Agenda
| 7:30am - 9:00am | Breakfast |
| 9:00am - 10:20am | Welcome & Keynote |
| 10:20am - 10:40am | Refreshment Break |
| 10:40am - 11:30am | Keynote |
| 11:30am - 1:10pm | Lunch |
| 1:10pm - 1:30pm | Product Demos |
| 1:30pm - 1:40pm | Refreshment Break |
| 1:40pm - 2:00pm | Product Demos |
| 2:00pm - 2:20pm | Refreshment Break |
| 2:20pm - 3:00pm | Breakout Sessions |
| 3:00pm - 3:20pm | Refreshment Break |
| 3:20pm - 4:00pm | Breakout Sessions |
| 4:00pm - 4:20pm | Refreshment Break |
| 4:20pm - 5:00pm | Breakout Sessions |
| 5:00pm - 6:30pm | Welcome Reception |
| 7:30am - 9:00am | Breakfast |
| 9:00am - 10:20am | Welcome & Keynote |
| 10:20am - 10:40am | Refreshment Break |
| 10:40am - 11:30am | Keynote |
| 11:30am - 1:10pm | Lunch |
| 1:10pm - 1:30pm | Product Demos |
| 1:30pm - 1:40pm | Refreshment Break |
| 1:40pm - 2:00pm | Product Demos |
| 2:00pm - 2:20pm | Refreshment Break |
| 2:20pm - 3:00pm | Breakout Sessions |
| 3:00pm - 3:20pm | Refreshment Break |
| 3:20pm - 4:00pm | Breakout Sessions |
| 4:00pm - 4:20pm | Refreshment Break |
| 4:20pm - 5:20pm | Closing & Keynote |
| 6:00pm - 10:00pm | Evening Event |
Keynotes
Steve May
Chief Technology Officer, Pixar
Steve May is the Chief Technology Officer at Pixar Animation Studios, where he has led innovation for over 25 years. He oversees all studio technology, including software research and development, RenderMan and visual effects tools. Steve began at Pixar as a technical director on Toy Story 2 and helped pioneer character technology on Monsters, Inc., later serving as supervising technical director on Finding Nemo, Cars, Up and Brave. He is the founder and chair of the Alliance for OpenUSD and serves on the governing board of Disney Research Studios. A distinguished alumnus of Ohio State University, Steve is also a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.
Presenting:
Rosalyn Durant
Executive Vice President of Programming & Acquisitions, ESPN
Rosalyn Durant is Executive Vice President of Programming and Acquisitions at ESPN, where she leads strategy across media rights, ESPN+, ESPN International, Andscape and espnW. A 24-year Disney and ESPN veteran, Durant has held pivotal roles shaping college sports networks – including the launch of the ACC Network – and driving innovation in digital rights and programming. She previously led Disney Springs, water parks and ESPN Wide World of Sports, where she played a key role in the NBA’s 2020 “Bubble” restart. Recognized by Sports Business Journal, Savoy and CableFax, Durant is a champion of inclusive leadership and serves on Disney’s CEO Diversity and Inclusion Council and the T. Howard Foundation board.
Cassie Kozyrkov
Chief Executive Officer, Kozyr LLC
Cassie Kozyrkov is the Chief Executive Officer of Kozyr and the founder of Decision Intelligence. As Google’s first Chief Decision Scientist, she helped lead its transformation into an AI-first company, personally training over 20,000 Googlers and influencing 500+ initiatives. Today, she advises global organizations like NASA, Meta and Gucci on AI strategy. A dynamic speaker with deep technical expertise and theater-trained charisma, Cassie has captivated audiences in 40+ countries, including at the United Nations and World Economic Forum. She’s a LinkedIn Top Voice, Forbes AI cover star and a celebrated author with millions of readers. Cassie holds degrees in economics, statistics, psychology and neuroscience.
Presenting:
Baris Sarer
Consulting Principal, TMT Strategy & Analytics, Deloitte
Baris is the Global Leader of Deloitte’s AI Practice for the Technology, Media & Entertainment and Telecom (TMT) industries. With over 20 years of experience, he advises C-suite executives on data-driven strategies and intelligent technology investments. Baris is a recognized thought leader, frequently contributing to industry forums and publications. He has led complex programs to scale AI, monetize data and maximize technology return on investment. Currently, he focuses on unlocking AI’s potential in the TMT sector. Before Deloitte, Baris held leadership roles in wireless communications companies across research and development, operations and sales, managing global projects and advising clients worldwide.
Presenting:
Matt Hull
Vice President, Global DGX & AI Data Center Solutions Sales, NVIDIA
Matt Hull serves as Vice President, Deep GPU Xceleration (DGX) & AI Data Center Solutions Sales at NVIDIA, with responsibility for global sales of the NVIDIA DGX AI system portfolio. Matt is also responsible for AI Data Center Solutions including DGX POD AI solutions, DGX-Ready Data Center partnerships and creating the market conditions to allow AI to thrive in the enterprise. Prior to joining NVIDIA in 2017, Matt spent 10 years at Hewlett-Packard and then Hewlett Packard Enterprise where he held various management roles in sales, product management and engineering. Prior to Hewlett-Packard, Matt held several management roles at Seagate Technology. Matt started his career as an executive recruiter.
Presenting:Featured Speakers
Andrew Wright
Walt Disney Imagineering Research & Development Principal, The Walt Disney Company
Andrew Wright, a Walt Disney Imagineering Research & Development principal, develops advanced technologies to improve the work of fellow Imagineers and Cast Members. With 19 years at Disney, he has contributed to diverse analytic and emerging technology teams. Prior to Disney, Andrew worked in financial services and consulting. He holds a degree in foreign affairs and graduate degrees in business and applied statistics. Andrew lives in Southern California with his wife and their retired rescue greyhound.
Presenting:
Brian Walters
Sr. Manager, Modeling Simulation & Training Tools, The Walt Disney Company
Brian Walters, Professional Engineer, is senior manager of the Modeling, Simulation, and Training Tools (MST) team within Global Engineering and Technology (GE&T) at Disney Experiences. The MST team develops simulation, training, data acquisition and analytics tools for Disney Parks worldwide. Brian graduated from the University of Central Florida with a Bachelor of Science in electrical engineering and a Master of Science in engineering management.
Presenting:
Cara Dienes
Vice President, Decision Science Application Development, Sustainment & Operations, The Walt Disney Company
During her tenure with Disney, Cara Dienes has delivered pricing, inventory control and forecasting capabilities to businesses across the enterprise. These solutions empower decision-makers with techniques from statistics, optimization, simulation and machine learning into applications. Beyond delivering solutions, Cara seeks to empower team members and develop analytics leaders of the future. Prior to joining Disney, she worked in systems engineering in the defense industry. She holds a doctorate in industrial engineering from Iowa State and is currently Vice President, Decision Science Application Development, Sustainment & Operations.
Presenting:
Chris Szydlo
Content Director, Disney Institute
Chris Szydlo’s team designs shelf and customized learning experiences about Disney’s approach to uplevel business professionals and organizations. With over 30 years of Disney experience in strategic and creative roles, Chris leverages his vast Disney network to transform business and leadership insights into powerful content that consistently receives extremely high positive participant ratings. Prior to Disney, he was a master model builder and GM of the LEGO Imagination Center. Chris has a bachelor’s degree, specializing in education, from Rensselaer.
Presenting:
Christopher Fults
Sr. Facilitator, Disney Institute
Christopher Fults facilitates professional development courses for individuals and learning events for groups. He has held roles at Disney Imagination Campus, operations leadership in transportation and training content development manager at National Geographic, where he collaborated with explorers to amplify their grant work. Before Disney, Christopher taught English in Tennessee and earned his master’s degree in curriculum and instruction and bachelor’s degree in multidisciplinary education. He is pursuing his doctorate in organizational leadership and learning at Vanderbilt University.
