Ashok Chennuru is Chief Data and Digital AI Transformation Officer at Elevance Health, where he leads enterprise data, analytics, and AI initiatives to address complex challenges across the healthcare ecosystem. With more than three decades of experience, Ashok has built his career at the intersection of data, technology, and large-scale transformation.
Ashok began his career in enterprise software and analytics roles at SAP, Oracle, and GE Aviation, where he developed a strong foundation in data architecture, platforms, and advanced analytics. He later joined Liberty Mutual, where he led business intelligence initiatives that connected analytics more directly to actuarial and financial decision-making.
Over the past 18 years at Elevance Health, Ashok has focused on applying data, analytics, and AI to critical healthcare challenges, including clinical quality, cost of care, interoperability, and provider collaboration. In his current role, Ashok leads enterprise data platforms, AI enablement, clinical analytics, and payer-provider integration at national scale.
Through these experiences, Ashok has developed a clear perspective on the role of data and AI in healthcare. He believes that meaningful impact depends on building systems that are trusted, interoperable, and closely aligned with real human outcomes. His leadership reflects a pragmatic, outcome-driven approach, focused on embedding data and AI into core healthcare processes to improve both efficiency and patient experience.
As a data and AI leader, which traits and skills do you think matter most, and which of those have been most influential for you in your current position?
“Effective data and AI leadership requires a balance of technical fluency, business acumen, and human judgment. The most critical traits include the ability to translate complex analytics into clear decisions, strong governance and ethical grounding, and the discipline to prioritize impact over experimentation for its own sake.
“Equally important are collaboration and influence. Data and AI leaders must work across clinical, operational, and technology domains, aligning diverse stakeholders around shared outcomes. In healthcare, trust is foundational. Leaders must build confidence in data quality, model integrity, and responsible AI use.
“In my organization, the most influential skills have been systems thinking and execution at scale. The ability to connect data platforms, interoperability, analytics, and AI into a cohesive operating model, and then deliver reliably, has enabled sustained value across lines of business while maintaining regulatory and clinical rigor.”
Reflecting on your career, what is one non-traditional piece of advice (outside of technical skills) you would give to an aspiring data or AI leader aiming for the C-suite?
“My advice is to invest as much in credibility and relationships as you do in technical excellence. At the C-suite level, influence matters more than algorithms. Leaders who succeed are those who consistently show up as trusted partners who excel at listening deeply, understanding incentives, and helping others succeed through data, not just reporting to them.
“Another often overlooked skill is patience paired with persistence. Transformational data and AI initiatives rarely move in straight lines, especially in regulated environments. The ability to navigate ambiguity, absorb setbacks, and keep teams focused on long-term outcomes is critical.
“Finally, anchor your leadership in purpose. When data and AI efforts are clearly tied to improving, it becomes easier to make hard decisions, earn trust, and sustain momentum. Purpose, more than technology, is what ultimately opens the door to the C-suite.”