As businesses worldwide increasingly recognise the necessity of technological investment, stewards are needed to help these companies navigate the complexities.
With countries in APAC making up several of the world’s largest economies, these AI leaders have a large responsibility.
With this in mind, AI Magazine examines some of the most influential AI figures based in the APAC region.
10. Craig Price
Role: Head of Data Science & Artificial Intelligence CoE at Suncorp Group
Location: Australia
Craig Price is an experienced professional with over two decades in the financial services industry, focusing on data science, insurance pricing, and analytics.In his position as Head of Data Science & AI Centre of Excellence at Suncorp Group, Craig oversees a team of data scientists and analytics experts in creating innovative solutions for well-known brands such as AAMI, Suncorp, GIO, and Apia.
His responsibilities extend beyond team leadership, as he strives to empower the wider Data Science & Analytics community across Suncorp, optimising the business value derived from the Group's data investments.
9: Anirban Nandi
Role: Vice President, AI Products & Business Analytics at Rakuten India
Location: India
With more than 15 years of expertise in machine learning, data science, data engineering and business analytics, Anirban Nandi has developed and managed high-performing teams that have delivered innovative solutions and AI products at scale for sectors including e-commerce, advertisement, retail and fashion.
Anirban takes pride in his eagerness to explore new technologies and tools, as well as his willingness to collaborate with other experts and stakeholders in the AI community. He is also dedicated to fostering a positive working environment for his team.
8: Susan Gibson
Role: Head of Data Analytics and AI at UTS
Location: Australia
Susan Gibson of the University of Technology Sydney is a prominent figure in the AI field, having spearheaded numerous data analytics and digital strategies and work programmes. She is known for her ability to drive success and innovation, as well as her capacity to enhance the university's decision-making processes.
Susan is passionate about promoting the use of AI in business strategy, with her current role ensuring that she leads efforts to manage the ethical implementation of AI at the university. She concentrates on AI fluency, governance and technical and organisational change capabilities.
7. Mandali Khalesi
Role: VP of AI and Cloud at Renesas Electronics
Location: Japan
Mandali is Global Vice President of AI & Cloud Engineering at Renesas, concentrating on embedded and cloud-enabled AI software. He is a software executive who has been based in Tokyo, Japan for the past decade.
Before joining Renesas, Mandali held the position of General Manager in charge of Automated Driving Mobility at Toyota HQ in Japan. He simultaneously served as Vice President of Automated Driving at their autonomy software subsidiary Woven by Toyota, contributing to the company's growth to 1,700 employees.
Prior to Toyota, he headed the APAC division at a European automotive infotainment supplier and began his career as a software engineer at a technology consultancy. Outside of work, he enjoys hiking and electronic music (Traktor/Arturia).
6: Ugur Ersoy
Role: Head of AI at NIO
Location: China
Ugur Ersoy holds the position of Head of AI at NIO, a leading electric vehicle manufacturer renowned for its cutting-edge technology and innovative approach to automotive design. In his role, Ugur oversees the development and implementation of artificial intelligence solutions that are crucial to NIO's advanced machine vision and Industrial IoT capabilities.
Ugur's extensive experience in AI and digital across various large enterprises has provided him with the knowledge required to enhance NIO's autonomous driving features, improve manufacturing processes, and optimise overall vehicle performance through data-driven insights.
5: Jingren Zhou
Role: Chief Technology Officer at Alibaba Cloud
Location: China
Specialising in cloud computing, database systems and machine learning, Jingren Zhou joined Alibaba Cloud in 2015 as VP and has held the position of CTO since 2022. He studied computer science in both China and the US, completing his doctorate at Columbia University.
Jingren oversees several core technical divisions to drive the company's intelligent infrastructure and applications in e-commerce and cloud business, including leading the big data and AI computing divisions. Before joining Alibaba Cloud, he worked as a manager at Microsoft for 11 years.
4: Janice Carey
Role: Head of Advanced Analytics and Artificial Intelligence at Coles Group
Location: Australia
Janice Carey possesses a wealth of experience, with work spanning health, higher education, public sector, finance, retail, distribution and manufacturing across various leadership positions at prominent organisations such as Bupa and IBM.
Recognised as a thought leader in her field, Janice is known for her courage, innovation and practical approach to addressing organisational challenges at Coles Group. Her extensive experience in mature service delivery frameworks, combined with her innovative spirit, enables her to identify and implement relevant business improvement opportunities.
3: Mohit Kapoor
Role: Group CTO at Mahindra Group
Location: India
A business technology leader with more than three decades of experience across industries, with the last 20 years focused on innovation, digital technology, process & product quality, company culture and customer experience, Mohit Kapoor currently spearheads digital transformation efforts at the Mahindra Group.
Mohit is responsible for driving Mahindra Group's ambitious technology transformation agenda and working closely with the company's businesses to leverage new and emerging technologies to create new business models and transform customer experiences. He also chairs the AI and digital technology committee at FICCI.
2: Purshottam Purswani
Role: CTO APAC at Atos
Location: Australia
Purshottam Purswani is Chief Technology Officer offering business platforms and solutions in APAC. A member of the Atos Scientific Community and an Atos Distinguished expert, he works on digital technologies around IoT, cloud, machine learning, blockchain and AI.
Having previously worked in a wide variety of roles including enterprise architecture, IT management and programme management, Purshottam is now responsible for Atos' technology strategy and driving innovation for customers. He takes ownership of maintaining and building specialist digital capabilities for Atos' APAC region, including strategy formulation and planning for customers.
1: Mei May Soo
Role: Chief of AI Global Solution Specialist at Dell Technologies
Location: Singapore
Based in Singapore, Mei May Soo has worked with Dell Technologies for more than four years and is well-versed in data and analytics. She currently leads the AI/ML initiative in Global Presales at Dell Technology, which involves working closely with customers to solve problems scientifically and objectively.
Mei May's work highlights how Dell Technologies continues to embed and deploy AI across businesses. A recent example is where her team designed and built a Deep Learning model that recognises and identifies different types of corals as part of conservation efforts of the Great Barrier Reef.
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