Presenting:
Frederick Zahrn
Director, Decision Science Transformation, The Walt Disney Company
Frederick Zahrn is a director of decision science transformation within Disney Decision Science & Integration (DDSI). He leads a team producing prototypes and pilots in support of business decision making across the company in technical domains including optimization, causal inference, simulation, machine learning, statistics and decision analysis. Prior to starting his Disney career in 2010, Fred completed his Master of Science in operations research and doctorate in industrial engineering from Georgia Tech.
Presenting:
Joe Duane
Director, Software Engineering, The Walt Disney Company
Joe Duane leads business operations tools for Disney Entertainment & ESPN Product & Technology, overseeing efforts unifying internal tools into a connected suite of services and data. He has worked as a software engineer, consultant and product manager, and focuses on using advanced technologies and tools to enhance human insight. Before joining Disney, he led product management for Oracle’s Marketing Cloud, helping streamline and centralize the creation of multi-channel marketing campaigns.
Presenting:
Justin Hoffman
Business Integration Manager II, The Walt Disney Company
Justin Hoffman is a business integration manager with consumer insights and market analytics (CIMA), where he works in survey methodology, data management and transformation projects. Prior to Disney, Justin worked in marketing roles in Sydney, Australia and Seoul, Korea. Once in Orlando, he served as a product analyst in the gas and power industry, then in project management for pharmaceutical research. He holds a Bachelor of Arts from The Ohio State University and a Master of Business Administration from Florida Gulf Coast University.
Presenting:
Kevin Farrar
Head of Sport Partnerships, EMEA, IBM
Kevin is currently Head of Sport Partnerships EMEA, as well as IBM Partnership Executive to the AELTC and IBM Client Experience Executive for Scuderia Ferrari. He is responsible for ensuring that IBM’s investment in our EMEA sponsorship properties is maximized, supporting our clients’ business objectives through IBM’s Consulting and Technology capabilities to enhance the value of the client case study from which we create compelling marketing stories.
Kevin has a proven track record of building and demonstrating his client and industry understanding and he is seen as a trusted advisor on technology innovation adoption in the sports industry.
Presenting:
Kevin Masick
Research Systems Manager, The Walt Disney Company
Kevin Masick began his Disney career in August 2021 as a research systems manager in Consumer Insights and Market Analytics (CIMA). Prior to joining Disney, he spent 16+ years as a health care leader driving analytic innovation, research education and storytelling with data and an adjunct professor teaching research methodology and statistics. Kevin has co-authored three textbooks and published 25+ peer-reviewed journal articles. He holds a doctorate in applied organizational psychology from Hofstra University.
Presenting:
Kiran Pendyala
Sr. Business Analyst, The Walt Disney Company
Kiran Pendyala is a senior business analyst for Disney Entertainment’s direct-to-consumer business, including Disney+ and Hulu. With a passion for storytelling through data, he focuses on analyzing content performance and uncovering valuable insights into subscriber preferences that can inform strategy and investments. Prior to Disney, he held positions in consumer research and insights at Warner Bros. Discovery and Sony Pictures. He holds a bachelor's degree in mathematics and statistics from Arizona State University. Outside of work, Kiran combines his love for music and service by supporting nonprofit youth programs that use art therapy to empower underprivileged communities.
Presenting:
Lauren Boyer
Sr. Manager, Business Insights & Analytics, National Geographic
As senior manager of business insights and analytics at National Geographic, Lauren Boyer drives data-based decision-making for the organization's subscription business, including editorial efforts. Lauren joined National Geographic in 2017, initially spearheading social media intelligence. As a former newspaper reporter, she's passionate about how data-driven approaches can bolster newsrooms' resilience and sustainability. Lauren holds a degree in journalism from Penn State University, where she is an adjunct instructor and curriculum contributor for the communications college.
Presenting:
Mark Gamble
Product & Solutions Marketing Director, Couchbase
Mark is a passionate product marketer with a technical and solution consulting background and more than 20 years of experience in enterprise and open-source technology. He has launched several database and analytic solutions throughout his career and has worked with customers across a wide variety of industries, including financial services, automotive, gaming, hospitality, high tech and healthcare. With expertise in analytics and AI, Mark loves all things data and is an emphatic supporter of data-for-good initiatives.
Presenting:
McKay Curtis
Director, Decision Science Transformation, The Walt Disney Company
As Director of Decision Science Transformation at Disney, McKay Curtis leads the development of analytical methods and tools that enhance decision-making across the enterprise. Over his 14 years with Disney, his solutions have benefited diverse businesses including Disney Cruise Line, The Walt Disney Studios, Disney Parks, ESPN, ABC and Disney Theatrical Group. McKay’s expertise in causal inference, Bayesian statistics, machine learning and experimental design provides the foundation for analytical solutions in marketing, revenue management and finance. He earned his doctorate in statistics from North Carolina State University. Prior to Disney, McKay was a postdoctoral research associate at the University of Washington, where he contributed to developing statistical methods for analyzing Alzheimer’s disease data.
Presenting:
Melissa Hadley
Sr. AI Agents Strategy Leader, IBM
Melissa Hadley is the Southeast regional strategy leader for AI productivity. She helps innovators with assessing AI value, driving outcome-oriented technology strategy and leveraging AI agents to optimize businesses. Her IBM career started in Chicago where she specialized in the financial services industry and how to modernize middleware and integration in that space. She pivoted to intelligent automation, content management, decision management and robotic process automation in the insurance and public sectors. Now, she advises organizations on leveraging agentic AI in a transparent, safe and return-on-investment-driven way. Melissa lives in Charlotte, North Carolina, is passionate about diversity inclusion and sits on the board of several employee resource groups at IBM. She's a pilates fanatic, amateur chef, loves to travel and recently ran her third marathon in April of 2025 - The London Marathon!
Presenting:
Moritz Bächer
Associate Lab Director, The Walt Disney Company
Moritz Bächer is the associate lab director of Disney’s Zurich-based robotics team, where he leads a strategic program focusing on the development of novel model- and learning-based tools for the design and control of believable robotic characters. His core expertise is the optimal design and control of both soft and rigid systems, using a combination of differentiable simulation and reinforcement learning. Prior to joining Disney, Moritz received his doctorate from the Harvard School of Engineering and Applied Sciences and his master’s degree from ETH Zurich.
Presenting:
Paige Berry
Data Science Manager, The Walt Disney Company
Paige Berry is a data science manager for the commercial strategy organization at Walt Disney World Resort. Her team leverages data, domain knowledge and connected intelligence to inform revenue-driving strategies. During her 12 years with the company, she previously supported merchandise revenue forecasting and helped bring date-based ticket pricing to market. She has a bachelor’s degree in economics and a master’s degree in business analytics, both from the University of Central Florida.
Presenting:
Peter Reale
Principal Solutions Engineer, Couchbase
Peter is a solutions engineer who enjoys solving hard problems in the data and analytics space. With over 40 years experience in tech, he works with companies in media, hospitality, gaming and beyond. His favorite part of the job is collaborating with brilliant colleagues and the best technology to make his customers' lives better. Outside of work, you'll find him cooking, spending time with his wife and family or swimming in the Santa Monica Bay.
Presenting:
Sara Shapiro
Manager, Growth Strategy Subscription Services, National Geographic
As a passionate marketer, Sara Shapiro is focused on continually improving the ‘art’ of marketing through the ‘science’ of analysis, by providing strategic insights around performance and digging deep into the conversion funnel to uncover optimization opportunities. She is currently the manager of growth strategy for subscription services at National Geographic and holds a Bachelor of Arts in advertising from the University of South Carolina.
