AI & Data Xchange

AI & Data Xchange

Governance to Growth: Scaling Trustworthy AI Across the Enterprise

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The era of data and artificial intelligence is not tomorrow’s challenge; it is today’s imperative. Across Europe, organizations are rapidly shifting from pilot programs to operationalizing AI, yet success depends on more than just technology. IDC research shows that while more than 64% of European organizations are already investing significantly in or deploying generative AI, many struggle to turn that investment into measurable business outcomes.

 

The foundation of true AI value lies in enterprise data: the quality, governance, integration and management of data determine whether AI becomes a differentiator or a cost center. At this event, peer-to-peer exchange meets analyst-led insight to help you build the data-driven intelligence that powers real value. Discover how to scale AI responsibly, govern agentic systems, align data strategy with business strategy and enable a culture of intelligent transformation.

Agenda

AI & Data Xchange

Day 1

4:30 pm

Group Innovation Challenge: Agents 360

6:30 pm

Networking Dinner

Day 2

8:45 am

From Governance to Growth: Scaling Trustworthy AI for Enterprise Impact

Keynote Speaker

Neil Ward-Dutton

Neil Ward-Dutton

VP Global Enterprise AI and Agentic AI Strategies, IDC

9:10 am

From AI-Possible to AI-Proven

See how organizations move beyond AI pilots by aligning governance, data, sovereign AI infrastructure, and business goals to turn potential into proven, repeatable value, with support from Dell Technologies and NVIDIA. The session will end with a live demonstration of how we can bring strategy to life by building a tailored AI prototype in hours.​

Sascha Meier

Sascha Meier

Head of EMEA Presales Solutions Architects, Dell Technologies

9:30 am

How to Spot Real AI Opportunities in Everyday Work

As AI continues to dominate the business conversation, many struggle to distinguish real opportunities from hype. This keynote focuses on building the practical mindset needed to identify where AI can genuinely add value in everyday work and core business processes.

Paolo Finardi

Paolo Finardi

Head of Data Science & AI, Plenitude

9:50 am

Owning and Controlling AI Usage at Enterprise Scale

AI is moving into core enterprise workflows, and most organizations already have access to models. The challenge is no longer access, but control.

In practice, model usage is often fragmented, with limited visibility into how models are used, what data they access, and how costs evolve. This leads to inefficiencies such as idle GPUs, duplicated usage, and unpredictable spend.

This keynote focuses on how organizations can regain control by centralizing model access through a Model-as-a-Service approach. This makes it possible to understand usage, enforce governance, and optimize cost, while keeping AI deployments private and under enterprise control.

Myriam Fentanes

Myriam Fentanes

Principal Product Manager, Red Hat

10:05 am

Coffee and Networking

10:35 am

Shadow AI Is Already Running Your Company – why you can’t wait to act and which options to consider

Industry IT departments are stuck in analysis mode. This creates a false sense of control: while strategy is being aligned. AI has already entered daily operations—in ways that are neither centrally managed nor fully visible.

Engineers, planners, purchasers, and developers are already using AI to debug issues, summarize information, generate content, and support decisions, an activity that is largely invisible to management, creating a blind spot: the organization is evolving in fragmented ways while leadership assumes there is still time to evaluate options.

This gap drives the current hesitation across the industry. Leadership sees uncertainty and delays decisions, while employees move ahead pragmatically. Over time, this creates increasing exposure without corresponding oversight.

The task now is to surface and shape what already exists: make usage visible, focus on areas with proven impact, and secure the processes that matter most. This requires a shift in leadership from control to enablement.

AI is already part of daily operations. The question is whether companies take ownership of this development or allow it to unfold without direction.

Thomas Herbstreuth

Thomas Herbstreuth

Head of Digital Services Unit, KSB

10:55 am

Building an AI Value Playbook

Most organisations have AI projects running. Few can answer the question that matters most: what are we getting for the money?

This presentation tackles that problem directly, drawing on real experience building and operating an AI governance framework across a live enterprise portfolio. It is an account of what was built, why, how it works in practice, and what proved harder than expected.

The session covers the core components of an AI value playbook: a tiered classification model that applies proportionate governance to both new and existing projects, a four-checkpoint governance gate that must be passed before any AI initiative moves forward and a three-layer measurement framework that distinguishes between adoption, performance and value metrics.

 

Ali Millar

Ali Millar

Senior Manager, EMEA Strategy, Insight

11:10 am

The Next Wave of AI: What Leaders Need to Prepare for Now

As AI rapidly evolves, business leaders must look beyond current use cases to understand what’s coming next. This session explores the next wave of AI—from emerging technologies to shifting capabilities—and what it means from a strategic and board-level perspective. Drawing on deep analysis of both technology and business trends, it highlights key signals, future scenarios, and the decisions leaders need to start making today to stay ahead.

