Paul Zajdel

This fast-paced executive conversation takes different positions on how organizations should activate the Snowflake platform. Through structured debate across five platform pillars and the governance framework connecting them, the session surfaces the real decisions leaders face when building an AI-ready data platform. The discussion contrasts the urgency to deliver AI outcomes with the architectural discipline required to avoid long-term technical debt. The session provides a balanced perspective, equipping technical leaders with language to communicate business value and giving executives the architectural insight needed to make stronger platform decisions.

Despite high AI adoption, few enterprises see meaningful impact because traditional governance and security methods slow innovation. For most, governance lives outside the platform, in workflows that operate at human speed. To bridge the gap between investment and impact, enterprises must embed governance and protection into the data platform. In this session we will discuss: Governing and protecting what AI models learn from, so sensitive data can fuel training without surfacing in outputs Lineage, accountability and protection when AI agents act on enterprise data Keeping governance and protection consistent as data moves across clouds Unstructured data as the new risk surface This session is being conducted under Chatham House Rules. To foster an open and candid discussion, participants are expected to treat all information shared during the session as confidential. Information, comments, viewpoints, and materials discussed may not be referenced, disclosed, attributed, distributed, or shared outside of this session without the express permission of the organizers and participants.

For decades, analytics leaders have worked to turn data into trusted insight. As AI accelerates access to intelligence, confidence has not kept pace. This session introduces Minimum Viable Data Governance (MVDG), a pragmatic approach to improving data quality, accountability, and trust without slowing teams down. Attendees will learn how MVDG enables organizations to activate AI value at velocity while navigating both the now and the next.