Presenting:
Sierra Duncan
Sr. Manager, Business Intelligence, The Walt Disney Company
Sierra Duncan is a senior manager of business intelligence for Disney Entertainment’s direct-to-consumer business, including Disney+ and Hulu. Sierra’s work is focused on executive reporting and business insights, where she is constantly searching for ways to connect dots for insights to inform the big picture of business performance and strategy. Coming from a theatre background and currently pursuing a Master of Business Administration from New York University Stern School of Business, Sierra thrives on connecting conventional and unconventional viewpoints to tell the most complete and engaging story.
Presenting:
Teresa Causin
Director, Technical Program Management, The Walt Disney Company
Teresa Causin is a Director, Technical Program Management, leading data tooling, workforce systems, and operational governance across internal and out of the box platforms. She oversees the Talent Track program and aids in resource planning and reporting across Disney Entertainment & ESPN Product & Technology . With deep experience in infrastructure and program delivery, Teresa fosters innovation, cross-functional alignment, and operational excellence. Based in Seattle, she is passionate about technology and creating exceptional, scalable solutions in complex, dynamic environments.
Presenting:
Traci Gusher
AI & Data Leader, EY
Traci is an experienced executive with deep experience in leading programs focused on artificial intelligence, advanced analytics and emerging technologies. She is responsible for leading data and analytics teams in the Americas across the Consulting division; focused on building innovative approaches and platforms to enable digital transformation journeys. Traci partners with leaders and executives across industries to build sustainable data, analytics and artificial intelligence capabilities, focusing on moving beyond experimentation and prototyping.
Presenting:Presentations
Pixar Chief Technology Officer Steve May will explore 30 years of innovation at the studio, from Toy Story to the upcoming Hoppers. Along the way, he will reveal how data—in the form of pixels, particles and even individual hairs—has helped shape the studio’s storytelling.
Consider: Sulley from Monsters, Inc. boasts 2.3 million simulated hairs; 10,297 balloons lift the house in Up; and each film typically generates more than 100,000 storyboards before any animation is produced. From these staggering numbers to the invisible data infrastructure behind every frame, learn how Pixar responds to creative challenges with technological solutions such as OpenUSD - where Pixar is a founding member of the Alliance for OpenUSD and Steve May is the initial Chairperson for the Alliance for OpenUSD - and how increasingly complex datasets and simulation models underpin recent advancements in stylized animation and cross-pipeline efficiencies.
As AI becomes more powerful, the real competitive advantage isn't in the technology—it's in the human mind. Cassie Kozyrkov, who spearheaded Google's AI-first transformation, inspires you to embrace the one thing AI can't replace: human judgment. In this engaging keynote, she challenges leaders to rethink their role in a world where AI delivers perfect answers in seconds. Cassie equips you with mental agility and decision-making frameworks needed to stay ahead, focusing on how to harness AI's potential without falling into the trap of thoughtless automation. Get ready to think faster and lead smarter.
Step right up to the intersection of imagination and innovation! In this dynamic session, Deloitte and NVIDIA pull back the curtain on the “AI Factory”—a cutting-edge platform that’s transforming how organizations harness data and artificial intelligence to create unforgettable experiences. Discover how the AI Factory, powered by Deloitte’s industry expertise and NVIDIA’s breakthrough technology, turns massive data streams into actionable insights, personalized content, and magical moments for audiences worldwide. Whether you’re passionate about technology, creativity or the magic of storytelling, this session will inspire you to imagine new possibilities and unlock the full potential of data and AI for transformative experiences.
As we discuss how AI capabilities rapidly evolve and reshape markets, leaders face increasing pressure to respond and adapt to an uncertain future. Through careful analysis of emerging signals and trends, join EY’s AI and data leader, Traci Gusher, as she discusses four distinct scenarios for how AI could reshape the business landscape by 2030. While not predictions, these scenarios serve as tools for strategic thinking, helping leaders prepare for various possible outcomes.
In this presentation, attendees will:
- Receive an overview of the current AI market, as defined by constraint, growth, transform and collapse.
- Explore how technology could shape the business landscape in 2030.
- Prepare for the AI-centric landscape in 2030.
Whether you're gearing up for a Grand Prix or getting ready to shoot a blockbuster, success starts long before the lights go up. Just like in filmmaking, where storyboarding, casting and set design lay the foundation for a great scene, your own enterprise data and AI strategy lays the foundation for business success. In this session, we’ll explore how IBM partnered with Ferrari to enhance the F1 fan experience—using data and AI to deliver high-speed, high-impact engagement through the Ferrari app. We’ll also take you behind the scenes of IBM’s transformation as “client zero,” where we’re applying our own technologies internally to drive dramatic cost savings, streamline operations, and accelerate innovation. Join us to discover how a comprehensive data and AI strategy can help turn your organization into a blockbuster success—on the track, on the screen and in the boardroom.
At the heart of every technology transformation is the need to deliver rich, engaging digital experiences for customers, partners and employees alike. To do this effectively, organizations must harness AI and data in a way that is agile, scalable and responsive to change. In this session, you will learn how an AI and data platform can help you:
- Seamlessly serve customers from cloud to edge.
- Develop better apps faster leveraging built-in capabilities like in-memory caching, auto-replication, real-time analytics, vector search, eventing, offline-first mobile sync, AI services and more.
- Streamline operations to increase efficiency, reduce data sprawl and lower total cost of ownership.
Join us to discover how the Couchbase unified database platform easily integrates your apps, data and AI models to perform under pressure, outmaneuver the competition and deploy with confidence.
While advancing in an analytical career requires a solid and ever-evolving foundation of technical expertise, intelligence about human behavior--the ability to navigate emotional ambiguity, lead with empathy and exercise discernment--is essential. This session offers personal reflections from the journey of becoming and serving as an analytics leader, with stories that explore the emotional and interpersonal dimensions that shaped the speaker's leadership approach. Attendees will leave with practical insights on how to lead with clarity, courage and empathy in a world where human connection matters more than ever.
Three years ago, the Technology Planning and Operations (TPO) team was tasked with delivering a unified data solution to improve an existing landscape of disconnected operational tools and processes. Since then, we have leveraged strong governance and insightful analytics to develop a strategy that centralizes data, integrates services, enables analytics and addresses inefficiencies, data silos and limited insights. This session explores challenges, technology choices and key lessons in governance, scalability and user adoption. Attendees will gain insights on breaking down data barriers, leveraging automation and creating a culture of data-driven decision-making. Join us to hear about our ongoing journey to enhance efficiency, collaboration and business impact through a unified data and analytics approach.
Regardless of technical or subject matter expertise, all analytics teams must surface insights to their partners, leadership and beyond in a way that is digestible and actionable. With audiences of varying degrees of familiarity with data, it's critical to highlight the big picture and ensure insights aren't lost in a slew of visualizations. Clear and concise takeaways enable teams to make data-driven decisions rather than swirl into data-definition discussions. This session dives into strategies on how to raise complex issues and insights to all audiences, from executives to business support teams, in easily absorbed formats with clear takeaways, as well as a focus on how to present effectively.
Introductory statistics courses have remained largely unchanged for decades. This talk is the lecture that never made it into the syllabus: a critical look at the assumptions, rituals and routines that persist in statistical education, why some of these methods may be outdated, and what a more modern, thoughtful approach to inference might look like.
The best analysts take a page from journalism -- asking tough questions, challenging assumptions and chasing the truth. Like good reporters, they avoid cherry-picking facts, consider all angles and don't skew the story.