Ludvig Strand

Ludvig Strand

Emerging Tech and AI Future Analyst, Axel Johnson

11:30 am

Group Innovation Challenge: Agents 360

12:15 pm

Networking Lunch

1:15 pm

Roundtable Discussions

A: AI to production – why so hard? What have we learned 3 years after ChatGPT?

B: AI Adoption: Mastering the Human Side of AI Success

C: From Data to Dollars: Using Real-Time Data and AI to Lift Revenue and Customer Experience

D: Open by Default: Sharing Field Lessons in Building Agentic AI Without Vendor Lock-In

E: The AI Winners’ Playbook

F: Data strategy vs. reality: how do we really improve what matters in the Data space

G: What Are We Doing to Get Our Data Ready for AI Agents

2:15 pm

Coffee and Networking

2:45 pm

Workshop Session

Parallel Sessions

2:45 pm – 3:30 pm

1: Decision Intelligence at Work

Michelle Colley

Michelle Colley

AI Business Development Lead, Services EMEA, Dell Technologies

Arash Ghazanfari

Arash Ghazanfari

CxO Advisor, UK & Europe, Dell Technologies

2:45 pm – 3:30 pm

2: From Hype to How: Maturing and Scaling AI

Jamie Mahmut‑Emerson

Jamie Mahmut‑Emerson

Senior Product Practitioner, Insight AI

Andy Young

Andy Young

Client CTO, Insight

2:45 pm – 3:30 pm

3: How to land AI skills in your organisation

Marc Dowd

Marc Dowd

Vice President, Executive Advisory, IDC

Tom Schwieters

Tom Schwieters

VP Executive Advisory, Europe, IDC Hungary

3:30 pm

Coffee and Networking

3:45 pm

Group Innovation Challenge Presentations

5:00 pm

Networking & Personal Time

6:30 pm

Welcome Reception and Gala Dinner

Day 3

9:00 am

Key Takeaways from Day 1

Neil Ward-Dutton

Neil Ward-Dutton

VP Global Enterprise AI and Agentic AI Strategies, IDC

9:10 am

Driving Business Value with AI: A Practitioner’s Perspective

Lavinia Guadagnolo

Lavinia Guadagnolo

Data and AI Business Adoption Lead, Generali

Ewa Zborowska

Ewa Zborowska

Research Director, IDC

9:25 am

When Systems Decide : Rethinking the Role of Architecure in a AI world

In recent years, enterprise architecture has shifted from governance and control to influence and enablement. But AI is changing the game once again.

We are entering a world where systems increasingly decide, recommend, and act—sometimes faster than humans can fully understand.

In this context, architecture can no longer be about enforcing standards or designing static roadmaps. Its true value lies in shaping how decisions emerge and ensuring the ecosystem is AI-ready and flexible in the face of change.

This keynote reframes architecture as a discipline of influence, decision design, and adaptability—essential for navigating AI-driven complexity.

Ibrahima Ndiaye

Ibrahima Ndiaye

CTO, RATP Group

9:45 am

Shaken, Not Stirred: Selling spirits to passengers you’ll never see again

Yemeng Hu

Yemeng Hu

Global Data Analytics and Insights Lead, Bacardi

Ewa Zborowska

Ewa Zborowska

Research Director, IDC

10:00 am

Coffee and Networking

10:30 am

Workshop Session 2

Parallel Sessions

10:30 am – 11:15 am

Measuring AI ROI: KPIs, Value Frameworks, and Business Alignment

10:30 am – 11:15 am

Crack the code to an AI-ready future – Escape with Red Hat

Andreas Bergqvist

Andreas Bergqvist

EMEA Sales Specialist AI, Red Hat

10:30 am – 11:15 am

The Token Budget Challenge

Alessandro Perilli

Alessandro Perilli

Vice President, Enterprise AI Strategies, IDC

11:15 am

Change Break

11:45 am

Supporting Organization’s Infosec Risk Management through Data-Informed Approaches

In an era defined by data growth and agentic AI, effective risk management requires more than traditional controls. Dušan Tomić of WIPO presents a strategic shift toward data-informed security—where access decisions are driven by context, visibility, and governance. Discover how integrating IAM, master data, and data catalogs enables organizations to reduce exposure, strengthen compliance, and build a foundation for secure AI adoption

Dusan Tomic

Dusan Tomic

Senior Information Management & Security Officer, United Nations

12:05 pm

AI without governance is not a competitive advantage — it is a liability

Marc Dowd

Marc Dowd

Vice President, Executive Advisory, IDC

12:25 pm

From AI-possible to AI-proven – Results and Reflections

Dell Technologies and NVIDIA unveil the results of their live AI prototype demonstration and reflect on the journey from concept to execution. This session will highlight key insights, lessons learned, and feedback gathered during the event, offering a practical perspective on turning AI potential into proven success.

