GLOBAL – July 11th, 2024 – /PRNewsWire/ – Blend is excited to announce the expansion of our strategic partnership with DataIQ, a leading organization focused on creating a community for data, analytics, and insight leaders. This collaboration aims to provide enhanced support to the Chief Data and Analytics Officer (CDAO) community through innovative solution development, thought leadership, and expanded networking opportunities.

Our strengthened partnership with DataIQ reflects our shared commitment to fostering a global network of data professionals and advancing the fields of data and AI. By combining Blend's expertise with DataIQ's community-building, we aim to create a powerful ecosystem that drives excellence in the data and AI landscape.

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“Data and AI Leaders are very much at the heart of our thinking, alongside getting their expertise and influence firmly into the boardroom to drive business value.  Leading edge partners like Blend are crucial for delivering capability and innovation so our client-side Data and AI leader community can accelerate successfully at scale. We are delighted that our DataIQ 100 Summit in Miami was a big success for Blend and are excited to be expanding our partnership with Blend globally for the benefit of our community.” remarks Adrian Gregory, Co-founder and CEO, DataIQ.

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Inaugural DataIQ 100 Summit and DataIQ AI Awards in Miami: A Resounding Success

The recent DataIQ 100 Summit in Miami focused on ‘Winning with AI’, the first US-focused DataIQ event, served as a testament to the strength of our partnership. This event brought together thought leaders, provided valuable networking opportunities, and celebrated achievements in the CDAO community at the inaugural DataIQ AI Awards.

What makes a top CDAO? We ran an analysis on the DataIQ 100 to answer this. Click here to learn what makes leading CDAOs tick.

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Coverage of key topics throughout the AI Summit to support CDAOs

CDAOs are navigating uncertainty, but they don’t have to do it alone. Blend brings the right experts and clients together to share mission-critical knowledge with today’s data leaders. Content is a key channel through which Blend and DataIQ will continue to support CDAOs on topics ranging from Scaling AI to Business Transformation.

Blend kicked off this initiative with two highly engaging sessions at the DataIQ 100 Summit in Miami.

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Keynote Session

Ozgur Dogan, President of Solutions and Service Lines at Blend, joined John Lee, Chief Data Officer at NBCUniversal, to present "AI at Scale: Building Out an Enterprise-Grade Approach to GenAI." This session covered the strategic planning, team assembly, and executive commitment required to successfully scale generative AI beyond proof-of-concept experiments.
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Panel Discussion

Rob Fuller, SVP of Technology at Blend, moderated an insightful panel on "Gen AI - How to Lead Business Transformation." The discussion featured industry leaders from Delek, Credit Suisse, T-Mobile, and Destination Canada, exploring the potential of Gen AI to transform business performance, drive innovation, and deliver significant business value.

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“We're finding that there is a real appetite amongst Data and AI Leaders in North America to connect, learn from, and help each other, especially around the adoption of responsible AI at scale,” says Susan Feigenbaum, SVP of North America, DataIQ.  “The DataIQ 100 Summit and AI Awards in Miami added the important ingredient of recognition to demonstrate the value to their businesses.  This helps raise investment and attract talent.   Introducing expert partners like Blend to the mix that integrate cutting edge technology with proven experts able to share success stories, and accelerate scale up, really does make it a winning combination for our members.  We're delighted that Blend has extended its partnership with DataIQ".

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Recognition and Awards

Blend360's commitment to excellence was recognized with two prestigious awards at the DataIQ AI Awards Gala Dinner:

• AI-Enabling Solution of the Year: This award acknowledges our innovative solutions that empower businesses to harness the full potential of AI, driving transformative outcomes across various industries.
• Best Place to Work in AI and Data – Vendor Side: This accolade celebrates our dedication to creating an exceptional workplace for AI and data professionals, fostering a culture of innovation and growth.

These awards underscore Blend's position as a leader in the AI and data space, reflecting our commitment to delivering cutting-edge solutions and nurturing top talent in the industry. Learn more about Blend's AI Awards here.

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“We at Blend are very excited to expand our Global Partnership with DataIQ. The DataIQ team and community are leading the world in best of breed Data, Analytics and AI thinking and solutions. Going beyond the strategy on paper and actively delivering high value solutions that drive meaningful impact for their respective brands and we are proud to be a part of that community”- Adam Mincham, Head of GTM, Blend

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Digging deeper on key topics: The Critical 7 – Challenges in Scaling AI

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As an extension of the Blend Keynote following the DataIQ 100 Summit, Blend is digging deeper on the seven critical challenges that organizations face when scaling AI initiatives. Our unique perspective on these challenges is based on extensive experience working with Fortune500 companies across various industries:
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1. AI Talent Shortage
   The rapid adoption of AI technologies has created a significant talent gap, with executives forecasting that almost half their teams will need to reskill in the next three years.1 To address this, we recommend a multi-faceted approach including upskilling existing employees, fostering partnerships with educational institutions, and implementing innovative talent acquisition strategies. Organizations that successfully bridge this gap can expect an increase in productivity and overall performance.
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2. Lack of Strong Data Foundation
   Research shows that 62% of companies struggle to change organizational behaviors towards data-driven decision-making.2 We advocate for building comprehensive data strategies, investing in data literacy programs, and establishing robust data governance practices to create strong foundations for AI initiatives.
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3. Technical Challenges
   Scaling AI involves complex technical hurdles, from data management to model performance and infrastructure requirements. Our MLOps services blend creative data science with trusted engineering to overcome these challenges, ensuring seamless AI deployment and scalability.
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4. Speed of Innovation
   The AI field is evolving rapidly, requiring organizations to adapt quickly. We emphasize the importance of agile development practices and continuous learning to compete in this fast-paced environment.
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5. Failure to Integrate with Business Strategies
   Many organizations implement AI in silos, missing opportunities to align with core business objectives. Our approach focuses on identifying high-impact use cases and fostering cross-functional collaboration to ensure AI initiatives drive tangible business value.
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6. Change Management
   With 40% of CDAOs struggling with employee adoption of new initiatives, effective change management is crucial.2 We support leaders in driving organizational transformation and fostering data-driven cultures essential for successful AI adoption.
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7. Trust
   Building trust in AI systems is fundamental to their successful adoption. We prioritize responsible AI practices, transparent communication, and strategic use-case selection to build confidence in AI solutions across organizations.

Blend’s committed to solving big challenges by blending people with AI, ensuring our clients are at the center of every solution, and fostering a culture of innovation and teamwork. Through our expanded partnership with DataIQ and our continued focus on addressing the critical challenges in AI scaling, we are poised to drive significant advancements in the data and AI landscape.

For more information, please contact Adam Mincham

Sources

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1. World Economic Forum, “Why we must bridge the skills gap to harness the power of AI”

2. AWS, “CDO Agenda 2024: Navigating Data and Generative AI Frontiers”

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