In this session, learn journalism-inspired lessons from the analytics team at National Geographic to make your data storytelling more relatable, understandable and fair. We'll show you how to uncover the story in the data, spot bias in how it's presented and deliver insights that inform, not just impress.
At this 137-year-old institution, those same instincts guide editorial decisions, audience strategy and insight. In the end, we're all reporters -- some diving into data, others into the unknown.
At Disney, we are redefining entertainment robotics from the ground up and are building artist-centric tools that provide creative control of dynamic character motion. In this talk, I will provide new insights into our robotic character platform that enables the rapid design of freely roaming robotic characters like our BDX Droids. I will highlight how our characters learn to imitate artist-specified animations with a combination of deep reinforcement learning and GPU-accelerated simulation. Moreover, I will show how we get our characters to perform highly challenging motions at the limit of hardware and demonstrate the first results of bringing engaging autonomous interactions to them.
Pop stars and their teams are the ultimate statisticians, business moguls and brand builders. They know how to command attention, create hits, collaborate effectively and build a loyal fan base. They analyze qualitative and quantitative data, stay on top of industry trends and balance art and science. These are the very skills successful data and analytics professionals must master to climb the career charts. Join us to explore the fun and fascinating parallels between the science, products and people of pop music and your own work. Learn practical takeaways and strategies from pop culture's most memorable moments and icons. Discover that the secret to mastering your day job is to channel your dream job.
Leaders across all organizations need to balance both people and business. Many prioritize results over leading people, while Disney prioritizes both. This dual prioritization is critical to Disney's culture where employees, known as cast members, thrive. The cast deliver magical, guest-driven, story-based experiences which helps drive our business results. Not convinced? You'll get the business case on how to become more people-focused so your organization can shine. You'll hear powerful insights and immersive stories from Disney leaders about this approach. You'll leave with a new set of great ideas and impactful tips to help you take action.
Have you landed your dream data science job, but still wonder whether you're really good enough? You're definitely not alone. In this talk, we uncover the "local maximum" experience - excelling in your role but feeling the need to compare yourself to others. We'll explore the roots of self-doubt and why it surfaces in our high-achieving environments. Best of all, we'll offer practical tips to confront these doubts and build confidence. Whether you're new in your career, a seasoned analyst or leading a team, you'll discover how we can all feel a little more at home in our roles. Join us to explore overcoming imposter syndrome in data science.
As we learn and grow, the toys of the past become forgotten, irrelevant or out of touch with our needs. Or are they? Validity, reliability, sampling vs population, sampling techniques and weighting methodologies are still in play when conducting research. How do we use research to build on the past to drive future business decisions?
In this session, we ensure sound decision making through research by: - Connecting research concepts (validity, reliability, sample and population) - Toying with sampling techniques to optimize data - Clawing into multiple weighting methodologies
Join us as we provide you tools and techniques to enhance your research skills.
At Disney, simulation is used to analyze a variety of stages and aspects of the guests' vacation experience. Before the first guest rides a new theme park attraction, Disney works behind the scenes to build detailed simulation models that help to inform design decisions. In this presentation, we will discuss analytics utilized by Disney in the track design, development and maintenance of attractions and transportation systems--including simulations of the dynamics of ride vehicles and animatronics. In a broader context, we will also discuss the role of simulation in analytics applications supporting business decision making for Disney Experiences.
Product Demos
Creating world-class streaming experiences today means delivering seamless, personalized journeys across platforms and devices. But behind every great digital experience lies a massive data challenge—and an even greater opportunity. As customer expectations rise and touchpoints multiply, data and analytics teams are becoming the orchestrators of memorable moments.
In this session, you’ll hear how teams are using Amplitude’s AI-powered analytics platform to unify behavior across applications, accelerate decision making and unlock insights that scale delightful customer experiences. Learn how digital analytics, enhanced by AI, helps organizations move faster, experiment smarter and turn data into impact—from first tap to lifelong subscriber.
Discover the new generation of AI agents, and how they keep working even when you’ve finished. Most dashboards wait for you to log in - ours don’t. Capgemini’s gen AI Strategic Intelligence System introduces a smarter way to manage enterprise performance. Designed to monitor key metrics, diagnose issues and recommend actions in real time, these AI agents operate behind the scenes, always on, always learning and always focused on business outcomes.
Instead of static reports and siloed insights, you get proactive intelligence that moves with your business. Whether it’s supply chain, sales, IT or operations, these agents quietly identify what matters and bring it to the surface.
This is more than automation - it’s intelligence that takes initiative, and its endlessly active. With Capgemini’s Gen AI Strategic Intelligence System, the tools really are alive and they’re already at work.
Marketing data is often overlooked, but it’s one of the most business-critical data sources in your organization. In this demo, see how Claravine helps enterprises standardize and scale marketing metadata—ensuring every asset, campaign and experience includes the accurate context needed for confident analysis, deeper insights and data that’s ready to power generative AI and machine learning.
What you’ll learn:
- How to structure marketing metadata for consistency across platforms
- Ways to reduce manual cleanup and improve data readiness for AI/ML
- How to connect the dots between assets, campaigns and outcomes, with less manual work
Whether you’re responsible for data quality, modeling or reporting, this session will show how embedding persistent, purpose-built data relationships before data reaches your analytics and reporting platforms, can reduce manual cleanup, ensures consistency and accelerate the path to trustworthy, scalable insights.
Using on-premises data as well as public cloud data, the Cloudera Hybrid Data Platform is designed for portable AI, and the data you already have. Cloudera delivers Data & AI to media & entertainment companies around the world, to leverage at-scale customer data to drive exceptional consumer experiences. Real-time recommendations, decisioning and targeting can make the customer feel listened to, as if they are receiving a white glove service.
At EPAM, we believe that every great data innovation story starts with a solid foundation. In this session, we’ll share our hands-on approach to guiding clients—like you—through the essentials of building robust data platforms, including effective governance, scalable engineering and agile data pipelines. Before diving into advanced analytics and AI-fueled solutions, we work alongside your teams to ensure you have the infrastructure to extract business value immediately. Our focus is on making data genuinely helpful: turning information into personalized insights, optimizing operations and powering entirely new experiences for your audience. With our tailored accelerators, we help organizations quickly move from basic data readiness to real-time intelligence and future-state innovation. Whether your goal is operational excellence or crafting unforgettable fan moments, we’re excited to show how EPAM can partner with you to expand your data journey thoughtfully, not just through technology but through the creation of lasting value for your business and community.
Globant CODA is a comprehensive, agentic software development suite that redefines how enterprise applications are conceived, built and evolved. Designed with AI-native capabilities, CODA integrates low-code/no-code platforms, generative AI and intelligent assistants to support every phase of the software delivery lifecycle. From product and design to coding, testing and enterprise system evolution, CODA enables unmatched productivity and collaboration. It transforms audio and video into actionable user stories, automates wireframing and design alignment, streamlines code generation and debugging and converts manual QA into high-speed automated validation. At the enterprise level, CODA leverages GeneXus, Globant’s native low-code platform, to combine symbolic and generative AI—enabling continuous evolution without costly rewrites. With fully integrated agentic flows and a developer-centric experience, Globant CODA empowers teams to deliver scalable, future-proof solutions faster and with greater impact.
The guest experience revolution isn’t coming – it’s already here. Meet Myridius Evoq: AI that co-creates solutions that think, adapt and evolve like your sharpest team member. In this immersive demo, see how Evoq predicts guest needs before they arise, transforms messy data into instant insights, and delivers hyper-personalized experiences at scale – effortlessly.
