There was a time when data governance meant rules, red tape, and roadblocks, but that’s not the story anymore.

Today, governance is powering some of the most forward-thinking, AI-ready, security-conscious data teams in the world. And at MDS Fest 3.0, we’re putting that shift front and center.

This year’s Data Governance & Strategy track is all about building smarter systems, not heavier ones. It's for the data leaders, CISOs, and compliance teams asking big questions:
👉 How do we scale governance without slowing things down?
👉 How do we balance privacy and access?
👉 How do we move fast and stay compliant?

You’ll leave with answers, examples, and new connections to your peers in data governance.

🎫 Registration for MDS Fest is open, and every single session is free. Get your ticket here. 🎫

Governance ≠ bureaucracy

For years, governance was seen as a blocker. Something you added after the fact—once the systems were built and the mess had already spread.

But the best teams are flipping that script, and embedding governance early, so compliance, clarity, and security aren’t afterthoughts. They’re built in from day one.

You’ll hear from folks who’ve made that shift. Who’ve turned documentation into fuel, scaled regulatory compliance across global teams without losing speed, and operationalized governance in a way that actually works.

This isn’t theory, it’s real world examples, and they’re working.

Who should tune in?

If you’re leading governance at scale, managing security and compliance, or just trying to bring a little more order (and a lot more clarity) to your data operations—this track was made for you.

Because the truth is, governance isn’t the end of innovation. Done right, it’s the reason you can move faster.

Read on to meet the speakers and learn more about their sessions 👇

The ethics of emotional AI: Should machines build consumer trust?

A talk by: Cecilia Dones, Founder, Chief Data Officer, 3 Standard Deviations

AI is increasingly mediating relationships between humans—making decisions that shape trust, access, and opportunity. This session explores the ethical considerations of emotional AI, diving into the trade-offs and consequences when algorithms attempt to "build trust" with users. How should governance evolve to meet this moment?

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Governance frameworks for harmonizing qual & quant insights

A talk by: Chen-hui Bergl, Founder & Partner, Fully Analytics

Qualitative and quantitative data often live in separate worlds. But bridging them can unlock powerful insights—especially for industries where context is everything. This session shares how governance frameworks can harmonize both types of data, ensuring consistency, clarity, and usability across teams.

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Extracting value from the modern data stack: Case studies with regional sports networks

A talk by: Eric Callahan, Antonio Parada, Andrew vanderWielen, Principal, Data Solutions, Pickaxe Foundry

Metadata is more than a byproduct—it’s a resource. This panel will walk through real-world examples of how organizations are using metadata, lineage, and quality metrics to create value across the modern data stack. Expect practical advice on driving adoption and impact beyond the warehouse.

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A bite of clarity: The role of metadata in business & AI

A talk by: George Firican, Founder, LightsOnData Inc.

Metadata can feel abstract. This talk makes it practical—exploring how effective metadata management contributes directly to business outcomes. You’ll learn how to build systems that surface clarity, create accountability, and reduce friction in data decision-making.

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How do you measure the ROI of your data team? (Spoiler alert: You can’t)

A talk by: Julia Slisz, Customer Engineer, Hex

Trying to prove the value of your data team? This session explores frameworks for measuring ROI—from usage metrics to business impact. You’ll walk away with actionable ways to show leadership how governance and stewardship contribute directly to organizational success.

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From models to impact: Operationalizing AI/ML with data governance and self-service BI

A talk by: Kuber Jain, Senior Data Analyst, Headspace

Operationalizing AI/ML goes far beyond building models—it’s about embedding intelligent systems into real business workflows. But without strong data governance, trustworthy inputs, and accessible tools, even the best models fail to deliver value. This talk explores how to move from experimentation to production, while empowering teams through data democratization and self-service BI.

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The champion effect: Building internal advocates for data adoption

A talk by: Opeyemi Fabiyi, Analytics Manager, Data Culture

Despite significant investments in analytics infrastructure, many organizations still struggle with low adoption. This session focuses on one critical driver of success: internal champions. Drawing from real-world examples, this talk outlines how to identify, engage, and empower advocates across the business to drive organization-wide adoption and maximize the impact of data investments.

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The lakehouse - Touring the AI native data management architecture

A talk by: Peter Crocker, Founder, InGenSight

This session explores how data architecture is evolving to support modern AI use cases. Learn how the Lakehouse architecture supports structured and unstructured data, improves metadata tracking, and democratizes access—all while enabling scalable governance and compliance in an AI-first world.

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The semantics behind AI that actually works

A talk by: Peter Whitehead, Solutions Engineer, Omni

AI in BI tools often underdelivers. This session unpacks how to pair semantic layers with human-in-the-loop design to make AI genuinely useful. Learn practical ways to boost end-user adoption and deliver meaningful insights—no magic, just smart systems built for real-world use.

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Data governance – From theory to practice in a complex data world

A talk by: Rakhi Reddy, Analytics Engineer, Gitlab

This talk offers a hands-on look at how GitLab’s Marketing team implemented robust governance across over 10 systems using the modern data stack. Learn how they tackled golden record creation, PII protection, and data quality to drive real business impact through better survey response rates and enhanced communications.

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Data privacy and governance

A talk by: Sunil Rathode, Senior Data Engineer, Meta Platforms, Inc.

As petabyte-scale data warehouses become the norm, the need for data privacy and governance grows more urgent. This session explores the intersection of modern data engineering and compliance, offering insights into how Meta is addressing evolving regulatory and ethical challenges.

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Humanizing data strategy

A talk by: Tiankai Feng, Director, Data & AI Strategy, Thoughtworks

At the center of every data strategy is the human element. This talk introduces the 5 Cs—competence, collaboration, communication, creativity, and conscience—as a framework for building people-first strategies. Learn how to turn team members into data advocates and make your data culture resonate across the business.

👉 Register for this talk

Join us at MDS Fest 3.0

Join us at MDS Fest from May 5 - 9 to explore the cutting-edge of data-driven strategies, and take home actionable insights that could redefine the future of your career.

Get your tickets at mdsfest.com today.