From data to context: Enabling business-ready AI

Manca Vitorino is a senior data leader and Director of Data Ecosystem at LexisNexis Risk Solutions (RELX), where she leads the transformation of data from an enabling function into a core commercial and strategic capability. Named one of the Top 20 Women in Data for 2026, Manca is recognised for building scalable data platforms, strong data governance, and dataliterate organisations that unlock measurable revenue growth from analytics and AI. Originally trained as a journalist, Manca brings a storyteller’s curiosity and an investigator’s discipline to data leadership – combining rigour, pragmatism and a sharp focus on realworld outcomes. She is a passionate advocate for inclusive, nontraditional pathways into data careers and regularly shares practical insights on modern data strategy, AI readiness, and data culture at industry conferences and on leading podcasts.

David Thomas is the CDO for the Data & Analytics Division with additional responsibility for Commercial Data Governance at for the LSEG Group. He has worked in the Financial Services industry for 26 years, predominantly in investment banking before moving to the LSEG Group. He has spent the last 20 years focusing on Data Management and is a seasoned Chief Data Officer with experience designing and executing enterprise level Data Strategy across diverse product groups in Financial Services. He has helped develop innovative architectural and infrastructure solutions and has experience leading large Data teams and designing operating models.

David has built the D&A CDO team since joining LSEG| in 2021 and looks after several key Regulatory programmes at a Group level. He is a passionate advocate for pragmatic and Customer-focused Data solutions and is looking to drive a long-term Data Governance strategy that supports the wider ambitions of the organisation.

David is an advocate of building diverse teams and believes that growing a data culture across organisations provides a critical foundation for organisational growth. He lives in Oxfordshire with his wife and two boys. He loves food, travel (especially Italy!) and is sports mad – now coaching rugby and cricket at local clubs and county level.

Archibald Jurdi is Vice President of Cloud Delivery & Service Management at Finastra, responsible for the operational life cycle of hosted platforms and the enterprise-wide service management framework. With a career spanning all phases of the fintech customer journey, he focuses on reliability, regulatory compliance, and building autonomous, high-performing teams that drive service excellence across global cloud operations.

A seasoned Global Data Services Leader and former Chief Data Officer with over 30 years’ experience in financial services, combining deep technical expertise with strong business acumen. Expert in enterprise data management, data architecture, analytics, and high‑volume electronic trading systems. Proven ability to build and scale global data teams, lead complex transformation programmes, and embed data as a strategic asset across organisations.

Recognised for a customer‑centric mindset, strong interpersonal skills, and the ability to thrive in environments requiring technical leadership, strategic direction, team motivation, and a passion for data excellence.

Daniel Świerczewski is the Chief Technology Officer at ZAiKS, Poland’s leading collective management organization for authors’ rights. He is responsible for defining and executing the organization’s technology strategy, overseeing the modernization of its digital infrastructure, and ensuring that ZAiKS remains an effective and trusted player in the evolving market for copyright and rights management. Under his leadership, ZAiKS is advancing its presence in the digital rights ecosystem – integrating data-driven systems, enhancing transparency in royalty distribution, and developing tools that facilitate fair and efficient exchange of creative rights. Daniel focuses on building a bridge between technological innovation and the cultural mission of protecting and promoting creators’ interests.With a background in the humanities and a strong passion for history, music, and public policy, Daniel brings a broad perspective to technology leadership – combining strategic thinking, managerial efficiency, and a deep understanding of the social and cultural context in which ZAiKS operates.

Deborah is the Vice President of Product across the Housing & Community division at MRI. She is responsible for setting product strategy, embedding best-practice, and ensuring the delivery of meaningful value for clients globally. Deborah brings over 18 years’ experience in technology leadership across the private and not-for-profit sectors.

Before joining MRI, Deborah held senior leadership roles at Orchard Information Systems, where she served as Chief Technology Officer and later Managing Director of the Housing division.

Marc Potter serves as Chief Executive Officer for Actian, originally joining the company as Chief Revenue and Operations Officer in 2019. Since being named CEO in January 2023, Marc has been responsible for driving Actian’s long-term strategic vision and innovations to position Actian to be the essential provider of data intelligence solutions that enable confident, data-driven organizations. Under Marc’s leadership, Actian acquired data governance firm Zeenea, relaunched its flagship Actian Data Platform, and launched its next-generation database for edge computing.

With over 20 years of leadership experience in information technology and enterprise software systems, Marc believes in creating an employee-first culture that prioritizes employee engagement, open communication, and professional development. Prior to joining Actian, he oversaw the management and security organization focused on cloud solutions sales at Oracle. He has held multiple strategic leadership roles building and managing global sales and partner operations and teams with high-growth results at Cabletron Systems, Computer Associates, Dell, Quest Software and ObserveIT.

Marc holds a BA from the University of New Hampshire.

Steve Lennon serves as Chief Operating Officer for Actian, responsible for efficiently and effectively guiding operations processes and business functions to enable the company to deliver the desired business results and achieve its long-term strategic vision. In this role, he aligns people and processes to support Actian’s positioning as the essential provider of data intelligence solutions that enable confident, data-driven organizations.

Steve has over 25 years of experience leading go-to-market teams for large enterprise software companies, as well as building a software-as-a-service business for a startup. He brings a wealth of knowledge on the enterprise software market and lessons learned from building a growth business inside a larger matrixed organization. Most recently, Steve held a leadership role at Supply Wisdom, a startup in the supply chain data and analytics market. He previously held global leadership roles at Ivanti, MobileIron, and CA Technologies, where he was responsible for the sales and operational functions of the business.

