MachineCon U.S. 2024: Meet the Speakers

MachineCon is an exclusive gathering of analytics and artificial intelligence leaders. Explore the transformative potential of cutting-edge AI technologies and innovative analytics solutions that are shaping the future of various industries across the nation.

Here is the list of MachineCon U.S. 2024 speakers: 

Elizabeth Shaw: AIM Research

Elizabeth Shaw is an AI Strategy Director at AIM Research. As a seasoned marketing executive and recognized industry analyst, she helps global brands identify, build, and scale digital strategies. A subject matter expert in generative AI, Elizabeth leverages a wide suite of tools in her daily workflows, earning relevant certifications and engaging with experts. She has established multiple tech Centers of Excellence (CoEs) and partnered with agencies to accelerate clients’ genAI adoption, enhancing market share and organizational efficiency. Her expertise in identifying opportunities and crafting innovative strategies has propelled brands like Sephora and HBO. Her market analysis has been featured in The New York Times, Bloomberg, and Forbes.

Zee Moradi: UBS Bank USA

Zee Moradi is the Americas Chief Data Officer at UBS, responsible for developing the firm’s data strategy, enhancing end-to-end data infrastructure, ensuring sound data management practices, driving data integration, and data governance for regulatory reporting and models in the Americas. She is responsible for enabling the flow of data across the firm, improving client experience, adhering to compliance standards, and enhancing operational effectiveness. Zee has a record of enhancing business performance, driving profitability improvements, and controlling risks while improving the value of data and information assets.

Giorgio Suighi: Mindshare

Giorgio Suighi is an award-winning global executive and marketing leader with over 16 years of progressive and strategic experience. Renowned for his ability to lead both global and domestic teams to surpass expectations, Giorgio excels in identifying and solving complex problems, generating valuable insights through statistical modeling, data science, and machine learning. He has driven the definition and deployment of high-performance analytics tools and services, significantly enhancing the profitability, performance, and value of companies. As an industry trailblazer, Giorgio provides hands-on and visionary leadership, fostering career development and mentoring for organizational leaders, strategists, and analysts. His innovative approach and commitment to excellence continue to set new standards in the field.

Rajvir (Raj) Madan: Arcutis Biotherapeutics

Rajvir (Raj) Madan, SVP and Chief Digital and Information Technology Officer at Arcutis Biotherapeutics, is a visionary leader in Life Sciences, Pharma, and Biotech. Inspired by his mother’s battle with brain cancer, Raj transitioned from cosmetics to pharmaceuticals to tackle global health issues. He focuses on leveraging data, analytics, and technology for drug discovery, personalized medicine, and commercial efficiency. Known as the “Engineer with a Heart” by Forbes, Raj emphasizes cultural transformation for effective AI integration. His extensive advisory roles and accolades, including the AIM Research AI100, underscore his impact on digital transformation in life sciences.

Saydulu Kolasani: Fisker

Saydulu Kolasani is a highly respected executive in business, digital, technology, and data transformation, with over 20 years of experience at the intersection of technology and business strategy. With a master’s degree in computer science, Saydulu combines technical expertise with business acumen, driving innovation and growth across various industries.

Starting in software and product development, Saydulu’s ability to transform complex technical challenges into business opportunities quickly set him apart. His leadership journey includes strategic roles at Fortune 500 companies, where he used technology to drive business growth, operational excellence, and digital agility. Currently, as the SVP of Digital and Enterprise Transformation & Operations at Fisker Group Inc., Saydulu leads high-performing teams, driving innovation, continuous improvement, and digital literacy throughout the organization.

Scott Zoldi: FICO

Dr. Scott Zoldi is chief analytics officer at FICO, responsible for artificial intelligence (AI) and analytic innovation across FICO’s product and technology solutions. While at FICO, he has authored more than 120 analytic patents, with 88 granted and 39 pending. Scott is an industry leader at the forefront of Responsible AI and an outspoken proponent of AI governance and regulation. His groundbreaking work in AI model development governance, including a patented use of blockchain technology for this application, has helped propel Scott to AI visionary status, with recent awards including a Future Thinking Award at Corinium Global’s Business of Data Gala. Scott serves on the Boards of Directors of Software San Diego and San Diego Cyber Center of Excellence. He received his Ph.D. degree in theoretical and computational physics from Duke University.

Venkat Achanta: TransUnion

Venkat Achanta has been the Executive Vice President, Chief Technology, Data & Analytics Officer at TransUnion since July 2023, overseeing technology strategy, security, product engineering, operations, and data science. Before this role, he was the EVP, Chief Data & Analytics Officer at TransUnion from February 2022 to July 2023. Prior to TransUnion, he served as EVP, Chief Data & Technology Officer at Neustar, Inc., where he led data science and technology teams and created the OneID platform. At Walmart, starting in 2014, Venkat was the Chief Data Officer, leading global data and analytics platforms. Before Walmart, he was the Global Head of Analytics and Big Data at AIG and held senior roles at Capital One and Experian. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science and Engineering from Andhra University and an MBA from UCLA’s Anderson School of Management.