Sascha Meier

Sascha Meier

Head of EMEA Presales Solutions Architects, Dell Technologies

12:35 pm

IDC Closing Keynote and Feedback Session

Main Themes

Data Value Reinvention in the Age of AI​

Organizations are shifting from thinking about “using AI” to “leveraging data for AI value,” integrating data maturity practices like cataloging, lineage, and observability to fuel model performance and business impact.​

Scaling AI: From Pilot to Enterprise Deployment

Moving beyond experimentation, leaders create robust MLOps pipelines, governance frameworks, and change strategies to embed AI into core operations at scale with sustainability and reliability.​

Trust, Transparency and Responsible AI​

Embedding fairness, bias mitigation, auditability, and explainability across the AI lifecycle helps build user confidence, regulatory alignment, and long-term trust in intelligent systems.​

Data Sovereignty, Governance and Interoperability​

Balancing data residency, regulatory constraints, and cross-border flow requires hybrid cloud strategies, shared governance models, and interoperable architectures that meet business needs.

Generative and Agentic AI: The Next Frontier

As generative and agentic models go beyond assistance, leaders focus on guardrails, cost/risk trade-offs, hybrid model design, and alignment with existing AI systems.​

People, Culture and AI Readiness​

Success requires preparing teams with AI literacy, reskilling, cross-functional collaboration, and leadership that navigates resistance and embeds data-driven habits into daily workflows.​

Speakers

Neil Ward-Dutton
Keynote Speaker

Neil Ward-Dutton

VP Global Enterprise AI and Agentic AI Strategies

IDC

Read Bio

Ewa Zborowska

Ewa Zborowska

Research Director

IDC

Read Bio

Paolo Finardi

Paolo Finardi

Head of Data Science & AI

Plenitude

Read Bio

Lavinia Guadagnolo

Lavinia Guadagnolo

Data and AI Business Adoption Lead

Generali

Read Bio

Ibrahima Ndiaye

Ibrahima Ndiaye

CTO

RATP Group

Read Bio

Dina Capelle

Dina Capelle

Senior Research Analyst

IDC

Read Bio

Ludvig Strand

Ludvig Strand

Emerging Tech and AI Future Analyst

Axel Johnson

Read Bio

Dusan Tomic

Dusan Tomic

Senior Information Management & Security Officer

United Nations

Read Bio

Yemeng Hu

Yemeng Hu

Global Data Analytics and Insights Lead

Bacardi

Read Bio

Thomas Herbstreuth

Thomas Herbstreuth

Head of Digital Services Unit

KSB

Read Bio

Myriam Fentanes

Myriam Fentanes

Principal Product Manager

Red Hat

Read Bio

Johan Robinson

Johan Robinson

Director, AI Platform – EMEA

Red Hat

Read Bio

Andreas Bergqvist

Andreas Bergqvist

EMEA Sales Specialist AI

Red Hat

Read Bio

John Bradshaw

John Bradshaw

Field CTO Cloud, EMEA (Director Cloud Computing Technology and Strategy)

Akamai

Read Bio

James Graham

James Graham

Region Lead

Insight

Read Bio

Sascha Meier

Sascha Meier

Head of EMEA Presales Solutions Architects

Dell Technologies

Read Bio

Michelle Colley

Michelle Colley

AI Business Development Lead, Services EMEA

Dell Technologies

Read Bio

Peter Barnes

Peter Barnes

Vice President

Infrastructure Solutions Group, Dell Technologies

Read Bio

Arash Ghazanfari

Arash Ghazanfari

CxO Advisor, UK & Europe

Dell Technologies

Read Bio

Rasmus Oelbye

Rasmus Oelbye

Director, ISG Denmark, Finland, Baltics

Dell Technologies

Read Bio

Jamie Mahmut‑Emerson

Jamie Mahmut‑Emerson

Senior Product Practitioner

Insight AI

Read Bio

Andy Young

Andy Young

Client CTO

Insight

Read Bio

Partners

Venue

Valencia Spain

Las Arenas Balneario Resort

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Gian Carlo De La Paz

Gian Carlo De La Paz

Senior Event Manager, IDC

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Kikki Godskesen

Kikki Godskesen

Event Sponsorship Sales Europe, IDC

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