Uploaded October 2025 | Updated September 2026, 16 minutes ago

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What does it take to lead AI transformation in a mature industry?
“Don’t chase AI trends. Work with your customers, understand their data, and innovate from there.”

In this interview, Ponna Arumugam, CTO at Strategy, shares her journey from programmer to C-level executive, and what it really means to lead with both technical depth and strategic vision.

In this episode Ponna discusses how AI is reshaping the analytics landscape:

Moving from reactive insights to autonomous decision-making
Why AI needs human oversight and strong guardrails
The importance of respecting customers’ legacy data
Supporting structured and unstructured data across systems
Building trust through data governance and a universal semantic layer

Chapters:
00:00 Introduction: Leading Innovation with Strategy
00:26 From Programmer to CTO
01:20 Developing and Leading a Team
02:33 Thriving in a Mature Market
04:18 Winning in the Intelligence Revolution
05:39 Making AI work for People
08:19 The Big Opportunities Ahead
11:00 Why Mosaic Is the Next Big Thing