Making the Data Storm Count: Driving Innovation and Transformation as CDO with Cara Dailey
October 16, 2025
What does it take to be a successful Chief Data Officer in today’s fast changing tech data and AI landscape?
In the latest episode of Bringing Data and AI To Life, Amy Horowitz, GVP Solutions Sales and Business Development at Informatica sits down with Cara Dailey, 3-time CDO for major financial institutions, to explore what pragmatic leadership in data transformation really entails. Drawing from her experience at major financial powerhouses, Cara shares invaluable insights on balancing strategic data differentiation, maintaining "clean closets" in data management, and leveraging AI to strengthen governance initiatives. This conversation offers a critical reminder that data-driven decision making is the need of the hour and can make or break your CDO aspirations.
What does it take to be a successful Chief Data Officer in today’s fast changing tech data and AI landscape? In the latest episode of Bringing Data and AI To Life, Amy Horowitz, GVP Solutions Sales and Business Development at Informatica sits down with Cara Dailey, 3-time CDO for major financial institutions, to explore what pragmatic leadership in data transformation really entails.
What You’ll Learn
- How to identify strategic data opportunities by focusing on specific business problems and value drivers
- The "Clean Closets" approach to assessing and organizing enterprise data assets in your first 100 days as a data leader
- Why connecting data strategy to business objectives is crucial for driving organizational transformation
- How to build high-performing data teams by combining diverse skillsets, from academics to relationship managers
- The critical link between AI innovation and data governance, and why AI is actually strengthening the case for robust data management
- Why taking calculated career risks and saying "yes" to unexpected opportunities can lead to transformative leadership roles in data
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This podcast is brought to you by Informatica, the leader in enterprise cloud data management.
Links:
Cara Dailey on LinkedIn: http://linkedin.com/in/cara-dailey
Early Warning Website: https://www.linkedin.com/company/early-warning-services?trk=public_profile_topcard-current-company
Amy Horowitz LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/amyhorowitz
Informatica Website: https://www.informatica.com/
Data & AI Architecture Summit: https://now.informatica.com/ai-architecture-summit2025.html?Source=INFAPodcast
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Previous guests include:
Salema Rice host of Data Governance and Data Integration Solution Sales, Willem Koenders of ZS Associates, Tanja Ubert of Rotterdam University of Applied Sciences, Graeme Thompson of Informatica
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Bringing Data and AI to Life Guest and Audience Feedback
Leave us a voice note!
Previous guests include:
Salema Rice host of Data Governance and Data Integration Solution Sales, Willem Koenders of ZS Associates, Tanja Ubert of Rotterdam University of Applied Sciences, Graeme Thompson of Informatica
Check out our Top episodes:
- Why Do We Still Struggle to Trust AI? with Graeme Thompson from Informatica
- Data Quality Over Quantity and the Human Element, with Tanja Ubert from Rotterdam University
- The Power of Data Governance and Responsible AI with Salema Rice, Chief Executive Officer at CDO Today