Gartner UK & Ireland CDAO Community Executive Summit 2026

Highlights & key takeaways

Thank you for engaging with us at the Gartner UK & Ireland CDAO Community Executive Summit 2026.

At the Summit, data and analytics leaders came together to focus on what’s actually required to make AI work in real organizations—not just in theory. Across the summit, discussions focused on how Chief Data & Analytics Officers can strengthen trust in enterprise data, accelerate AI value creation, modernise complex data estates and deliver measurable business impact in a rapidly evolving environment.
 

Event themes

This year’s summit explored three critical priorities for data and AI leaders:

• Strengthening data and AI governance to support responsible, trusted and scalable AI adoption
• Maximising business and monetisation value from data, analytics and AI investments
• Modernising data architecture to enable agility, interoperability and enterprise-wide intelligence

Boardroom session highlights

From trusted information to AI advantage. With AI models widely accessible, the edge comes from high-quality, governed, connected information. Leaders discussed creating AI-ready information fabrics that link legacy and modern data, boost trust and drive measurable value.

Key takeaways

1. Trusted information underpins AI success. Without strong data foundations, AI yields unreliable insights and weak adoption.
2. Governance must evolve. Integrate data and AI governance to enable innovation, manage risk and build stakeholder confidence.
3. Prove value early. Tie initiatives to outcomes from the start—revenue, efficiency, CX and decision quality.
4. Modern architecture differentiates. Connected, AI-ready architectures bridge silos and speed access to trusted data.
5. Tech isn’t enough. Skills, operating models, culture, governance and change management are essential.
6. The next 24 months are pivotal. Bets on trust, governance, architecture and value will separate leaders from followers. 

Common barriers

Participants also explored the challenges that continue to prevent organisations from realising full value from AI, including:

• Fragmented data landscapes and legacy infrastructure
• Inconsistent data quality and unclear ownership
• Lack of alignment between AI initiatives and business priorities
• Governance models that are too slow, complex or disconnected
• Difficulty scaling pilots into enterprise-wide capabilities
• Limited visibility into the measurable value of AI investments

Overcoming these barriers will require CDAOs to act not only as data leaders, but as strategic business partners driving enterprise transformation.

Looking Ahead

Learn more

The CDAO is emerging as a value creator, governance leader and AI transformation enabler. Building trusted information foundations, unlocking enterprise intelligence and proving outcomes will define next‑generation data and analytics leadership.

Thank you to all attendees, speakers and contributors for a valuable forum of insight and peer learning.