CDAO Financial Services & Insurance UK 2025 schedule

During this 10-minute networking session, the aim of the game is to go and meet two people you don't already know.  Have fun! 

• How can financial institutions align their data strategies with the Financial Conduct Authority's (FCA) new five-year plan to foster trust and growth in the UK's financial services sector? 
• What are the potential trade-offs associated with the FCA's growth objectives, and how can data leaders mitigate risks such as increased mortgage defaults and financial misconduct? 
• In what ways can the integration of fund tokenisation technologies be leveraged to enhance operational efficiency and competitiveness in asset management? 
• How can financial institutions encourage retail investors to engage with higher-return financial products while ensuring adequate consumer protection? 

• AI Evolution: The presentation highlights the rapid evolution of AI, from early excitement in the 1950s to the current advancements in Generative AI and Agentic AI . 

• Workforce Impact: AI is expected to replace 85 million jobs while creating 97 million new roles by the end of the decade, with a significant impact on the global economy  

• AI Agents: AI agents are not just chatbots but digital workers that can autonomously execute tasks, bringing transformative changes to various industries  

• AI Opportunities: Identifying AI opportunities in manufacturing, prioritizing solutions based on impact, feasibility, and ROI, and leveraging AI for inventory optimization, production scheduling, and predictive maintenance 

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 debt, excessive market hype, and increasing pressure to show progress on AI are exacerbating the enormity of the task.  Overcoming these barriers is key to breaking the curse of excessively short CDO tenures.   

Data leaders who are implementing or revitalizing their data teams, and who seek an answer to the question of ‘where should I start?’ must: 

1. Revisit legacy assumptions, challenge the status quo
2. Embrace an operating model focused on agility
3. Prioritize progress over perfection; take a practical approach to GenAI
4. Recognize that ‘all data is not created equally’
5. Leverage an analytical style of master data management (MDM) to drive short-term value, and establish a strong data foundation

Come hear industry expert, author of the ‘Data Hero Playbook’, and the CDO of Profisee, Malcolm Hawker, as he shares valuable insights the practical steps data leaders must take to drive meaningful and lasting changes in their organizations.  Malcolm also shares his experience on how an analytical style of MDM is the perfect balance between short-term business value, AI-based innovation, and data foundations. 

• • The difference between monetisation hype and productised value 
  • Internal vs external data products: What works, what flops 
  • Pricing, packaging and scaling: A playbook from those doing it 
  • Metrics that prove long-term value (not just quick wins) 

• 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 

• • What does PSD3 mean for data-sharing infrastructure and consumer protection? 
  • How can firms comply with the Data Act while maintaining innovation speed? 
  • What security, consent, and trust mechanisms are essential in open ecosystems? 
  • How can tech and data teams collaborate to support open finance strategies? 

• How can AI reasoning capabilities enhance underwriting processes by improving the accuracy of risk assessment and pricing? 

• What are the key benefits of using advanced AI models that go beyond basic understanding to enable more sophisticated decision-making in underwriting? 

• How can financial institutions integrate AI reasoning into their existing underwriting workflows to drive better outcomes and reduce errors? 

• What challenges might arise when implementing AI reasoning in underwriting, and how can these be overcome to ensure successful adoption? 

• How are insurers aligning ESG reporting with CSRD’s data disclosure mandates? 

• What tools and frameworks are enabling accurate, auditable ESG metrics? 

• How can data teams support sustainable underwriting and investment decisions? 

• What’s next in climate and ESG data innovation? 

• • How do you ensure human oversight and regulatory compliance when deploying autonomous agents in claims workflows? 
  • Which types of claims or lines of business are proving most viable for agentic AI, and where is the risk too high? 
  • How do you build trust — internally and externally — in agentic decisions that affect policyholders directly? 
  • What data infrastructure and orchestration capabilities are essential to enable scalable, compliant agentic automation? 

• • 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? 

  Gael Decoud, Director Data Science – CHETWOOD FINANCIAL LIMITED 

  Ellie Kallis, Chief Scientific Officer –Goodwith 

  Francesco Di Costanzo, CEO – JAJA FINANCE  

• • How are companies using AI and automation to optimise operations, reduce costs, and drive innovation in challenging economic conditions? 
  • How are data leaders identifying new opportunities and areas for growth despite tightening budgets? 
  • How are organisations using data and predictive analytics to detect potential risks early and manage financial uncertainty? 
  • How are data strategies being adapted to create more resilient and adaptable business models during periods of economic volatility? 

  Gael Decoud, Director Data Science – CHETWOOD FINANCIAL LIMITED  

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

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

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 

• 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: Alexandre Iorga, Head of SE - SIFFLET 

• 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? 

Rebecca Linehan, Head of Insight - Confused.com 

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

• How can CDOs build a truly data-driven culture — not just a tech stack? 

• What are the biggest people and mindset barriers to data adoption? 

• How do you win senior buy-in and drive cross-functional accountability? 

• Where are most firms going wrong with data literacy — and how do you fix it? 

• What does an effective, modern data team structure actually look like? 

• How do you sustain momentum through organisational change and fatigue? 

Aman Aneja, Director of Analytics - Farview Equity Partners