Advisory Board - Tri-State

Co-Chair and Founding Member, CAIO Circle

Saurabh is currently the Business Head for the CPG and Retail Industry practice at Polestar Analytics. He leads Business Development and Project Delivery, ensuring exceptional client delight.

In the past, he led Polestar's Global Delivery organization, managing a team of over 400 professionals across multiple geographies and verticals to deliver data and analytics solutions, primarily for CPG and Retail clients. He also oversees sales and account management functions, driving revenue growth and customer retention for the company.

With over 18 years of experience in the IT and consulting industry, he has developed core competencies in analytics, data warehousing, BI consulting, data modeling, CRM, business development, project management, and business strategy. He holds an MBA from IIM-Lucknow and a bachelor's degree in electronics and communication engineering from NSIT. His mission is to leverage data and technology to solve complex business problems and create value for clients and stakeholders.

Founding Member, CAIO Circle

Anil Prasad is Head of Engineering & Product at Duke Energy Corporation, leading the CASPAR platform (Cost Intelligence platform) for renewable energy interconnection. With 20+ years of AI/ML platform engineering experience across Fortune 100 companies including UnitedHealth Group, Medtronic, and Xcel Energy, Anil specializes in building enterprise-scale AI systems in regulated industries.

Anil holds advanced degrees in AI/ML and has been pioneering neural network applications since 1996.

Founding Member, CAIO Circle

Shailesh Gavankar is an accomplished technology leader, Managing Director, and Distinguished Engineer, currently leading Generative and Agentic AI strategy and execution within Wealth Management Technology. With over three decades of experience, he has driven large-scale global initiatives across data, analytics, and artificial intelligence. Shailesh is widely recognized as a thought leader in enterprise machine learning, predictive analytics, and advanced AI platforms deployed at scale for both internal and external use. He holds multiple patents in the AI/ML domain and has played a pivotal role in designing and delivering transformational AI systems. His work has significantly enhanced operational intelligence, elevated client experiences, and improved employee productivity through innovative, scalable technology solutions.

Founding Member, CAIO Circle

Venkat Gosukonda is a seasoned technology executive driving enterprise-scale Data & AI transformations across financial services. As a Data Leader at Wells Fargo, he orchestrates cloud-native modernization initiatives spanning Product, Risk, and Digital organizations, delivering substantial business value through Agentic AI frameworks and intelligent automation.

He leads large-scale engineering teams transforming credit lending operations with scalable platforms that serve critical business needs while maintaining stringent regulatory compliance. His strategic leadership bridges C-suite vision with technical execution—launching predictive ML capabilities, establishing production-grade MLOps practices, and positioning AI as competitive differentiation.

Venkat champions responsible AI adoption in regulated industries, translating complex technical capabilities into measurable business outcomes. He builds high-performing, resilient teams and cultivates next-generation leaders, fostering cultures of innovation that solve complex challenges and create sustainable enterprise value.

Founding Member, CAIO Circle

Ganesh Sivakumar is a globally recognized Chief Data, Analytics & AI Officer and an influential leader in enterprise AI transformation, with over two decades of experience driving large-scale digital innovation across Fortune enterprises. Currently serving as Global CDAIO at Mead Johnson Nutrition, Ganesh has delivered exceptional business value by embedding advanced analytics, machine learning, and generative AI into core business functions.

Ganesh has led large-scale data, analytics, and digital platform transformations, embedding governance, data quality, and responsible innovation as core enablers of business value. His expertise lies in moving enterprise data and advanced technologies beyond fragmented initiatives into governed, scalable, and business-driven production ecosystems.

A trusted advisor to CEOs and boards, Ganesh is known for balancing innovation with accountability while building high-performing global teams and fostering a culture of continuous learning, collaboration, and excellence.

Founding Member, CAIO Circle

Jeff is a Data and Analytics expert with 25+ years of experience, working across industries in both B2C and B2B business models. He leads global teams responsible for Data Platforms, Advanced Analytics, Data Science, Engineering, Product Management, Strategy, and Business Transformation.

An innovator and technologist, he transforms data from information to intelligence, empowering business functions and harnessing the power of personalization in every customer interaction. He delivers industry-leading solutions such as data lake platforms, trip recommendation engines, benchmarking, data visualization, and forecasting services.

A proven collaborator, he develops differentiated growth strategies through data and actionable insights, driving bottom-line results in highly matrixed organizations.

Founding Member, CAIO Circle

Manish is a global technology executive with a proven record of leading large-scale enterprise transformations and delivering measurable business outcomes across multiple industries. He specializes in aligning IT strategy with corporate goals, modernizing enterprise applications, and driving innovation at scale. With experience managing portfolios exceeding $100M and leading 350+ FTEs worldwide, he brings a balance of strategic vision and operational discipline to CIO, SVP, and VP-level leadership roles.

Over the past two decades, he has led global modernization initiatives at organizations such as Wiley, QuidelOrtho, NBCUniversal, KPMG, and HP—transforming finance, HR, supply chain, and operations platforms. His leadership has consistently delivered results: reducing IT run costs by 30%, accelerating project delivery by 35% through AI and Generative AI, eliminating supply chain backlogs in global markets, and optimizing cloud infrastructure to save millions annually.

He is passionate about the transformative power of AI/ML and Generative AI, embedding these capabilities into enterprise systems to improve efficiency, agility, and user experience. A published author of 5+ books and industry articles, he is also recognized for shaping thought leadership in enterprise technology and digital transformation.

