Every year, World Leaders in Data & AI (WLDA) brings the executives responsible for enterprise data and AI into one room to compare notes on what is actually working. On October 30, 2026, the WLDA Summit returns to the New York Stock Exchange with a theme that reflects where business is heading: Leading in the Agentic Era. This article covers what the Summit is, why this year’s focus matters, and why it is taking place at the NYSE.
What is the WLDA Summit?
The WLDA Summit is the flagship annual gathering of World Leaders in Data & AI, a membership community for business and technology leaders in data, digital and AI. WLDA’s mission is to unite and empower those leaders and to foster collaboration, innovation and thought leadership that shape a fair digital world. Its members include Chief Data Officers, Chief AI Officers and C-suite executives from companies such as KPMG, Chevron, L’Oréal and Pfizer.
Unlike large trade shows, the Summit is a one-day, executive-level program. Speakers are practitioners: operating executives, board directors and the heads of the major AI platforms, speaking candidly to peers facing the same decisions.
Agentic AI isn’t a roadmap item anymore. It’s the org chart, the budget, and the board deck. This is where the people writing that playbook compare notes.
Asha Saxena, Founder & CEO, WLDA
Why the agentic era, and why now
AI agents are systems that can plan, use tools and take action toward a goal. They have moved quickly from experiments into daily operations. McKinsey’s State of AI in 2026 found that 40% of large organizations are now scaling AI agents, up from 27% a year earlier. Yet only 37% of respondents attribute any EBIT impact to AI. Gartner predicts that over 40% of agentic AI projects will be canceled by the end of 2027, because of rising costs, unclear value or weak risk controls.
The gap between adoption and results is a leadership problem, not just a technology one. It shows up in board oversight too: PwC’s 2026 directors survey found that 71% of directors say their boards need stronger AI skills. The 2026 Summit is built around closing that gap. For a deeper look at the data, read Agentic AI Leadership in 2026: 6 Questions Enterprise Leaders Will Tackle at the NYSE.
Why the New York Stock Exchange
Holding the Summit at the NYSE is deliberate. AI is now part of how public companies are valued, governed and held accountable, and the exchange sits at the center of all three. Two NYSE leaders are on the program: Tara Dziedzic, Head of US Listings, speaks on AI and Capital Markets, and Suzanne Brown, who leads NYSE Board Services, joins the boardroom panel. The day ends on the trading floor for the Closing Bell, a tradition that dates back to the 1870s, in a building that has been home to American capital markets since 1903.
What the Summit covers, and why it matters
- Turning AI into business value. The opening keynote, The Agentic Enterprise: Leading Through the Next Shift in AI by Asha Saxena, and AI in Action: Scaling Enterprise Transformation by Ankor Rai (Straive) focus on moving from pilots to measurable results.
- The platforms agents run on. AI Leaders: Products, Platforms & Possibilities brings together Anthropic, Google, Amazon and Microsoft. The agents most companies use will arrive through these platforms.
- Board oversight. AI in the Boardroom, with April Galda Joyce, Suzanne Brown, Denise Leonhard and Natalia Shuman, addresses what directors need to know as AI becomes a governance issue.
- Leading the organization. The C-suite panel with Gary Brantley (NFL), Sastry Durvasula (TIAA), Susannah Greenberg (L’Oréal) and Rashida Jones (Uncensored) covers funding, operating models and how teams work alongside agents.
- Trust, security and accountability. The risk and governance panel with Ken Phelan, Ankur Shah and Larry Zelvin tackles who is accountable when agents act on their own.
- What’s next. Two Next Generation AI Innovation Showcase sessions feature startups including General Robotics, lakeFS, Pay-i, Reality Defender and Thread AI.
See the full agenda and speaker bios on the Summit page.
Who should attend, and what you’ll leave with
The Summit is designed for Chief Data Officers, Chief AI Officers, CIOs, CTOs, board directors and Fortune 1000 decision makers. Attendees leave with:
- A clearer view of where agentic AI is creating value, and where it isn’t yet
- Practical approaches to AI governance, security and board reporting
- A sense of what the major AI platforms and emerging startups are building
- A network of peers working through the same decisions
How the Summit has grown
The Summit has evolved alongside the technology. The 2023 Summit, AI Beyond Boundaries, was held at the Accenture Innovation Hub at One Manhattan West and centered on think-tank sessions about generative AI. The 2025 Summit moved inside the New York Stock Exchange on November 7, 2025. The 2026 Summit builds on that, with a sharper focus on agents, governance and accountability. Browse the 2024, 2022 and 2021 recaps too.
The evening: the WLDA Awards Gala
The day continues at 6:00pm with the WLDA Awards Gala at 48 Wall Street, the 1920s former headquarters of the Bank of New York. The WLDA Awards recognize the enterprises and executives turning data and AI investment into real business outcomes, across the Enterprise, C-Suite Leadership and Premier tiers.
Plan your visit
- Date and time: Friday, October 30, 2026, 8:00am–4:00pm (Gala from 6:00pm)
- Venue: New York Stock Exchange, 11 Wall Street, New York City
- Tickets: Summit $1,000 (includes all sessions, breakfast and lunch); Gala $1,500, sold separately
- Entry: bring government-issued photo ID matching your registration, and arrive during the 8:00am registration window to clear security
- Dress code: business attire; athleisure, shorts, flip flops or sandals, halter tops, bare backs and midriffs are not permitted
- Hotel: WLDA room block at the New York Marriott Downtown. Book by October 8, 2026 for the group rate.
Frequently asked questions
The WLDA Summit is the flagship annual event of World Leaders in Data & AI. It is a one-day, executive-level program where CDOs, Chief AI Officers, CIOs, CTOs and board directors share how they are putting data and AI to work.
The 2026 theme is Leading in the Agentic Era. Sessions focus on scaling AI agents, board oversight, enterprise transformation, and risk, security and governance.
October 30, 2026, from 8:00am to 4:00pm at the New York Stock Exchange, 11 Wall Street, New York City.
AI now shapes how public companies are valued and governed. The NYSE brings capital markets and board perspectives to the program, and attendees finish the day on the trading floor for the Closing Bell.
Chief Data Officers, Chief AI Officers, CIOs, CTOs, board directors and Fortune 1000 decision makers responsible for data and AI strategy.
The Gala starts at 6:00pm on October 30, 2026 at 48 Wall Street and is ticketed separately at $1,500.
