Data is the new currency, and Chief Data and Analytics Officers (CDAOs) are its master strategists. Their growing influence is undeniable: a recent analysis by iMerit reveals that 58% of U.S. states now have dedicated Chief Data Officer positions, while in the corporate realm, a staggering 74% of firms have embraced the CDO or CDAO role. From harnessing artificial intelligence to unlocking insights hidden in vast data repositories, CDAOs are reshaping industries, driving innovation, and setting the course for data-driven decision-making. From AI initiatives to digital transformations, these individuals are not just adapting to change – they’re driving it.
Loretta Franks, VP, Global Chief Data & Analytics Officer at Kellanova
Loretta Franks is the Global Chief Data and Analytics Officer at Kellanova, a company with a 118-year legacy that recently spun off from Kellogg’s. With 17 years of experience at Kellogg’s, Franks played a crucial role in managing IT through the separation of Kellanova from WK Kellogg Co. She successfully oversaw the transition of 300 different IT systems and the creation of over 7,000 individual user IDs while maintaining the company’s supportive culture. Franks leads a data and analytics organization across 180 countries and multiple product categories, balancing speed, risk, and value to meet diverse organizational needs. She emphasizes the importance of cross-functional partnerships and has embraced Kellanova’s startup mentality, integrating new values like courage alongside accountability and integrity. Franks is committed to Kellanova’s strategy of differentiation, drive, and delivery, and focuses on building organizational agility to respond to rapidly changing market conditions.
Vipin Gopal, Chief Data and Analytics Officer at Walgreens Boots Alliance
Vipin Gopal currently serves as the Chief Data and Analytics Officer of Walgreens Boots Alliance (WBA), a $120B Fortune 25 company. In this role, he leads next-gen, transformational data strategy and execution, as well as the development of AI capabilities and solutions for various WBA businesses in the healthcare, retail, and pharmacy sectors. Gopal is excited to partner with approximately 325,000 WBA teammates and business collaborators to supercharge the business with data analytics and AI, and to further elevate a data-driven way of working at WBA. He is inspired by WBA’s leadership in reimagining healthcare in communities and its purpose of creating more joyful lives through better health. Gopal’s efforts contribute to WBA’s transformation into a broader consumer-centric healthcare organization.
Ramnik Bajaj, Chief Data & Analytics Officer at USAA
Ramnik Bajaj serves as the Chief Data & Analytics Officer at USAA, where he is responsible for driving the vision, strategy, policy, roadmap, and delivery of data and analytics architecture, governance, and solutions to advance a data-driven culture and discipline. Joining USAA with extensive experience in data, technology, and financial services, Bajaj has led a massive data estate modernization effort over the past three years. His goal is to create a “unified data environment” by migrating multiple on-premises warehouse and analytics environments to the cloud. Under Bajaj’s leadership, USAA has implemented a centralized engineering process for data migration while allowing business units to make federated data decisions. He has also prioritized the creation of a core customer data warehouse with centralized access controls and governance, enabling USAA to manage core member data from a central location and implement standardized data policies across the organization.
Scott Hallworth, Chief Data and Analytics Officer at HP Inc.
Scott Hallworth serves as the Chief Data and Analytics Officer at HP Inc., where he has been driving the company’s data and AI strategy for the past couple of years. With over 30 years of experience in building and leading various data, modeling, and transformation initiatives, Hallworth is focused on rethinking the “way we work” at HP while also acting as “customer zero” for HP’s products and services. He emphasizes that while AI isn’t new, the current advancements in speed, scale, and training model optimization are revolutionary. Hallworth identifies generative AI’s strengths in areas such as efficient searching within company ecosystems, content creation including translation, and coding. He views AI as an augmentation and accelerant for individual skills, enabling faster work processes. At HP, Hallworth is leveraging a data-driven decision-making foundation to enable innovation, cultivate opportunities, and expand employees’ digital acumen, aligning with HP’s belief that thoughtful ideas can change the world.
Kapil Narang, Chief Data and Analytics Officer at Ameriprise Financial
Kapil Narang serves as the Chief Data and Analytics Officer at Ameriprise Bank, a part of Ameriprise Financial, where he has worked since 2007. His career began in strategy consulting, where he recognized the significant impact of data on strategy and operations, as well as the challenges involved. At Ameriprise, Narang established an Analytics Center of Excellence to address these challenges. When Ameriprise launched its bank division, he took on the role of Chief Data and Analytics Officer. In this position, Narang’s primary focus is ensuring that Ameriprise has access to the right data at the right time to support effective decision-making across the organization. He is currently helping lead a large multi-year program to develop a digital Bank and deepen relationships with clients in a digital-first world, with a focus on Data and Analytics strategy and operations across the Bank.
Jacob Sisk, Chief Data and Analytics Officer at Neon
Jacob Sisk serves as the Chief Data and Analytics Officer at Neon, where he leads a team of approximately 50 professionals dedicated to providing banking services, credit, and economic empowerment to underserved and economically fragile populations in Brazil. In his role, Sisk has implemented significant improvements across various business units, including finance, credit & risk, and product functions. His achievements include deploying a distributed data governance model that enhanced credit decision quality, refining the data science job family structure, improving customer experience and collections processes, and spearheading ongoing efforts to upgrade credit infrastructure. Sisk has also been instrumental in recruiting senior talent for data platform and business analytics roles, while consistently working to elevate the role of decision sciences throughout the organization.