Watch real-time scenarios where Evoq turns every guest touchpoint into a seamless, anticipatory moment including AI-powered guest intelligence. Discover AI frameworks that simplify complexity, interactive data visualizations that expose hidden behavior patterns and AI-native development that accelerates innovation cycles. This isn’t just digital transformation – it’s your competitive edge in an AI-first world.
Join us to see why industry leaders use Evoq's building blocks to amplify their transformation strategy. Guest experiences will never be the same.
Join us for this session on how to build AI finance agents with Databricks and LangChain. This session introduces a powerful approach to building AI agents by combining a modular framework that integrates LangChain, retrieval-augmented generation (RAG) and Databricks' unified data platform to build intelligent, adaptable finance agents.
We’ll walk through the architecture and key components, including Databricks Unity Catalog, ML Flow and Mosaic AI, involved in building a system tailored for complex financial tasks like portfolio analysis, reporting automation and real-time risk insights.
We’ll also showcase a demo of one such agent in action - a Financial Analyst Agent. This agent emulates the expertise of a seasoned data analyst, delivering in-depth analysis in seconds - eliminating the need to wait hours or days for manual reports. The solution provides organizations with 24/7 access to advanced data analysis, enabling faster, smarter decision making.
See how SAP Business Data Cloud helps businesses turn their data into real, usable insights. In this demo, you’ll learn how it brings together all your business data in one place—making it easier to manage, understand and act on. Whether you're already using SAP or just getting started, this solution gives you a simple, cost-effective way to move forward. It works with your current tools and sets you up to use advanced technologies like AI more easily. With SAP Business Data Cloud, you can make faster, smarter decisions that match the way your business works.
Strategy Mosaic is the universal intelligence layer for the AI era—your antidote to inconsistent data, slow analytics delivery, and skyrocketing BI complexity. Mosaic centralizes business definitions, policies, and metrics across your data estate to create a single, reusable semantic layer that accelerates performance, reduces costs, and builds AI-ready trust. With over 200 connectors and native support for SQL, DAX, and APIs, Mosaic plugs into every tool your teams already use—Tableau, Power BI, Excel and beyond.
Mosaic Studio uses AI to make data modeling 10x faster, auto-generating hierarchies, metrics, and enrichments with zero manual effort. Plus, a high-performance engine ensures blazing-fast queries without blowing up your warehouse budget.
Whether you're consolidating BI tools, preparing for GenAI, or just tired of arguing over whose metric is right—Mosaic brings clarity, speed, and governance to every insight. Build your semantic layer once. Use it everywhere. Scale with confidence. Welcome to Strategy Mosaic.
This presentation introduces Temporal, a platform that abstracts away the complexity of building resilient, distributed applications through a concept called Durable Execution. Traditional applications require extensive “plumbing” code to manage retries, state and failure recovery, often diverting effort from core business logic. Temporal simplifies this by allowing developers to define workflows that maintain state automatically and recover seamlessly from failures, removing the need for explicit error-handling logic or state machines. This presentation highlights use cases such as data pipelines and order processing, showcasing features like native retries, timers and human-in-the-loop interaction. Demonstrations will walk through happy paths, API failures and workflow recovery, emphasizing the platform’s ability to ensure reliable, fault-tolerant execution. Temporal integrates into existing development and deployment environments, offering open-source and cloud-hosted options. It enhances velocity, reliability and observability, enabling teams to focus on innovation rather than infrastructure.
Explore how digital twins and digital humans are being used today to solve real business challenges. This demo experience showcases interactive, production-ready applications that merge virtual systems with real-world data and environments. We’ll highlight how these technologies can work together—responding, adapting, and interacting—to drive measurable outcomes in the media and entertainment industry.
Previous Speakers
Ethan Mollick
Innovation Expert & Artificial Intelligence Thought Leader; Professor of Entrepreneurship, The Wharton School
Ethan Mollick is an Associate Professor at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, where
he studies and teaches innovation and entrepreneurship, and also examines the effects of artificial
intelligence on work and education. His papers have been published in top journals and his book on AI, "Co-Intelligence," is a New York Times bestseller. His research is highly cited by other academics, and has been covered by CNN, The Wall Street Journal, and other leading publications.
In addition to his research and teaching, Ethan is the Co-Director of the Generative AI Lab at Wharton,
which builds prototypes and conducts research to discover how AI can help humans thrive while
mitigating risks. Prior to his time in academia, Ethan co-founded a startup company, and he advises
numerous organizations.
Mollick received his PhD and MBA from MIT’s Sloan School of Management and his bachelor’s degree
from Harvard University.
Presented From Disruption to Opportunity: Embracing the AI Revolution
Moritz Bächer
Associate Lab Director of Disney Research
Moritz Bächer is the Associate Lab Director of Disney’s Zurich-based robotics team, where he leads a strategic program focusing on the development of novel model- and learning-based tools for the design and control of believable robotic characters. His core expertise is the optimal design and control of both soft and rigid systems, using a combination of differentiable simulation and reinforcement learning. Prior to joining Disney, Moritz received his Ph.D. from the Harvard School of Engineering and Applied Sciences and his master’s degree from ETH Zurich.
Presented Breathing Life into Disney’s Robotic Characters with Deep Reinforcement Learning
Liv Boeree
Science Communicator & Poker Champion
A self-confessed nerd with a first class degree in astrophysics, Liv combined her science background and passion for games to become one of the most recognizable faces in professional poker. She was the number one ranked female player from 2014-2016, and holds both European Poker Tour and World Series of Poker championship titles after winning more than $4 million on the international circuit.
Liv is also a keen philanthropist, and in 2014 co-founded Raising for Effective Giving (REG), a research and advisory non-profit that uses the philosophies and strategies of effective altruism to identify and raise money for the most globally impactful charities.
Since retiring from professional poker in 2018, Liv is now focused on education, keen to inspire others with the rational thinking techniques she has learned through both poker and effective altruism.
Presented Applying Poker Strategies to Business & Life
Mark Moyou
Sr. Data Scientist & Solutions Architect, NVIDIA
Dr. Mark Moyou Senior Data Scientist at NVIDIA working with enterprise clients on AI strategy and deploying machine learning applications to production. He is the host of the Caribbean Tech Pioneers Podcast, The AI Portfolio Podcast and is the Director of the Optimized Ai Conference.
Presented Human After All – AI as Force Multiplier for Human Ambitions
Martin Kihn
Sr. Vice President of Product Strategy, Salesforce
Martin Kihn is senior vice president of strategy for Salesforce Marketing Cloud, working with global enterprises on data strategy and execution. Before joining Salesforce, Marty led the data-driven marketing practice as research vice president at Gartner, focusing on data integration and analytics. He was previously vice president and director of strategy and analytics at Digitas. Marty is widely known as a thought leader, speaker and frequent contributor to publications such as AdExchanger, ZDNet, Forbes and the New York Times. His first book, “House of Lies,” was the basis for a Showtime series. His latest book, releasing in September 2024 through Wiley publishing, is titled, “Customer 360: How Data, AI and Trust Change Everything.”
Presented How AI + Data + CRM + Trust is Transforming Customer Engagement
Mike Bechtel
Chief Futurist, Deloitte Consulting LLP
As chief futurist for Deloitte Consulting LLP, Mike and his team work to make sense of what’s new and next in tech. Their goal: Helping today’s leaders arrive at their preferred tomorrows slightly ahead of schedule. He also serves as an adjunct professor teaching corporate innovation at the University of Notre Dame. In 2013, Mike co-founded and served as managing director of Ringleader Ventures, a venture capital firm investing in early-stage startups that had (intentionally or not) built simple solutions to complex corporate challenges. Mike began his career in technology R&D where he was awarded 12 U.S. patents.
