Linda Avery, Chief Data Officer and Senior Vice President, Verizon

This was followed by five years as the Federal Reserve Bank of New York’s first chief data officer, creating its first data organisation and driving change through data management and data governance. As a result, she was named US chief data officer of the year by CDO Club in 2019. Avery joined Verizon that year where she partners closely with the CIO and CISO, leading a strong focus on measurable business value, building an empowering organisational culture, and embedding AI ethics.