Data and AI Forum Marquee Speakers Guest Speaker (Tuesday, Oct 22nd) Keynote Speaker (Tuesday, Oct 22nd) Keynote Speaker (Wednesday, Oct 23rd) Ray Zahab Inspirational Ultra-Marathon Runner and Adventurer Ray Zahab went from being a pack-a-day smoker to running thousands of miles all over the globe, including crossings of Mongolia and the Gobi Desert–a living example of how ordinary people can do extraordinary things. Rob Thomas General Manager, Data and AI, IBM Rob directs IBM’s product investment strategy, sales and marketing, expert labs, and global software product development. With a portfolio of 1000+ products, IBM has emerged as a leader in data and AI, spanning databases, data integration and governance, business intelligence, planning, data science and AI tools, and AI applications. Beth Smith General Manager, IBM Watson Beth Smith is responsible for the overall success of IBM Watson's AI strategy and execution. She leads the end-to-end business including the engineering and delivery of the technology, and the global ecosystem of Watson partners and developers.

Data and AI Forum Analyst Speakers Kjell Carlsson, Ph.D. Senior Analyst serving Application Development & Delivery Professionals, Forrester Research Brian Hopkins VP, Principal Analyst serving CIO Professionals, Forrester Research Gene Leganza VP, Research Director serving Enterprise Architecture Professionals, Forrester Research David Menninger SVP & Research Director, Data and Analytics Research, Ventana Research Ritu Jyoti Program VP, Artificial Intelligence Strategies, IDC