From Foundations to Value: Designing Data and AI That Actually Hold Up
Week 18 of the Data Innovation Summit XI Edition is all about foundations, judgment and value creation at scale: how data models evolve in the age of AI, why systems break in production, how governance must meet developers where they work, and how enterprises move from pilots to measurable returns/
New Keynotes, Speakers and Sessions
The major highlight of the week is a new keynote from Joe Reis, best-selling author of Fundamentals of Data Engineering (O’Reilly). In Mixed Model Arts: Data Modeling in the Age of AI, Joe challenges decades of rigid data modeling “style wars” and introduces a pragmatic, cross-disciplinary framework designed for modern AI, real-time, and unstructured workloads. The keynote reframes data modeling as a strategic capability, not a dogma, and offers battle-tested thinking for teams navigating AI-driven complexity. Joe will also lead a half-day MasterClass expanding this framework for data engineers, architects, and technical leads working across BI, AI, and real-time systems. More info here: https://datainnovationsummit.com/region/nordics/masterclass/
On the production reality of AI, Katsimanis Thodoris, Technology Manager for Operational & Distributed Database Systems at Kaizen Gaming, presents Why AI Systems Break in Production: From Schema Drift to Vector DB Reality. The session dissects real failure patterns seen after deployment, from training-serving mismatch and schema evolution to vector database limitations, and shows why disciplined data engineering and proactive data quality monitoring are critical to keeping AI systems reliable at scale.
Governance takes a developer-centric turn with Why DevEx is the New Face of Modern Data Governance, delivered by Reza Abedi, Senior Solution Architect for Data Governance & Architecture at Fortum. The session argues that traditional gatekeeper models no longer work in high-velocity environments and explores how policy-as-code, automation, and secure-by-design platforms can reduce friction while strengthening compliance.
On the risk and control side of AI, Vanessa Eriksson, AI and Cybersecurity Strategy Expert at Vanessa Eriksson AB, brings Delegated Authority: The Real Risk in AI. The session examines how agentic systems redistribute decision-making power inside organizations, why traditional cybersecurity language no longer fits, and how leaders must rethink intervention speed, accountability, and control.
The Executive Round Table welcomes Andreas Lundin, VP Data Engineering at H&M, as moderator for the Chief Data Officer Executive Round Table. Drawing on nearly two decades of experience building and scaling data organizations, the discussion focuses on leadership decisions that enable sustainable data and AI impact across large enterprises.
A second keynote underscores the business lens of the week. In Show me the money: Making AI Deliver Real Value, Maria Wiss, Regional Vice President at Snowflake, addresses the shift from experimentation to value realization. The session explores how organizations define measurable impact, build value measurement frameworks, and create ownership around AI outcomes rather than activity.
From industrial data to AI-ready platforms, Toyota Material Handling Manufacturing Sweden shares Architecting for AI: Migrating Industrial Telemetry to a Unified Data Platform. Nour Qweder and Hanna Häger walk through how fragmented telemetry data and Spark workloads were unified onto Snowflake using Snowpark Connect, enabling scalable AI and ML integration while simplifying architecture and operations. Industrial transformation continues with What We Changed in 12 Months: Unlocking Data Value in Industrial Operations at Volvo Cars. Christina Finlay, Global Head of Data & AI for Industrial Operations, shares how Volvo Cars moved from slow, fragmented data access to a faster, more collaborative data environment, laying the groundwork for responsible AI, computer vision, and predictive maintenance.
On strategy and ROI, Olli Kilpeläinen, Principal Consultant at Futurice, presents Scaling AI ROI through Value-Stream Alignment and Data-Enabled Strategy. The session focuses on why AI initiatives stall after proof-of-concept and how aligning AI investments with core value streams, real-time data, and economic impact unlocks sustained returns. Governance also takes a portfolio-level view in How is AI Helping with Governance, presented by Nicolas Averseng, Founder and CEO of YOOI, now part of DataGalaxy. The session explores how organizations can manage Data & AI use cases centrally to demonstrate value, govern risk, ensure compliance, and optimize cost.
Finally, data quality comes into focus with From Raw Data to Trusted Decisions: Building Data Quality at Global Scale, where Paul Fulton, VP Regional Data Owners at Dun & Bradstreet, shares how data quality is defined, measured, and operationalized across more than 650 million business records, turning quality metrics into tangible business confidence and AI readiness.
Week 18 also features a DO Panel on How enterprises move from AI pilots to scaled adoption with generative and agentic systems, with contributions from Faye Murray, Field CDO at Dataiku.
New Stage Moderators and Partners
This week we welcome new partners joining the DIS26 ecosystem: HPE, Intel and Snowplow, further strengthening the foundation for scalable, production-grade data and AI.
Week 18 reinforces a clear message: AI success is no longer about novelty. It is about foundations, judgment, governance that scales, and an unrelenting focus on value.
More to come!
The Data Innovation Team