Regional Organizers

Sami Laine, CDOIQ Nordic

Sami Laine, Former President DAMA Finland, Senior Advisor, Aalto University Executive Education and Professional Development

Sami Laine is a Senior Advisor at Aalto EE, where he is currently spearheading the mission to bring the world-renowned CDOIQ Symposium to the Nordics in 2024. During his over 20 years career, he has worked in data management practitioner, consultant, researcher, and teacher roles in several business sectors. Recently, he published a peer-reviewed article describing the development and application of a bottom-up approach to improve the trustworthiness of AI systems and certified himself as an AI Design Sprint Facilitator. Throughout his career, Sami has been an active advocate for promoting quality and ethical perspectives in data management and business decision-making, as recognized by his nomination for the DAIR Awards AI Ethics Professional of the year in 2022. He has been a long-time president and board member of the DAMA Finland ry and a program committee member of the MIT CDOIQ Symposium.

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Professor Hanlie Smuts, CDOIQ South Africa

Hanlie Smuts, Head – Department of Informatics, University of Pretoria

Prof. Hanlie Smuts has been an Associate Professor in the Department of Informatics at the University of Pretoria since 2017. She was appointed as Head of Department of Informatics in 2022.

During her tenure in industry prior to joining the University of Pretoria, her role aimed to deliver consistent customer relevance across all digital touch points by empowering customers through convenient and effective self-service, and by driving growth through personalised digital offerings and adjacent ecosystems.

Her lecturing and research role focuses on Information Systems and the organisation, with particular emphasis on Society 5.0, digital transformation, big data management, artificial intelligence, and knowledge management. Prof Smuts is deputy chair of the Knowledge Management South Africa (KMSA) board and has published several papers and book chapters in her field of study.

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Professor Boh Wai Fong, CDOIQ APAC

Professor Boh Wai Fong, Vice President (Lifelong Learning & Alumni Engagement), NTU

Wai Fong Boh is President’s Chair and Professor of Information Systems at Nanyang Technological University (NTU) in Singapore. She is currently the Interim Dean of Nanyang Business School (NBS), Director of Information Management Research Centre at NBS, and she serves as co-Director for both Singapore Agri-Food Innovation Lab (SAIL @ NTU) and NTU Centre in Computational Technologies for Finance (CCTF). She received her PhD from the Tepper School of Business at the Carnegie Mellon University. She conducts research in the areas of knowledge and innovation management and entrepreneurship. She has published many articles in top management journals including Management Science, MIS Quarterly, Academy of Management Journal, Organization Science, Journal of Management Information Systems, and Research Policy. She has also won multiple awards, including awards for best papers in journals, conferences, and as a best IS professor in Asia. Professor Boh is a seasoned and versatile instructor who teaches at both undergraduate and graduate levels. She has spoken in multiple industry conferences, and specializes in research and conducting training for entrepreneurs, managers and employees in areas related to innovation and entrepreneurship. Professor Boh is also sought after by private organizations as well as government agencies to conduct training programs. She is often cited and interviewed in the media.

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Christine Legner, CDOIQ Europe

Christine Legner, Professor, Director Competence Center Corporate Data Quality, University of Lausanne

Christine Legner is a Professor of Information Systems at the Faculty of Business and Economics (HEC), University of Lausanne. She is the co-founder and academic director of the Competence Centers Corporate Data Quality (CC CDQ), an industry-funded research consortium and expert community with 20 corporate partners (BASF, Bayer, Beiersdorf, Bosch, Nestlé, Schaeffler, SAP, Siemens and Tetrapak, among others). In the CC CDQ, she and her research team collaborate with industry experts to develop concepts, tools and methods that advance data management. Christine is also the co-director of the Executive Certificate in Data Science and Management, a joint program offered by University of Lausanne and EPFL.

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Noriko Rzonca, CDOIQ Japan

Noriko Rzonca, Chief Digital Officer, Cosmo Energy Holdings, Outside Director, Unicharm Corporation

Noriko Rzonca is a dynamic data science and digital transformation (DX) strategy expert with over 20 years of leadership experience in the insurance, banking, and energy industries. As Chief Digital Officer of Cosmo Energy Holdings, she has led the company’s digital transformation efforts, including driving oil refinery digital twin projects, enhancing employee digital upskilling initiatives, and facilitating DX projects such as DX Hub. She has also spearheaded the establishment of data governance and a data-driven business environment at the enterprise level.

Previously, Noriko held senior roles at Citi Group, MetLife Japan, and Sony Bank, where she led integrated marketing, branding, and pricing initiatives. Her expertise in data science, CX design, and global services strategy development has positioned her as one of Japan’s most respected thought leaders in the areas of DX and change management.

Noriko holds a Ph.D. in Psychology from Utah State University, with a focus on research and evaluation methodology. A strong advocate for data-driven decision-making, she frequently speaks at conferences globally.

Beyond her professional life, Noriko serves as a Management Councilor at Shiga University and previously served as a member of Japan’s Cabinet Office’s Working Group for the Establishment of a Mathematics, Data Science, and AI Higher Education Programs Certification System, supporting data literacy cultivation among students in Japan.

In her free time, she enjoys traveling and spending time with her husband and son.

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Flavio Pires, CDOIQ Latam

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TBD

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