Presented Human After All – AI as Force Multiplier for Human Ambitions
Tim Brooks
Managing Director and Chief AI Advisor, World Wide Technology
Tim has 25 years of innovation experience at start-ups, early growth companies and established enterprise organizations. He specializes in data strategy, AI solutions and platform transformations that leverage data. Tim’s expertise includes digital and customer experience strategy, service design and partner ecosystem development.
At World Wide Technology, Tim serves as co-founder and managing director of World Wide Technology’s consulting services and solution engineering practice, where he leads solution development activities for AI solutions and data strategy. Under his leadership, World Wide Technology has been recognized for seven consecutive years as NVIDIA’s AI Solutions Partner of the Year and has delivered nearly 100 working AI solutions to Fortune 500 customers during the last nine years while growing a team from four consultants to 350 data scientists, data engineers, consultants and delivery specialists.
Presented From Experimentation to AI at Scale
Aditya Ganjam
Co-Founder and Chief Product Officer, Conviva
As Conviva’s chief product officer and co-founder, Aditya leads product strategy for the world’s first operational data platform. He has been key in implementing Conviva’s stateful analytics, connecting system performance to business outcomes. Aditya’s career at Conviva spans from lead engineer to chief product officer. He was previously a doctoral candidate at Carnegie Mellon University, where he contributed to the first peer-to-peer live streaming system.
Presented Measuring Magic: Delivering Delightful Guest Experiences with Operational Data
Alvin Francis
Vice President of Product Management for Business Analytics, IBM
Alvin Francis is currently the vice president of product management for business analytics at IBM. Before joining IBM, he held several senior leadership positions in the telecommunications industry, including director of sales, vice president of marketing, vice president of product management and general manager.
Alvin's educational background includes a Master of Business Administration from the University of Western Ontario Ivey School of Business, a Master of Science in Electrical Engineering from the University of Toronto, and Bachelor of Science degrees in Physics, Mathematics and Electrical Engineering from New Mexico State University.
Presented Increase Productivity Across Your Business with Generative AI and BI Assistants
Amanda Kelly
Director of Streamlit & Product Experiences, Snowflake, and Co-Founder & Chief Operating Officer, Streamlit
Amanda Kelly serves as director of product experiences at Snowflake, including Streamlit, one of the fastest-growing open source data science projects. She was the co-founder and chief operating officer of Streamlit before it was acquired by Snowflake in March 2022. Amanda previously led product and operations for several stealthy Google X projects, developing new products and algorithms across Google's natural language processing capabilities. During her tenure at Zoox (acquired by Amazon), she developed ground-up product solutions to build a fully autonomous vehicle, and later scaled operations for deploying fleets in cities. Amanda has a Master of Business Administration from Stanford and holds several patents.
Presented Iterative Data Science with Streamlit, Snowflake and LLMs
Andy Eyherabide
Sr. Vice President of Data & AI, Globant
As senior vice president of data and AI at Globant, Andy Eyherabide helps clients reinvent themselves by designing and building connected experiences using data and AI with a business-driven approach. He fosters regional synergies and promotes internal AI adoption. Andy has held senior roles at industry leaders SAS and BCG, co-founded and led Datalytics’ professional services team and shapes the future workforce as a postgraduate professor of data science at Universidad del CEMA.
Presented AI's Renaissance: A Dynamic Shift for Business and Society
Billy Fischer
Sr. Vice President of Business Development, 10up
With extensive experience in driving strategic growth and market expansion, Billy Fischer is a dynamic leader renowned for his ability to transform businesses and inspire teams. As senior vice president of business development at 10up, Billy has a proven track record of identifying and capitalizing on new market opportunities, fostering innovation and leading successful business development initiatives.
Presented Crafting Enchanting Customer Journeys with AI and Data
Brian Alvey
Chief Technology Officer, WordPress VIP
Brian Alvey is the chief technology officer at WordPress VIP, an enterprise content management system solution trusted by iconic media titans, major brands and government agencies. Before joining WordPress VIP in 2022, Brian was the founder of Engadget. He also served as a leader in online publishing and has built software used by hundreds of global media and retail brands.
Presented Crafting Enchanting Customer Journeys with AI and Data
Carolina Dolan Chandler
Chief Digital Officer, Globant
Carolina Dolan Chandler is chief digital officer at Globant. She joined the company in 2006 and has held a variety of roles contributing to the business’s 360-degree growth, including technical director, account director and global marketing director. Today, Carolina is in charge of establishing a cross-company data strategy and driving the adoption, development and implementation of digital technologies, ranging from proprietary applications to industry standards.
Presented AI's Renaissance: A Dynamic Shift for Business and Society
Deepthi Bollu
Partner, DTT Service Line Leader, Industrial and Communications Sector, IBM Consulting
Deepthi leads an incredibly brilliant team of data and AI practitioners for IBM Consulting across several industries including manufacturing, energy telecommunication and technology. She is an avid technologist, thinker, thought leader, curious learner and problem solver working at the intersection of people, processes, strategy, digital, technology and data with rapid experimentation and an entrepreneurial mindset. Her superpowers include curiosity, servant leadership, Innovator's DNA, connectivity, collaboration, self-motivation, thirst for knowledge, optimism, a can-do spirit, a must-do resolve and problem-solving. Prior to joining IBM, she led all things digital for Shell's Lubricants Americas business, helping accelerate the growth agenda for Shell Downstream.
Presented Increase Productivity Across Your Business with Generative AI and BI Assistants
Eric Mayberry
Sr. Director, Enterprise Reporting Professional Services, Bread Financial
Eric has over 25 years of experience in the data and analytics space and is currently responsible for standing up and maturing an enterprise-wide reporting function for Bread Financial. Prior to Bread, Eric served as director of data analytics at Ohio State University where he built out their enterprise reporting organization, consolidating reporting teams across the university. While at Ohio State, Eric created a collaborative reporting community with other reporting experts at universities across the world.
Presented Fostering Data-Driven Culture: Overcoming Challenges and Strategies for Organizational Growth
John Doulis
Vice President of Clinical Informatics & Technology Innovation, HCA Healthcare
Dr. John Doulis is vice president of clinical informatics and technology innovation at HCA Healthcare. Previously, Dr. Doulis was the senior vice president of clinical solutions at First Data Bank as well as the assistant vice chancellor for health affairs and chief operating officer of the Informatics Center at Vanderbilt University. He has 20+ years of experience designing and managing information systems that support health and academic enterprises. He received his doctor of medicine from Monash University in Melbourne, Australia.
Presented AI's Renaissance: A Dynamic Shift for Business and Society
John Giaquinto
Vice President of Loyalty & Analytics, Rite Aid
John has more than 25 years of experience in marketing, specializing in data-driven marketing and loyalty. He is currently vice president of loyalty, personalization and analytics at Rite Aid. John has been a change agent and leader for data transformation and creating a data-driven culture, and for introducing behavioral design and behavioral economics concepts. John has a Bachelor of Arts in Design from Salem State University and a Master of Science in Communications from Boston University.
Presented Fostering Data-Driven Culture: Overcoming Challenges and Strategies for Organizational Growth
Manu Singh
Vice President of Data Science & Analytics, News Corp
Manu Singh is the vice president of data science and analytics at the New York Post, where they founded NYP Data Labs to drive ML-powered analysis and experimentation. His current responsibilities include leading a team of highly skilled professionals, fostering innovation, and translating data into strategic business advantages for maximum impact.
Previously, Manu was the director of analytics at the NFL, focusing on digital media and international markets, and served on the board of a UK Rugby League team. With a strong background in data science, analytics and engineering, Manu holds bachelor's and master's degrees from the University of London, and his areas of interest involve cartesian linguistics and algorithmic game theory.