Ash Dhupar: Analog Devices

Ash Dhupar is a results-driven AI and Data Executive with extensive experience in Aerospace & Defense, Semiconductor, Healthcare, Technology, Retail, and Media & Entertainment sectors. Known as a technology thought leader, he serves on advisory boards for Rutgers University, Gartner, MAC, and Corinium. He is also the author of the upcoming book, “Deep Profits: Driving Business Growth with AI-driven Organizations.” Before his current role at Analog Devices, Dhupar was the Chief Data Officer at BAE Systems, where he led data and analytics strategies, driving digital transformation and unlocking strategic business opportunities in the company’s $12 billion portfolio.

Bhaskar Kalita: Quantiphi

Bhaskar leads the FSI vertical for Quantiphi Inc, an award-winning AI-first digital transformation engineering company. Bhaskar has spent more than a decade in the Insurance industry and has been involved in core systems transformation, modernization of data platforms, and most recently, applying AI/ML superpowers to reimagine fundamental business processes across the Insurance Value chain. Bhaskar holds an MBA from Booth School of Business, University of Chicago and a Bachelor’s Degree from National Institute of Technology (NIT) Kurukshetra, India.

Navdeep “Navi” Chadha: Axtria

Navdeep “Navi” Chadha is co-founder and chief technology officer of Axtria, a provider of cloud software and data analytics for the life sciences industry. Axtria helps clients digitally transform their entire product commercialization processes and make data-driven decisions. Navi is a charter member of the N.J.-Philly TiE chapter, earned the Top Industry Leaders Award 2022 from Life Sciences Voice, and was recognized by E&Y as the Entrepreneur of the Year in 2018. For his entrepreneurial achievements, he was honored with the NJTC Private Company of the Year Award, the Deloitte Technology Fast 500 Award, and the Inc. 500 Award

Priya Serai: Zeus Fire and Security

Priya Serai, CIO of Zeus Fire & Security, is a distinguished techno-business leader with over two decades of experience. She oversees a wide range of technology services, from ERP and Sales Automation to cutting-edge Video AI for customer security and analytics. Known for her innovative and sustainable vision, Priya excels in connecting technology solutions to business challenges, uncovering hidden revenue streams and cost efficiencies. A passionate advocate for women’s growth in tech, she actively mentors and supports women in leadership roles. Priya holds an engineering degree from Mumbai University and an MBA from the Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania.

Dwarika Patro: Aays

Dwarika Patro is a technology strategist with over 15 years of experience in entrepreneurship and management consulting. He has empowered blue-chip and mid-market clients to make strategic technical investment decisions and develop robust capabilities for seamless digital transformation.

As the Founder and COO of Aays, Dwarika is the driving force behind the company’s innovative projects and initiatives. Under his leadership, Aays has tackled some of the most challenging business problems faced by Fortune 1000 companies and high-growth enterprises worldwide, utilizing big data, cloud computing, and AI/ML technologies.

Prior to Aays Dwarika had co-founded 2 other start-ups, one in e-commerce and another in agritech space. Dwarika’s academic credentials include M.B.A. focused in Strategy & Design Thinking from Imperial College, London and Bachelor’s from IIT-Dhanbad.

Arvind Balasundaram: Regeneron Pharmaceuticals

Arvind Balasundaram leads the Commercial Insights & Analytics (I&A) group at Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, where he advances analytical frameworks to improve patient lives through scientific innovation. With a rich background at Sanofi, Johnson & Johnson, Bristol-Myers Squibb, and Pfizer, Arvind has significantly contributed to numerous pharmaceutical brand launches. Passionate about AI-driven decision-making, he has received the 2024 Axtria Ignite Leadership Award and the 2023 AI100 Award. AIM Research also recognized him as one of the 10 Most Influential Data & Analytics Leaders in the US Pharma Sector in 2023. Arvind holds an MBA from Vanderbilt University and certifications in Machine Learning, Deep Learning, Digital Analytics, and Data Science. He is an active member of several councils and advisory boards, including the Regeneron AI Advisory Committee and the AI-focused Advisory Board at Norstella.

Krishna Gade: Fiddler AI

Krishna Gade is the founder and CEO of Fiddler AI, an AI Observability startup, which focuses on monitoring, explainability, fairness, and governance for predictive and generative models. An entrepreneur and engineering leader with strong technical experience in creating scalable platforms and delightful products,Krishna previously held senior engineering leadership roles at Facebook, Pinterest, Twitter, and Microsoft. At Facebook, Krishna led the News Feed Ranking Platform that created the infrastructure for ranking content in News Feed and powered use-cases like Facebook Stories and recommendations like People You May Know, Groups You Should Join, etc. Krishna’s team built Facebook’s explainability features like ‘Why am I seeing this?’ which helped bring much-needed algorithmic transparency and thereby accountability to the News Feed for both internal and external users.