The Influence Playbook: Power Moves for Data and AI Leaders
Julia Bardmesser Overview:
The Influence Playbook: Power Moves for Data and AI Leaders is a practical, no-fluff session on leading when you don’t have control.
You’ll learn:
- Julia’s Political Capital Theory: why every initiative either earns or costs you influence-and how to manage that capital like the scarce resource it is
- Why technical excellence isn’t enough to drive transformation
- How to earn trust and attention from stakeholders who don’t have to listen to you
- Influence strategies tailored to data and AI leadership roles
- How to navigate resistance, hidden politics, and organizational silos without losing momentum
Why you should Attend:
You have the team, the tools, and the roadmap-but the business still doesn’t follow your lead.
Sound familiar? That’s because most CDO and CDAO roles aren’t just about delivering tech-they’re about delivering change. And change only happens when you can influence people who aren’t required to follow you. It’s why so many data leaders burn out or get stuck in the two-year revolving door.
If you're tired of repeating the same messages and still not getting traction, this webinar gives you the playbook to lead more effectively, not by yelling louder, but by influencing smarter.
Areas Covered in the Session:
- The unspoken power dynamics of data and AI leadership
- Why influence matters more than authority-and how to build it
- Julia’s Political Capital Theory: what creates it, what exhausts it and how to spend it wisely
- How to work with “friendly blockers,” “polite no’s,” and internal politics
- Tactics for managing up, across, and diagonally
- Practical power moves to use immediately in your role
Who Will Benefit:
- Chief Data Officers (CDOs)
- Heads of Data, AI, or Analytics
- Data Governance and Stewardship Leads
- Data Scientists or Engineers stepping into leadership roles
- Product Managers working on data/AI initiatives
- Digital Transformation Leaders
- Business stakeholders trying to align with data teams
Speaker Profile
Julia Bardmesser is the CEO of Data4Real, LLC, where she helps organizations maximize value of their data and analytics assets through advisory services, training, and transformation consulting.
She is a published author, an Adjunct Professor at the NYU Stern School of Business and she serves as a Board Advisor to several startups.
A recognized thought leader in data-driven digital transformation, Julia brings over 25 years of experience in building both technology and business capabilities that enable growth, innovation, and agility. She has led major transformational programs at top-tier financial services companies, including Voya Financial, Deutsche Bank, Citi, FINRA, and Freddie Mac.
Julia is a sought-after speaker and mentor, and her work has earned her wide recognition across the industry. She was named to Engatica’s 2023 list of the World’s Top 200 Business and Technology Innovators, received the 2022 WLDA Changemaker in AI award, and has appeared on CDO Magazine’s Global Data Power Women list three years in a row. In addition, she was named a Top 150 Business Transformation Leader by Constellation Research in 2019 and was recognized as the Best Data Management Practitioner by A-Team Insight in 2017.