Presented Crafting Enchanting Customer Journeys with AI and Data
Owen Van Valkenburg
Sr. AI Global Black Belt, Microsoft
Owen Van Valkenburg, a Sr. Microsoft AI Global Black Belt, specializes in Video Analytics, Language and Vision AI, and Multi-Agent Architectures. As the inventor of the COBRA Video Analyzer, he leverages his media background to push the boundaries of AI and how it can apply to video and analytics. Interests include reading, camping, and building interesting and innovative solutions with AI models.
Presented Using Multimodal AI Solutions to Generate Structured Data for Enterprise Analytics
Solomon Williams
Vice President, Data Transformation, Factspan
Solomon Williams is a senior technology leader with Factspan having 25+ years of experience in solving complex business problems. Solomon has a proven track record of progressive experience in data and analytics strategy including digital transformations, cloud strategy, data governance, strategic consulting and XOPs (development/data/machine learning) and has delivered global data and AI solutions across industries such as insurance, media & entertainment and retail.
Presented Fostering Data-Driven Culture: Overcoming Challenges and Strategies for Organizational Growth
Tim Hossain
Vice President, Marketing, WordPress VIP
Tim Hossain leads Marketing at WordPress VIP, a leading content management system with enterprise and high-volume traffic websites in mind. With a rich career across education and technology, Tim is a data-driven leader that understands the importance of analytics and how it should be used in making business decisions. Tim is a first-generation American whose parents immigrated to the US in the early 1970s. He is a child of two worlds, walking the line between his Bangladeshi roots and the realities of being a minority in America.
Presented Crafting Enchanting Customer Journeys with AI and Data
Traci Gusher
EY Americas Data and Analytics Leader, EY
Traci teams with leaders and executives to build sustainable data, analytics and artificial intelligence capabilities, focusing on moving beyond experimentation and prototyping.
Traci helps organizations build processes, teams and technology that follow modern delivery approaches for production scale analytics and AI and product centered data strategies with a relentless focus on generating tangible business benefits. Her clients and teams strive to identify the most pressing use cases and align data and analytics to drive measurable value.
She has deep experience helping clients define their data and analytics strategies, drive insights from unstructured data and designing and implementing conversational AI programs.
Presented Data to Dollars
Tyler Becker
Global Analytics Specialist, Microsoft
Tyler Becker is a global analytics specialist at Microsoft with extensive experience in data analytics, cloud technologies and artificial intelligence. Passionate about leveraging emerging technologies to drive innovation, Tyler excels in designing and building data foundations, ensuring security and governance, and promoting the adoption of advanced cloud analytics solutions. With a strong balance of business understanding and technical expertise, Tyler is dedicated to helping organizations gain operational insights and make intelligent decisions.
Presented Using Multimodal AI Solutions to Generate Structured Data for Enterprise Analytics
Vasant Paranjpe
Vice President of Sales Engineering, MicroStrategy
Vasant Paranjpe is a seasoned software engineer executive with over a decade of experience in the tech industry. He specializes in developing innovative solutions for complex problems, leveraging his expertise in Java, Python and cloud technologies. Vasant holds a Master of Business Administration and a bachelor’s in computer science and has a proven track record of delivering high-quality software products. Passionate about continuous learning, he stays updated with the latest advancements in technology to drive impactful results in his projects.
Presented Upping Your Impact: AI and BI Extended Use Case
Adam Cohn
Sr. Manager - Food & Beverage Business Insights & Analytics, The Walt Disney Company
Adam has spent his entire career at the intersection of technology and business in multiple industries including defense, biotechnology and hospitality. He is unusually passionate about data and spends his time looking for ways to leverage the incredible talents of technical professionals, uncover hidden secrets in data and tell the story through compelling visualizations. Adam loves his current role supporting the chefs and culinary professionals as senior manager, food and beverage business insights and analytics for Walt Disney World.
Presented Accessibility in Analytics
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Ali Baiocco
Analyst, Business Development & Innovation, The Walt Disney Company
Ali Baiocco is an analyst on ESPN’s business development and innovation team and has been with the company for two years. She is responsible for evaluating new opportunities and negotiating, maximizing and scaling deals that generate short and long-term revenue, uncover cost reductions across ESPN and push forward fan-facing innovations. She manages key partnerships, servicing key functionalities and verticals including consulting, advanced technology, connectivity, gaming, AI, AR/ VR, commerce and more. She was a part of the team that executed the NHL Big City Greens Classic 1 and 2 and the NFL Toy Story Funday Football live, animated telecasts.
Presented Animating the Game: The Evolution of Volumetric Tracking in Sports Broadcasting
Ashley Levine
Principal Project Controls Estimator, The Walt Disney Company
Ashley Levine is a principal project controls estimator at Walt Disney Imagineering and has been with the company since 2011. She manages the resources required to deliver the creative vision to the Guests, supporting various teams in identifying obstacles, tracking changes and developing efficient strategies to overcome them. Currently, Ashley is the lead estimator for Tokyo Disneyland Resort Portfolio, responsible for identifying and communicating the needs of multiple project teams bringing new magic to life at both Tokyo Disneyland and Tokyo DisneySea. Ashley studied civil engineering at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee and is originally from Cooper City, Florida.
Presented Spark Creations: Unleash the Innovators Within You
Brett O'Neil
Sr. Analyst Business Development & Innovation, The Walt Disney Company
Brett O’Neil has been with ESPN since 2005. Starting in the stats and information group, he spent years working with leagues, data providers and internal product teams to enhance the live data experience on ESPN platforms. Brett also helped manage ESPN Analytics and worked to integrate the team’s world class sports metrics into digital and production executions. His current role with business development focuses on collaboration with external partners to create new and innovative ESPN experiences.
Presented Animating the Game: The Evolution of Volumetric Tracking in Sports Broadcasting
Brian Burke
Principle Sports Data Scientist, The Walt Disney Company
Brian Burke is a sports data scientist at ESPN and an early pioneer in football analytics. Prior to joining ESPN, he founded the website Advanced Football Analytics (www.advancedfootballanalytics.com), where he developed the core metrics and models still widely used throughout the sport. He was formerly a consultant to several NFL teams, and a regular contributor to the New York Times, Washington Post, NBC Sports and other outlets.
Presented May the 4th (Downs) Be With You
Chad Cooper
Sr. Manager - Digital Analytics, The Walt Disney Company
Chad Cooper has over 20 years of experience in digital analytics and currently leads a team of brilliant digital data analysts supporting Disney Signature Experiences. His career experience includes working for globally recognized media, hospitality and entertainment companies. Chad earned a Doctorate in Business Administration from Rollins College, a Master of Business Administration from Stetson University and a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Tennessee.
Presented It's About Time! Investigating How We Analyze, Utilize and Experience Time
Chris Szydlo
Content Director, Disney Institute
Leading the content team, Chris Szydlo’s team designs and develops both shelf and customized learning experiences about Disney’s approach. Joining Disney in 1994 and Disney Institute in 2000, he’s held multiple roles from leading the delivery team to the business development team. Chris helped revitalize the public courses twice and in his account leadership role helped expand into several new markets, starting up the advisory services team. Chris previously worked as a master model builder and general manager of the LEGO Imagination Center at Disney Springs. Chris has his bachelor’s degree with a specialization in education from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.
Presented Five Ways to Balance People and Business, Disney Style
Claudia Morales
Sr. Manager of Decision Science, The Walt Disney Company
Claudia is a senior manager of decision science for Disney Decision Science and Integration (DDSI). Her primary responsibilities include overseeing the science components of the media portfolio which serve Disney media networks’ ad sales and research teams. Prior to joining DDSI, Claudia led a team of data scientists at Southwest Airlines and Colgate Palmolive for several years. Before discovering her passion for technical leadership, she worked in consulting for over six years as a data scientist specializing in revenue management and pricing disciplines in a variety of industries. Claudia holds a master's degree in applied economics and math.