Thomas Mazzaferro, CDAO at Truist
Thomas Mazzaferro serves as the Chief Data and Analytics Officer at Truist, where he is responsible for driving the organization’s data and analytics strategy. In his role, Mazzaferro is focused on enhancing the data literacy of the business through the implementation of comprehensive programs that include business data stewards, technical data stewards, training initiatives, and skill assessments. He holds accountability for all aspects of artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning, natural language processing, and generative AI within the company. Mazzaferro is actively involved in establishing the framework, solutions, and engineering capabilities necessary to support these advanced technologies across Truist’s operations.
Clayton Chandler, CDAO at Osaic
Clayton Chandler serves as the Chief Data and Analytics Officer at Osaic, where he is responsible for leading the company’s initiatives in leveraging data and artificial intelligence to enhance its cybersecurity solutions. In his role, Chandler oversees data privacy and cybersecurity efforts, focusing on protecting affiliated financial professionals and their clients. Chandler’s expertise is expected to play a crucial role in advancing Osaic’s capabilities in data analytics and AI-powered cybersecurity measures.
Ash Dhupar , Chief Data & Analytics Officer at Analog Devices
Ash Dhupar has been appointed as the Chief Data & Analytics Officer at Analog Devices, Inc. (ADI), a global leader in the semiconductor industry. As a results-driven artificial intelligence and data executive, Dhupar brings a deep understanding of data analytics and strategy to his new role. In his position, Dhupar is expected to spearhead business initiatives leveraging his expertise in AI and data analytics. He has expressed his commitment to contributing to ADI’s growth by helping to shape a data-driven future for the company.
Ankit Goel, Chief Data & Analytics Officer at KeyBank
Ankit Goel serves as the Chief Data and Analytics Officer at KeyBank, where he leads a dedicated team responsible for the strategic direction and governance of data and analytics capabilities. In this role, Goel focuses on enhancing the bank’s Data and Analytics Strategy and Governance, aiming to improve data accessibility and usability while ensuring proper management of the complete data lifecycle. His position combines strategic oversight with technical implementation, allowing KeyBank to effectively prioritize its data portfolio with a single point of accountability. Goel’s team partners across the bank to strengthen data and analytics practices, supporting KeyBank’s mission to leverage data-driven insights for improved decision-making and operational efficiency.
Sachin Rajpal, Chief Data & Analytics Officer at CoreLogic
Sachin Rajpal serves as the Chief Data and Analytics Officer at CoreLogic, where he leads the company’s efforts in collecting, curating, and enriching real estate property data to create the industry’s leading set of property intelligence. In this role, Rajpal oversees CoreLogic’s big data initiative, the Smart Data Platform, which utilizes artificial intelligence and machine learning to manage property data assets at scale, driving advanced analytics and product innovation. He is also responsible for spearheading CoreLogic’s artificial intelligence capabilities, including generative AI, to transform end-user workflows and enhance efficiency in the property industry. Rajpal joined CoreLogic in 2018 as a general manager of Valuation Solutions, progressing through various executive leadership roles in the enterprise data organization before assuming the position of Chief Data Officer in 2021, which evolved into his current role as Chief Data and Analytics Officer in 2023.
Krish Swamy, Chief Data & Analytics Officer at Citizens
Krish Swamy is the Chief Data and Analytics Officer at Citizens Financial Group, a role he has held since August 2023. In this position, he is responsible for overseeing the company’s data and analytics strategy. His work involves leveraging data science, machine learning, and advanced analytics to drive business insights and support the bank’s objectives. Swamy’s role includes building and enhancing the bank’s analytical capabilities, ensuring effective data management, and integrating analytic solutions with business applications to enhance customer experience and operational efficiency.
Michelle Gansle, Chief Data & Analytics Officer at Mcdonalds
Michelle Gansle is the Chief Data and Analytics Officer at McDonald’s. In her current role, she is responsible for overseeing the company’s data strategy, analytics, and data science initiatives. Her work involves leveraging data to drive business insights, enhance customer experience, and support strategic decision-making across the organization. She leads the Global Insights, Analytics, and Data Science team, connecting data and human insights with business strategy to foster growth and innovation within McDonald’s.
Ali Keshavarz, Chief Data & Analytics Officer at CVS Health
Ali Keshavarz is the Chief Data and Analytics Officer at CVS Health, a role he has held since September 2021. In this position, he leads the application of technology, data, and analytics across all aspects of CVS Health’s business. His responsibilities include simplifying healthcare processes, making healthcare more convenient, and leveraging data to drive business insights and improve customer experiences. Keshavarz’s work is pivotal in transforming the healthcare experience through robust data, analytics, and insights.
Jane Rheem, Chief Data & Analytics Officer at Zurich North America
Jane Rheem is the Chief Data and Analytics Officer at Zurich North America. In this role, she is responsible for all aspects of data management, including governance, data acquisition, integration, and the development of advanced analytics. Rheem oversees the Chief Data Office, which includes a team of data scientists focused on building models that support the company’s strategic objectives. Her work involves leveraging data to drive insights and improve decision-making processes across the organization.
Naras Eechambadi, Chief Global Data & Analytics Officer at Universal Music Group
Naras Eechambadi, as the Chief Global Data & Analytics Officer at Universal Music Group (UMG), leads the company’s global data and analytics initiatives. His work focuses on leveraging advanced AI models and data science practices to drive business insights, enhance customer experiences, and support strategic decision-making. Eechambadi plays a crucial role in accelerating UMG’s consumer and fan data strategy, supporting artists in building deeper fan relationships, and advancing the company’s direct-to-consumer and e-commerce efforts. He is instrumental in developing platforms like FAME and FAN360, which consolidate data to provide comprehensive views of fans and marketing campaigns, thereby fostering a data-driven culture within UMG while balancing its creative roots.