Governing Body Spotlight

Kiran Kanetkar is an accomplished Technology Executive Leader passionate about solving business problems that deliver value. He has subject matter expertise in delivering business strategy that is powered by modern digital technologies such as Cloud, Data, Analytics and AI/ML. He is focused on creating a data-driven decision making culture and participates in several industry events, authors opinion editorials, and facilitates discussions among leaders on current data and analytics topics.

Currently Kiran works as VP of Application, Data and Analytics at Pendulum Therapeutics. He has completed Bachelor of Mechanical Engineering from VJTI, Mumbai, Post Graduate Diploma in Management from NITIE (IIM), Mumbai and an Executive MBA from Ross School of Business at University of Michigan.

Learn more about the Southern California CDAO community here.
 

Give us a brief overview of the path that led to your current role.

I have worked my way up to a Vice President starting from doing hands-on coding at the beginning of my career. I have consistently risen through the ranks from a Developer to a Senior Architect on the technical ladder and from Manager to Vice President on the management ladder. This unique career path has helped me to be a hands-on leader. This has been especially effective during the last few years where the technology has been constantly evolving. Today’s technology leaders need to be on top of the latest developments to be an effective leader.
 

What is one of your guiding leadership principles?

My guiding leadership principle is to be a transformational leader. As a leader, I want to create a shared vision of the future by having my team contribute to creating that vision. This shared vision considers the business value that needs to be delivered and the technologies that can help in delivering the value at the fastest speed. Then, I break down that vision into manageable components that we can deliver each quarter to ultimately realize that vision. Along the way, I lead my team from the front, doing hands-on work if required to resolve any conflicts or remove roadblocks.
 

With disruption being a key theme of recent years, where do you see the CDAO role going in the next 1-2 years?

C-level roles are increasingly relying on data to make decisions. With the onset of Generative AI, this is going to speed up even faster. C-level executives need to build data and AI as a core competency in critical business processes that power the key business metrics.
 

What advice would you give to someone just starting out as a CDAO?

I would advise anyone joining a role similar to mine to constantly challenge themself to adapt. As new technologies evolve, technology leaders need to be agile in adopting them to deliver business value in a timely manner. Businesses that move with speed and agility will disrupt others that are slow to adapt.
 

Tell us 3 fun facts about yourself.

1. I love watching and discussing sports. 
2. I like to travel to places with natural beauty. 
3. I like mentoring startups.
    

What is the value of joining an Evanta community?

The Evanta CDAO community is a great way to collaborate with leaders from different industries. It provides a platform to bounce ideas off of other talented executives and share knowledge, as most companies face similar challenges. If the companies are not competing with each other, there is a good amount of exchange of ideas and knowledge through Evanta organized events.
 

Evanta Governing Body members share their insights and leadership perspectives to shape the agendas and topics that address the top priorities impacting business leaders today.
 

by CDAOs, for CDAOs
 

Join the conversation with peers in your local CDAO community.