Reflections from the Chief Data & Analytics Officers, Financial Services Conference

Today, I attended the Chief Data & Analytics Officers, Financial Services Conference in New York City. Held at an excellent venue on Park Avenue, the event featured an impressive lineup of renowned speakers.

One of the highlights was a panel discussion moderated by Colman Madden, Head of Customer Engineering at Google Cloud. The panel included Saba Dossani, Chief Data & Analytics Officer at Comerica Bank, Robert Kula, Chief Data Risk Officer at KeyBank, and Pawan Verma, Chief Data Officer at the Industrial & Commercial Bank of China.

The Role of the Chief Data Officer (CDO) in Business Growth

A key takeaway from the discussion was the pivotal role of the Chief Data Officer (CDO) in collaborating with technology and information leaders to achieve executive goals—chief among them, driving revenue.

To fulfill this mission, a CDO must not only manage but also protect the data that fuels business success. Data-driven decision-making supports innovation, user experience, and growth. For example:

• Customer Behavior Data tracking user interactions, preferences, and purchase history to optimize product features.
• Market Trends & Competitive Intelligence with insights into industry trends, competitors, and emerging technologies.
• Product Usage Metrics about engagement levels, feature adoption, and user pain points.
• Quality & Performance Data ensuring reliability and efficiency through error rates, response times, and uptime monitoring.
• AI & Machine Learning Training Data supporting automation and personalization through high-quality labeled datasets.
• Innovation & R&D Data including patents, research, and experimental data for product advancements.

The Challenge of CDO Longevity

An audience member raised an important question about the short tenure of CDOs, noting that the average is just two years. This sparked a discussion about C-suite competition for resources, which are critical to a CDO’s success.

The panelists emphasized that a CDO must make a strong case that data quality and performance directly impact product scale and revenue. They also stressed the importance of measuring business-critical data—because what isn’t measured is often overlooked.

Conversations Beyond the Stage

Of course, the water cooler and break-time discussions were just as insightful as the panel sessions. With so many AI experts and software developers in attendance, the conference provided valuable perspectives on data in financial services.

Stay tuned for updates on www.fintechtrades.com—I have exciting ideas brewing around AI and avatars inspired by the insights I gained at the event!