Above all, he is a trusted business partner and board-level advisor who builds high-performing teams, fosters collaboration across IT and business, and ensures technology investments drive sustained growth and competitive advantage.

Founding Member, CAIO Circle

Lorena is a Computer Engineering alumna of the esteemed University of La Sabana (Colombia), proficient in English, Portuguese, and native in Spanish. With over a decade of dedicated experience in the technology sector, she possesses a proven track record in leading multifunctional and global teams, adept at delivering end-to-end solutions while comprehensively understanding commercial and business processes.

She demonstrates versatility in collaborative environments, exhibiting strong leadership qualities and fostering excellent interpersonal relationships. Her professional ethos is rooted in results-driven methodologies, complemented by a proactive approach and keen analytical acumen.

Her expertise extends to orchestrating the implementation of large-scale technology programs, encompassing descriptive, predictive, and prescriptive analytics. Beyond the professional realm, she advocates for the integration of sports to foster a harmonious work-life balance.

Founding Member, CAIO Circle

Ama is Vice President of Procurement and Supply Chain at Bracco Diagnostics Inc., responsible for enterprise?wide strategy, operations, and transformation across sourcing, supplier management, and supply chain functions. Ama drives value creation, operational efficiency, and risk management through strategic partnerships, process optimization, and digital enablement.

Founding Member, CAIO Circle

Rejo is a results-driven Enterprise Architect and Digital Transformation Leader with a proven track record of designing and implementing innovative solutions to drive business growth.

With over two decades of experience guiding organizations through complex digital transformations, Rejo currently leverages his expertise to lead Knipper's AI initiatives, reshaping the company's capabilities and competitive positioning in the rapidly changing business environment.He successfully orchestrated a $6 million project that transformed Knipper's IT services from a traditional cost center into a dynamic, product-oriented framework. This initiative introduced versatile enterprise services designed for modular configuration and integration, bolstering efficiency across the company's three primary divisions: Sampling, 3PL, and Pharmacy.

Founding Member, CAIO Circle

Farooq Sheikh leads Global Industries and Solutions. He regularly advises the C-suite and boards of Fortune 1,000 companies on security and AI topics. Farooq leads his organization's efforts to build and scale Industries with focus on how they engage marquee customers, how they drive thought leadership across industries, and how they partner with customers and partners across C-suite and boardrooms.

Founding Member, CAIO Circle

Avijit is a technology executive with over 20 years of experience leading impactful transformations and innovations for global businesses across various industries. As Regional CIO of the Americas (NA & LatAm) at Moët Hennessy, he oversees the overall technology function, including enterprise systems, marketing tech, and data/AI workstreams, with a strong focus on business outcomes and operational excellence.

His core competencies include Technology Strategy, Road Mapping, Program Management, SDLC, Data, AI Engineering, and Technology Operations. Avijit leverages these skills to create and implement cutting-edge technology solutions that drive top-line growth and bottom-line efficiency.

He is passionate about aligning business and technology teams around common goals to deliver value to customers and stakeholders, while fostering a culture of collaboration, innovation, and excellence within his teams.

Founding Member, CAIO Circle

Bhavtaran Singh is a data and AI executive leading enterprise data strategy and transformation for the Hill’s Pet Nutrition division within Colgate-Palmolive. He leads the modernization of the enterprise data foundation—establishing scalable architecture, governance, and operating models that power global commercial decision-making. Operating at the intersection of technology and business, he translates complex data ecosystems into measurable impact across sales, marketing, commerce, and media. Bhavtaran oversees the development of data products, modern MarTech enabled personalization, and AI-enabled analytics, partnering with commercial and technology leaders to turn advanced analytics into sustained competitive advantage.

Founding Member, CAIO Circle

Elizabeth is a senior AI, Data, and Analytics executive with over 15 years of experience transforming global enterprises through data strategy, advanced analytics, and artificial intelligence. Her career has focused on helping organizations harness data as a strategic asset—driving revenue growth, operational efficiency, and responsible innovation at scale.

She has led enterprise-wide adoption of Generative AI, predictive analytics, and automation, delivering over $200M in measurable business impact. She also designed and launched an Ethical AI Framework that embedded governance, privacy, and fairness across the AI lifecycle—ensuring innovation is both trusted and compliant.

Her leadership philosophy combines strategic vision with hands-on execution. She has built and scaled high-performing global teams that integrate data engineering, analytics, and machine learning to deliver actionable insights that accelerate business decisions. From modernizing cloud data architectures to deploying AI-driven personalization and intelligent automation, she specializes in bridging data strategy with business outcomes.

She is passionate about building data cultures that empower organizations to think smarter, act faster, and innovate responsibly. She is always open to conversations around data modernization, AI governance, digital transformation, and analytics leadership that create measurable enterprise impact.

Founding Member, CAIO Circle

Shailesh Karkhanis is a transformation-focused enterprise technology leader with over 20 years of experience modernizing global finance and back-office ecosystems through automation and AI enablement. He has led large-scale ERP transformations, enterprise data strategy initiatives, and intelligent automation programs that build scalable, future-ready operating models. Shailesh has successfully deployed RPA solutions, AI/ML capabilities, and hyperautomation frameworks to streamline complex finance processes, enhance governance, and deliver measurable operational efficiency and business value.