September 9, 2022

Honoring Women, Men, and Companies Making Strides in Data, AI, Inclusion, and Innovation.

Colonia, NJ, September 9 –

Colonia, NJ, USA – Women in Leaders in Data and AI (WLDA), an organization supporting women leaders in data and AI for an impactful future, has announced the 44 individual finalists and 6 corporate finalists for the inaugural WLDA Awards. The awards celebrate inspiring individuals and companies who are creating, leading, and demonstrating innovation and inclusion in the fields of data and  AI. 

WLDA was created to help shine a spotlight on women in the AI industry. A recent study by Deloitte demonstrated that women leave the AI field at high rates due to a stalled career and lack of support. WLDA highlights people and companies focused on making a difference across these fields.

“Now it’s more possible than ever before, to lift women and to recognize them, along with their allies, for their work and support” she added. Along with these incredible women, these awards allow us to celebrate men and corporations who empower and encourage their women colleagues.

The Finalists will be announced in the coming weeks and the winners will be announced November 3, 2022 in NYC during the WLDA Awards Gala where we will be celebrating leaders and influencers in technology, data, and AI roles, across industries. For more information or to purchase tickets to the Awards Gala, please visit https://wlda.tech/awards/.

Awards Categories and Nominees:

Best Motivator 

• Ellen Nielsen- CDO, Chevron
• Melissa Drew – Associate Partner, Digital Transformation Executive Advisor, IBM
• Maria C. Villar – Head of Enterprise Data Strategy and Transformation, SAP
• Debbie Cheng – Data Foundation Product Line Manager, Chevron
• Ken Ho – CIO, Synovus
• Bhavna Mehta – Assistant VP – Data and Analytics, CCH Medical Center
• Keri Smith – Applied Intelligence Lead, US NE FS, Accenture
• Meghan Anzelc – Head of Data and Analytics, Spencer Stuart
• Jigyasa Grover – Senior Machine Learning Engineer, Twitter
• Cindi Howson – CDSO, Thoughtspot
• Nancy Morgan – CDO (Retired), US Government

Changemaker in the field of Data

• Michelle Dunivan – Analytics Director, Best Friends Animal Society
• Maria C Villar – Head of Enterprise Data Strategy and Transformation, SAP
• Besa Bauta – CDO, Texas State
• Joyce Kline – North America Aerospace & Defense Applied Intelligence Lead, Accenture
• Kirsten Dalboe – CDO, Federal Energy Regulatory Commision
• Wendy Luebbe – Managing Director – Financial Services Data and Analytics Leader, Proviti
• Cindi Howson – CDSO, Thoughtspot
• Rashmi Gupta – Partner, Data and Technology Transformation, IBM
• Sarah Karthigan – GM Data & Insights, Strategy & Innovation, Chevron

Changemaker in the field of AI

• Sarah Karthigan – GM Data & Insights, Strategy & Innovation, Chevron
• Teresa Tung – Cloud First Chief Technologist, Accenture
• Julia Bardmesser – SVP, Head of Data, Architecture and Salesforce Development, Voya Financials
• Seth Dobrin – Global Chief AI Officer, IBM
• Miriam Vogel – CEO, Equal AI

Corporation of the Year 

•  PwC
• Chevron
• Accenture
• L’Oreal
• Synchrony
• Visa

Rising Star 

● Jigyasa Grover – Senior Machine Learning Engineer, Twitter

• Laney Marsh – Data Scientist – Data Science & Analytics Chapter, Data & Insights Platform, Chevron
• Alanna Roesler – People Analytics Change Leader, Schneider Electric
• Clare Bolin – Operations Research Analyst PAQ, Department of the Air Force
• Jacqueline Vail – Marketing Communications Specialist, Starburst
• Joyce Kline – Managing Director, Applied Intelligence, Accenture
• Chandra Donelson- Deputy CDO, HQ U.S. Army G-2

WLDA Woman Leaders of the Year 

• Jaqui Van Der Leij- Greyling – Global Head of Tax Technology, Ebay
• Dara Meath – Divisional CIO , Conair
• Eileen Vidrine – Senior Strategic Advisor for Data to the Federal CIO, Office of Management & Budget/Executive Office of the President (detailed from Department of the Air Force)
• Jess landiorio – CMO, Starburst
• Salema Rice – Global Managing Director, Accenture Applied Intelligence, Accenture

AI Leader of the Year

• Rama Akkiraju – VP AI/ML for IT, NVIDIA
• Sonia Gupta – CMO, Change Healthcare
• Shilpi Agarwal – Founder and Chief Data Ethics Officer, DataEthics4All 
• Lan Guan – Global Data and AI Lead for Cloud First, Accenture
• Jan Choy – Director, AI/ML, Memorial Sloan Kettering

Data Leader of the Year

• Adita Karker – CDO, Deloitte
• Maria Nazareth – Partner, Cloud & Digital – Analytics Insights, PwC
• Jigyasa Grover – Senior Machine Learning Engineer, Twitter
• Ellen Nielsen – CDO, Chevron 
• Eileen Vidrine – Senior Strategic Advisor for Data to the Federal CIO, Office of Management & Budget/Executive Office of the President (detailed from Department of the Air Force)
• Roshani Bhatt – Global Managing Director, Applied Intelligence, Accenture

Executive Champion

• Mike Giresi – CDO, Molex
• Michael Kingston – CIO, The Carlyle Group
• Sandy Carter – SVP and Channel Chief, Unstoppable Domains
• Lee Barrett – Managing Director, Accenture
• Rashmi Gupta – Partner, Data and Technology Transformation, IBM
• Sanjeev Vohra – Global Applied Intelligence Lead, Accenture

ABOUT WLDA 

Women Leaders in Data and AI, [https://wlda.tech], is a woman-run membership and mastermind circle organization for women leaders in data and AI.  Our mission is to bring women together to lead at the forefront of innovation of data and AI to create an impactful future. 

The organization supports women leaders and provides one-of-a-kind opportunities to learn from their F1000 industry peers, find tech solutions, and solve tough data challenges while helping them develop personally and professionally.  

Our events are designed to provide intimate and confidential, facilitated conversations in platforms where women leaders find support from one another,  helping provide the inspiration they may not find elsewhere. 

ABOUT ASHA SAXENA 

Asha Saxena is the Founder and CEO of Women Leaders in Data and AI (WLDA), an exclusive mastermind group for women leaders in Data and AI, helping them succeed both personally and professionally. She is also a professor at Columbia University in  NYC, teaching graduate students healthcare consulting and entrepreneurship, and is a partner with CEO International, where she coaches CXO leaders.  

As a serial entrepreneur, she has built and sold three successful businesses. Most recently, she has served as CEO and Chairperson of Future Technologies Inc., a data management firm that provides warehousing, analytics, and intelligence services. She was also the CEO and Chief Innovation Officer of ACULYST, providing best-in-class healthcare analytics services through a pre-built model that integrates clinical, financial, and operational data. Asha has served on several for-profit and nonprofit boards and is a contributor and international speaker on various technology, data, AI, and women-related issues. 

Apply for your exclusive membership now and learn more about us at  https://wlda.tech.  

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