CDAO Perth schedule

During this 10-minute networking session, the aim of the game is to go and meet three people you don't already know. Have fun!

• Exploring how modern CDOs are shaping strategy, innovation, and value creation.
• The rise of agentic AI, its impact on governance, and the future of human-machine collaboration.
• The CDAO’s role in fostering a culture of responsible data use across organisations.

• Securing replication environments to prevent leakage, duplication risk, and shadow data.
• Building integration layers that preserve lineage, metadata, and access control across platforms.
• Safeguarding sensitive datasets in AI/ML workflows without limiting performance or agility.
• Aligning with governance frameworks to ensure ethical, compliant AI adoption from the start.

One of the biggest challenges is ensuring that data-driven insights are not just understood but acted upon at the highest levels of leadership. How can data leaders effectively communicate the value of analytics, gain executive buy-in, and ensure data initiatives align with broader business objectives?

• Addressing executive resistance to data-driven decision-making.
• Creating a unified ‘single source of truth’ for data outputs in organisations for high-quality growth enablement.
• Bridging the gap between governance, risk and innovation and exploring the shift of data leaders from tech enforcers to strategic advisors.

Moderator 

Vaibhav Agrawal Advisory Board – Centre for Business Data Analytics University of Western Australia

Panellists

Nasir David Director - Data and Information Systems WA Department of Health

Paul Hunt Head of Data and Analytics Australian Motoring Services

Vahid Golkar Data and Analytics Manager Topdrill

• Understanding different types of data prototypes and how your intent shapes design and success metrics.
• Why rough, early-stage prototypes are powerful tools for alignment, learning, and low-risk failure.
• A toddler’s guide to prototyping – A practical framework for building data prototypes fast, testing often, and learning through iteration.
• How prototyping encourages a more collaborative, curious, and experimental data culture across teams.

• Translating complex data into clear, compelling narratives that drive executive understanding and action.
• Using strategic communication to demonstrate business value and secure leadership buy-in for data initiatives.
• Framing data discussions around business impact, risk, and revenue.

Bobby Patel GM Data and Analytics RAC WA

Piyush Lalwani Data Engineering Manager RAC WA 

• The role of data fabrics, mesh architectures, and automation in breaking silos.
• Exploring the hidden cost of fragmentation by dismantling silos, disconnected data ecosystems and inconsistent data sources.
• Leading change management tactics that ensure long term data unification efforts.

• Striking the right balance between open data access and maintaining security, compliance, and data integrity.
• The role of education, self-service analytics, and AI-assisted tools in enabling a data-literate workforce.
• Ensuring LLMs generate reliable, bias-free responses by anchoring them in high-quality, governed datasets.

• WA’s evolving data protection policies, the Privacy Act reforms, PRIS 2026 and global trends (e.g., GDPR, CCPA) are shaping compliance requirements.
• Ensuring compliance with sovereign data requirements while maintaining global data operations.
•  How automation can streamline compliance reporting, audit readiness, and regulatory adherence.

Moderator

Yulia Merril Perth Branch President DAMA 

Panellists

Ivy Isaac Manager, Governance, Analysis and Improvement Fortescue

Mohammad Bilal Shaikh Artificial Intelligence Software Engineer Molycop

Ross Campbell Manager – Data & Analytics and Privacy Officer The Perth Mint

• Reducing manual governance tasks with AI and machine learning.
• Showcasing well-structured governance strategies that drive innovation and operational efficiency.
• Building a data governance model that ensures quality, transparency, and compliance. 

Effective data governance is not just about compliance - it’s a strategic enabler of business value, trust, and operational excellence. For governance practices to succeed, organisations must align people, processes, and platforms with a clear, business-driven approach.

• Key components of successful data governance frameworks and operating models, including business ownership and data quality management.

• Embedding data governance into enterprise data strategy, other governance practices and aligning with business objectives.

• Practical approaches to drive adoption, such as data literacy programs to leadership buy-in.

• Creating a sustainable culture of accountability, transparency, and continuous improvement in data practices.

• Strategies to integrate data-driven insights seamlessly into daily operations and strategic planning.
• Encouraging cross-functional data sharing to align business units and eliminate bottlenecks.
• How executives and CDOs can champion data-driven decision-making across all levels.

• Understanding ROI and strategic data valuation for actionable impact.
• Strategies for internal efficiencies, external data partnerships and embedding analytics into revenue generation.
• Managing risk and regulatory considerations while pursuing commercial opportunities.
• The next phase of technological adoption: from experimentation to enterprise-wide integration.

As AI capabilities become central to business transformation, data and analytics leaders are under pressure to enable AI adoption while maintaining trust, accountability, and control. The future of AI-driven enterprises hinges on robust governance frameworks that align innovation with risk, ethics, and compliance. 

• How organisations are shifting from reactive analytics to proactive, insight-driven growth.
• Leveraging analytics to accelerate product development, market expansion, and operational excellence.
• Future-proofing strategies with AI, real-time analytics, and automation. 

• Ensuring full traceability from source to insight, reducing risk exposure
• Proactively embed integrity checks, metadata management, and automated controls into audit practices.
• Establishing governance frameworks that support AI, self-service analytics, and real-time data access.

Data leaders are grappling with a talent crisis - demand is surging, yet hiring alone is not a sustainable solution. The real challenge is transforming the workforce pipeline to meet evolving business needs.

• Why traditional incentives are failing and how to align compensation, purpose, and flexibility to keep top talent.
• How partnerships with universities, internal development programs, and alternative career pathways can create a steady flow of skilled professionals.
• Evaluating when to invest in upskilling existing teams in BI and AI versus bringing in external hires for specialised roles.
• Exploring the role of data leaders in workforce strategy and cultivating the next generation of CDOs.

Moderator

Douglas Robertson Director & Principal Consultant DR Analytics Recruitment

Panellists

Rutuparna Ayachit Manager - Information Management Services CITIC Pacific Mining

Get ready to challenge assumptions, defend your stance, and shift perspectives.

In this high-energy, interactive debate panel, senior data leaders won’t just share insights. They’ll take sides. With live audience polling, provocative prompts, and no safe middle ground, this session invites attendees to vote, question, and engage in real-time. Expect lively discussions, surprising consensus, and a candid look at the questions shaping the future of data leadership in WA.

Facilitator

Jong (JJ) Jung Head of Market Intelligence Ramsay Health Care

Debaters

Dr. Ryan Behdad Head of Data Science & Analytics CashConverters

Matthew Curnow Head of Digital, DataOps and AI Wood

Krista Bell Director - Data and Information Governance Curtin University
Harpreet Khalsa Chief Data Officer Edith Cowan University