and AI Specialist - UBS 

Three simultaneous roundtables running in parallel. Attendees remain seated at their chosen table throughout. Speakers rotate between tables every 30 minutes ensuring every group hears from every facilitator.

Each table will have a printed prompt card with 3 discussion questions to guide conversation and encourage audience participation.

Facilitator roles: Available

Table 1 — Data Sovereignty & Regulatory Compliance

How are organisations navigating data residency, cross-border data flows, and evolving regulatory requirements without slowing down their data strategy?

Table 2 — Data Governance in the Real World

Beyond frameworks and policies — what does effective, business-led data governance actually look like when you're mid-transformation and under pressure to deliver?

Table 3 — Data Architecture for AI Readiness

Data mesh, data fabric, cloud-native pipelines — which architectural approaches are genuinely moving the needle and what does it take to get there?

• How are leading firms moving beyond pilots to embed GenAI at scale? 

• What governance frameworks are essential to mitigate hallucinations, bias, and misuse? 

• Where is GenAI delivering real impact — from compliance to customer experience? 

• What are the organisational and cultural shifts required to integrate GenAI into workflows? 

Moderator: Francesco Di Costanzo, CEO – JAJA FINANCE 

Gael Decoud, Director Data Science – CHETWOOD FINANCIAL LIMITED 

Sharada Khanna, Global Lead for Originations and Credit Bureau Data Strategy, Retail Banking - HSBC 

Challenges  

• Fragmented data landscape due to Aon’s history of M&A 
• Lack of standards, poor data quality, availability, and auditability
• Global adoption of centralised master data

Lessons Learnt  

• Change management and adoption – articulating the story of why this is important
• Balancing decision making between technology acceleration and cross functional alignment

An informal, interactive session where attendees ask questions directly to an AI ethics and data privacy expert. The expert will answer questions on the fly, providing practical insights and advice on navigating regulations and building trustworthy AI systems. 

Focus Areas: AI ethics, data privacy, regulatory challenges. 

Sally Bashuan, Executive Director - Head of Global Data Governance- Federated Hermes 

Vladimir Bendikow, Chief Data Officer - FirstBank UK Limited 

Andi McBurnie, Chief Architect – GIBBS Consulting 

• What long-term strategies are successful businesses adopting to ensure resilience during periods of economic turbulence?  

• How are companies reshaping their approaches to data, governance, and AI to remain adaptable in the face of market volatility?  

• How can businesses leverage data and AI to future-proof their operations against ongoing economic uncertainties?  

• What role do governance frameworks play in helping companies navigate financial instability and ensure sustainable growth? 

Moderator:  Salma Bakouk, CEO & Co-Founder - SIFFLET 

Ishant Aggarwal, Document AI Lead – Lloyds 

Dr Madhura Shivaraju, Senior Data and AI Specialist - UBS 

•  How can organisations leverage data monetisation to unlock new revenue streams and create value from existing assets?  

•  What role does data governance play in ensuring the ethical and secure monetisation of valuable data?  

•  Can data monetisation strategies truly deliver long-term value, or are they just a short-term financial boost?  

• • How can companies identify untapped opportunities for data monetisation without compromising customer trust or privacy? 

Moderator: Rebecca Linehan, Head of Insight - Confused.com 

Vivek Sayal, Head of Model Strategy and Non-Financial Risk Analytics – Virgin Money 

Lucy Clayton, CCB Data Analytics Manager - Santander UK 

Ishant Aggarwal, Document AI Lead - Lloyds 

• Is the main challenge with data initiatives a data problem or a cultural/psychological one? 

• How can we break down data literacy into something practical for shifting culture? 

• What can data do and what can’t it do? How do we manage hype vs. reality, especially with AI? 

• How do we achieve buy-in from leadership and the broader organisation, given increased AI investment but underinvestment in foundational data? 

• How do we sustain momentum and avoid fatigue in long-term data transformation projects? 

Beatrice Russell, Data & Analytics Product Manager – Global - AON 

Martin Nelson, Data Platforms Adoption Lead and Product Owner- NFU MUTUAL