Presented Spark Creations: Unleash the Innovators Within You
Farnaz Shoraka
Vice President, Content Planning & Analysis - Walt Disney Studios, The Walt Disney Company
Farnaz Shoraka has spent 16 years working in finance, strategy and analytics for the entertainment industry across several lines of businesses including theatrical, transactional, consumer products and streaming. Currently, Farnaz leads content planning and analysis for Direct-to-Consumer at Disney, providing strategic and analytical support on titles from Walt Disney Studios on Disney+ and Hulu. She has been at The Walt Disney Company for 13 years, and prior to joining streaming she worked in Theatrical Distribution and Disney Consumer Products.
Presented How Far We'll Go! How Streaming Measures Franchise Success
Hailey Skoglund
Customer Experience Manager, The Walt Disney Company
Hailey is a business intelligence manager and passionate data storyteller at Disney, where she leverages her expertise in data science and business analytics to deliver strategic insights. Dedicated to diversity, inclusion and accessibility, Hailey integrates accessible design principles into her analytics, inspired by her own visual impairment. Outside of work, she enjoys playing the violin and helping to advocate for individuals with disabilities, accompanied by her guide dog, Marli. Hailey holds a Master of Business
Administration degree with a focus on data analytics from the University of West Florida.
Presented Spark Creations: Unleash the Innovators Within You
Marli Skoglund
Guide Dog, Hailey Skoglund
Presented Spark Creations: Unleash the Innovators Within You
Justin Hoffman
Business Integration Manager II, The Walt Disney Company
Justin is a business integration manager with consumer insights (CIMA), where he works in survey methodology, data management and data visualization.
Prior to Disney, Justin worked in rotating digital marketing roles in Sydney, Australia and Seoul, Korea. Once in Orlando, he served as a product analyst in ecommerce, then in project management for pharmaceutical research.
He holds a Bachelor of Arts from The Ohio State University and a Master of Business Administration from Florida Gulf Coast University.
Presented Turning Data Inside Out: Creating Core Memories
Kerri Bair
Director, Customer Experience & Commercial Intelligence, The Walt Disney Company
Kerri Bair is the director of customer experience and commercial intelligence at Walt Disney World Resort. She leads a team that focuses on improving the customer experience while leveraging data science and analytics to address emerging trends, assess business performance and influence commercial activations. Kerri has spent 20 years in the data analytics space and has led multiple teams including industrial engineering, supply chain transformation and food and beverage business insights. Before Disney she worked for Ingersoll-Rand as a supply chain engineer. Kerri holds a degree in industrial engineering from Penn State University.
Presented Spark Creations: Unleash the Innovators Within You
Kevin Masick
Manager - Research Systems, The Walt Disney Company
Kevin began his Disney career in August 2021 as a research systems manager in consumer insights (CIMA). Prior to joining Disney, he spent 16+ years as a healthcare leader driving analytic innovation, research education and storytelling with data and an adjunct professor teaching research methodology and statistics. He has co-authored three textbooks and published 25+ peer reviewed journal articles. He holds a PhD in Applied Organizational Psychology from Hofstra University.
Presented Turning Data Inside Out: Creating Core Memories
Laura Albert
Professor, University of Wisconsin - Madison
Laura Albert is a professor of industrial and systems engineering at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and the 2023 president of the Institute for Operations Research and the Management Sciences (INFORMS). She has been recognized with many honors, including the INFORMS Impact Prize, American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) Fellow, Institute of Industrial and Systems Engineers (IISE) Fellow and a Fulbright Award. She is the author of the analytics blog, "Punk Rock Operations Research."
Presented The Beauty and Challenge of Pushing the Limits of Data Analytics
Lauren Boyer
Sr. Manager, Business Insights & Analytics, The Walt Disney Company
As senior manager of business insights and analytics at National Geographic, Lauren Boyer drives data-based decision-making for the organization's subscription business, including editorial and marketing efforts. Lauren started at National Geographic in 2017, initially spearheading social media intelligence. As a former newspaper reporter, she's passionate about how data-driven approaches can bolster newsrooms' resilience and sustainability in today's digital landscape. Lauren holds a degree in journalism from Penn State University, where she is currently an adjunct instructor and curriculum contributor for the college of communications.
Presented Free Solo: Summiting the World of Social with National Geographic
Lexi Hunt
Revenue Management Manager, The Walt Disney Company
Lexi is a revenue management manager for Walt Disney World Resorts. Storytelling has always been at the forefront of her life, and she knew that Disney was the perfect place to combine her analytical skills with her life-long passion for accessibility. She also sits on the leadership team for Enabled FL, which is Walt Disney World’s Business Employee Resource Group that promotes a positive experience for people with disabilities. Lexi holds a master’s degree in analytics from Villanova University as well as a bachelor's degree in mathematics from the State University of New York at Binghamton.
Presented Accessibility in Analytics
Nick Lewerke
Sr. Vice President, Content Planning & Analysis, The Walt Disney Company
As the senior vice president and head of content planning and analysis for direct-to-consumer at Disney Entertainment, Nick leads the team responsible for planning the best-in-class storytelling created across The Walt Disney Company.
Grounded in data-driven decision making, Nick’s team collaborates with key partners across Walt Disney Studios and Disney Entertainment Television to plan the streaming releases across all platforms; including determining financial viability, identifying target audiences and more.
Nick has been with The Walt Disney Company for 17 years on various analytics, strategy and business planning roles for Walt Disney Studios prior to working in Direct-to-Consumer.
Presented How Far We'll Go! How Streaming Measures Franchise Success
Sam Savage
Executive Director, ProbabilityManagement.org and Author
Dr. Sam L. Savage is executive director of ProbabilityManagement.org, a nonprofit cofounded with Harry Markowitz, Nobel Laureate in Economics, to pioneer stochastic data standards. Dr. Savage is author of, "The Flaw of Averages: Why We Underestimate Risk in the Face of Uncertainty," and, "Chancification: Fixing the Flaw of Averages." He invented the Stochastic Information Packet (SIP), the basic building block of stochastic data, and is an adjunct at Stanford’s Engineering School.
Presented Curing the Flaw of Averages by Connecting Decision Makers to Stochastic Data (Without Triggering Post Traumatic Statistics Disorder)
Sara Shapiro
Manager, Growth Strategy Subscription Services, The Walt Disney Company
As National Geographic’s digital marketing senior analyst, Sara Shapiro supports the tracking and measurement of the subscription business’s marketing efforts across paid and O&O channels. As a passionate marketer, she is focused on continually improving the ‘art’ of marketing through the ‘science’ of analysis, by providing strategic insights around performance and digging deep into the conversion funnel to uncover optimization areas. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Advertising from the University of South Carolina.
Presented Free Solo: Summiting the World of Social with National Geographic
Yael Grushka-Cockayne
Chair in Business Administration & Sr. Associate Dean, Darden School of Business, University of Virginia
Professor Grushka-Cockayne's research and teaching activities focus on data science, artificial intelligence, forecasting, project management and behavioral decision-making. She is an award-winning teacher. She is the president of INFORMS’ Decision Analysis Society. She served an associate editor at Management Science and is currently an associate editor at Operation Research. Her course, "Fundamentals of Project Planning and Management," MOOC has over 300,000 enrolled, across 200 countries. Her Data Science for Business HarvardX course has taught hundreds of learners around the world.
Presented Decision Making with Ordinal Ratings