Lalit Thakur is a data executive that leads complete data lifecycle, spanning from data management & analytics to data science and monetization.

During his career, spanning over a decade in data space, Lalit has driven data strategy, led data standards and championed migration of data platforms from conventional to modern frameworks.

He enjoys being at the intersection of business strategy, technology, and data.

Currently at American Tire Distributors (ATD), he is focused on delivery of enhanced data and analytics capabilities.

In this role, he is driving the build of a modern data and analytics organization in order to deliver data driven decisioning capability.

Prior to ATD, Lalit served at Novant Health as VP of analytics and before that in a global role as VP & Chief of Data at Solera.

In those roles he has built digital backbone for the organization and has driven mission to lead & execute the strategy to monetizing globally disparate data.

He has mentored & volunteered in several hackathons, not-for-profit organizations as well as individual mentees.

Lalit has been on several panels and presented on variety of data related topics.

Lalit holds a Master’s degree in Computer Science and an Undergraduate degree in Mechanical
Engineering.

Ms. Eileen Vidrine, a member of the Senior Executive Service, currently serves as the Department of the Air Force Chief Data and Artificial Intelligence Officer. She develops and implements strategies for enterprise data management, analytics, digital transformation, and responsible and ethical artificial intelligence to optimize performance and drive innovation in and across all missions and operations.

Recently named as one of Forbes’ “Top 15 AI Ethicists” and as a Visiting Fellow at Oxford’s Institute for
Ethics in AI, BG(R) Dave Barnes empowers senior business and government leaders seeking to develop,
implement, and lead strategic and responsible digital transformation, aligning business strategy while
mitigating AI ethical, legal, and societal risks affecting their business or investment decisions.

He retired from the US Army after 32 years of distinguished service, most recently serving as Professor,
United States Military Academy (PUSMA) Department of English and Philosophy, West Point, NY and as
Chief AI Ethics Officer for the US Army’s Artificial Intelligence (AI) Integration Center (AI2C).
As Chief AI Ethics Officer, he advises the Army on incorporating ethics, law, and policy into Army AI
design, development, testing, and employment, directly contributing to the development of the DoD AI
Ethical Principles and the 2020 US Army AI Strategy. He directs the effort to develop and operationalize
an Army Responsible AI strategy.

He has provided expert assistance to DARPA, the Chief Digital and Artificial Intelligence Office (CDAO),
Defense Innovation Board (DIB), National Security Commission on AI, OSD Autonomy Community of
Interest (CoI), OSD Biotechnology CoI’s Ethical, Legal, and Social Implications (ELSI) Subcommittee, and
others. He also served as the US Army’s Senior Service Representative for the USSOCOM Commander’s
2019 Comprehensive Review of Culture and Ethics.

He is an internationally renowned expert in responsible and assured AI, human machine teaming, and
autonomy. He is a member of the Editorial Boards for AI and Ethics and the Journal of Military Ethics,
and a Non-resident Fellow at the Stockholm Centre for the Ethics of War and Peace. He is the author of
The Ethics of Military Privatization: The US Armed Contractor Phenomenon and multiple articles on
ethics of armed conflict and the ethics of emerging technology; he has been an invited panelist and
speaker for over 100 national and international events.

BG(R) Barnes graduated from the United States Military Academy with a BS in Aero-Mechanical
Engineering. He holds a MA in philosophy from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst and a PhD in
philosophy from the University of Colorado, Boulder.

His remarks are personal views and do not necessarily reflect those of the Department of Defense, the
United States Army, or any other department or agency of the United States Government.

In an era of disruptive technologies and a myriad of innovation challenges, Dr. Liliana Horne empowers start-ups, government agencies, and Fortune 500 organizations through major transformations and complex enterprise architectures.

Liliana is the IBM Director of AI Accelerator, which has enabled $350M in revenue since 2019, along with a diverse portfolio of 20+ data and AI assets and solutions. Her strategic thinking and passion for harnessing leading technologies to accomplish core business goals align perfectly with the team’s mission. Liliana brings together deep expertise in technical, application and network optimization solutions, as well as client solutions.

Attaining an MIT Post-Graduate Certificate in Machine Learning and Artificial Intelligence and a Ph.D. in Information Systems, Liliana successfully developed the “Client-Side Mobile Evil Twin Attack Detection (CSMETAD)” application and published her doctoral dissertation “Development of a Client-Side Evil Twin Attack Detection System for Public Wi-Fi Hotspots based on Design Science Approach.”

Previously, as Client Solutions Executive at IBM, Liliana led global, large-sized teams to advance enterprises and government agencies to become agile by adopting new technologies. As a future-focused technology leader, she led complex transformation projects, designed clear IT strategy and roadmaps, and strengthened network and information security.

For a global hospitality organization, Liliana developed a net new $15M cloud-managed High-Speed Internet Access service product from scratch, which grew hotel revenue by 22% and improved customer experience. For the Puerto Rico Department of Education, she drove the network modernization initiative at 750 schools, which reduced cost by 50%.

Earlier, as a Growth Executive and Application & Network Optimization Solutions Leader, Liliana added to the top- and bottom-line growth by boosting the enterprise sales pipeline by 60% and closing $10M in revenue in the first year.

Liliana served as a National Practice Leader and was entrusted with building and running a net new line of business for IBM. Here, she led go-to-market, strategic partnerships, and pricing strategy. As Principal, she supported clients’ growth by delivering scalable and resilient architectures, modernizing systems and networks, and cutting-edge engineering infrastructures.

Liliana operated as the Acting CIO, leading the US DOJ-sponsored multiyear Life Sciences digital transformation initiative for the anti-terrorism and human rights forensic services division. Here, she developed a Laboratory Information Management System (LIMS), including automated workflows, modern data management, and secured networks.

Liliana is married to a successful business executive and has a 12-year-old daughter who is a rising robotics inventor and entrepreneur. She is proficient in English and Spanish and loves yoga, biking, swimming, and hiking.

Inderpal Bhandari is the IBM Global Chief Data Officer, where he has leveraged his extensive experience to lead IBM’s data strategy to ensure IBM remains the number one AI and hybrid cloud provider for the enterprise. Under his leadership, the Cognitive Enterprise Blueprint was created, a roadmap for IBM’s clients on their own transformation journeys.

Inderpal brings to IBM more than 20 years of experience in leadership roles at such leading companies as Cambia Health Solutions and Express Scripts/Medco Health Solutions. Prior to joining IBM, Inderpal served as Senior Vice President and Chief Data Officer of Cambia Health Solutions where he led the development of Cambia’s data strategy and drove the transformation of the company’s consumer experience strategies.

Prior to that, Inderpal served as Vice President of knowledge solutions and Chief Data Officer at Express Scripts/Medco Health Solutions, where he was responsible for maximizing the utility of the company’s data and its readiness to respond to emerging market trends. Before that, he founded Virtual Gold, growing the company into an international market leader for analytics in call centers and professional sports.

Inderpal is an expert in transforming data into business value and improved customer experiences by delivering strategic, innovative capabilities that use analytic insights to enable growth and productivity. In 2017, he was named U.S. Chief Data Officer of the Year by the CDO Club and has been featured as an industry expert by Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, US News & World Report, CNN and FOX.

Inderpal earned his Master of Science Degree in Electrical & Computer Engineering from the University of Massachusetts and holds a PhD in Electrical & Computer Engineering from Carnegie Mellon University.