Jennifer serves as Chief Marketing Officer of Actian, bringing 25 years of technology experience and a data-driven approach in enterprise B2B marketing. Her background includes brand and digital transformation.

Prior to joining Actian, Jennifer held leadership positions of increasing responsibility at Teradata. Most recently, she led the Digital, Strategy, and Operations functions focused on web modernization and strategy execution. She is driven by customer outcomes with a passion for data and analytics, continuous improvement to drive growth, and developing women in technology.

In 2020, she was nominated for and completed an Executive Development Program led by 3D Leadership Group. Jennifer has been highlighted as one of Seismic’s “101 Women We Admire in Sales and Marketing,” served as an ITSMA panelist and guest in their “C-Suite Marketing” podcast, and featured in Pearson’s 10th edition of “Marketing: Real People, Real Choices” textbook for her work in web redesign. Jennifer has also worked for Compaq, Hewlett-Packard and KoSa / Hoechst Celanese.

She holds a BS in chemical engineering from South Dakota School of Mines and Technology and a master’s degree in business administration from the University of North Carolina Wilmington.

As Chief Technology Officer at Actian, Emma McGrattan leads the company’s technology strategy, innovation, and product development in support of Actian’s mission to simplify how companies connect, manage, govern, and analyze data to transform businesses. Since joining the company three decades ago, Emma has played a pivotal role in the evolution and advancement of its analytics, data integration, and data management solutions, including the Actian Data Platform.

A prominent figure in the database industry, Emma is known for her expertise in data architecture, query optimization, and cloud transformation. Her leadership and contributions to these areas are widely recognized, making her a respected voice at technology events.

Passionate about creating a sustainable, inclusive future for technology, Emma is a celebrated advocate for women in tech and an active mentor dedicated to fostering inclusive cultures within the industry.

Emma holds a degree in Electronic Engineering from Dublin City University in Ireland.

Guillaume Bodet is a visionary product leader with an entrepreneurial spirit, combining deep technical expertise with a passion for building and scaling innovative businesses. As Chief Product Officer at Actian, he leads the vision, strategy, and roadmap for Actian’s data management and intelligence solutions, ensuring organizations can effectively harness and govern their data at scale.Guillaume’s career began as a software engineer. Over the years, he has held significant roles, including Principal Consultant on Distributed Architectures at Borland, CTO and Associate Partner at Xebia, and CTO – Head of Product & Engineering at Finance Active. His journey culminated in co-founding Zeenea, a pioneering data catalog company acquired by Actian in 2024, where he served as CPTO and played a critical role in shaping modern metadata management.With over 15 years of experience in data architecture, analytics, and machine learning, Guillaume is committed to delivering market-leading solutions that bridge technology and business needs.

Karen Devine serves as Chief Customer Officer at Actian, where she leads customer experience, customer success and support, with a focus on ensuring customers achieve meaningful outcomes from Actian’s data intelligence solutions. Known for building strong teams and lasting customer relationships, Karen brings a pragmatic, people-first approach to executive leadership.

With over 20 years of experience across high-growth SaaS and enterprise software companies, Karen has a consistent record of scaling customer-facing organizations. Most recently, she served as Chief Customer Officer at Imprivata, and prior to that, she spent five years as SVP of Customer Success, Support & Services at Rapid7, where she built and led global post-sales teams through the company’s rapid expansion.

Earlier in her career, Karen led marketing at QuickBase — first within Intuit and later as an independent company — and also brings expertise in product marketing and business strategy from her time at RSA Security and Bain & Company.

Karen holds an MBA from the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth and a Bachelor of Arts from Middlebury College.

Amra Dorjbayar is a co-founder of Wobby (acquired by Actian in 2026) and the lead behind the Actian AI Analyst. A former award-winning investigative and data journalist, Amra spent many years uncovering stories within complex datasets. He leveraged that expertise to build “agentic” AI systems that democratize data access through natural language.

Ole Olesen-Bagneux is a globally recognized thought leader in metadata management and enterprise data architecture. As VP, Chief Evangelist at Actian, he drives industry awareness and adoption of modern approaches to data intelligence, drawing on his extensive expertise in data management, metadata, data catalogs, and decentralized architectures. An accomplished author, Ole has written The Enterprise Data Catalog (O’Reilly, 2023). He is currently working on Fundamentals of Metadata Management (O’Reilly, 2025), introducing a novel metadata architecture known as the Meta Grid. With a PhD in Library and Information Science from the University of Copenhagen, his unique perspective bridges traditional information science with modern data management.

Before joining Actian, Ole has served as Chief Evangelist at Zeenea, where he played a key role in shaping and communicating the company’s technology vision. His industry experience includes leadership roles in enterprise architecture and data strategy at major pharmaceutical companies like Novo Nordisk.Ole is passionate about scalable metadata architectures, knowledge graphs, and enabling organizations to make data truly discoverable and usable.

Jean-Georges Perrin (“JGP”) is part of Actian’s Office of the CTO, where he helps shape the company’s vision for Data Products, Data Contracts, and modern data architectures. With more than 25 years of experience in data architecture—including a tenure as Principal Architect at Expedia—he now chairs the Linux Foundation’s Bitol project, driving the Open Data Contract Standard (ODCS).

The author of Building Data Products, Implementing Data Mesh, and Spark in Action, JGP is a recognized thought leader, Lifetime IBM Champion, and Data Mesh MVP dedicated to helping organizations balance data governance with innovation.