Global Finalists

Krishna Bhagavathula is EVP & CTO at the National Basketball Association, where he leads global technology strategy across applications, cybersecurity, enterprise AI, cloud infrastructure, and arena technology. Since 2017 he has spearheaded the league’s tech transformation including high-speed arena networks, cloud migrations, data engineering platforms, courtside/officiating systems and enterprise AI. Previously CTO of NBC News and VP of Engineering at WebMD, he advises CTO/CIO consortiums and several startups, and lives in Princeton, New Jersey.

I’m incredibly proud of building an organization that has helped transform the NBA into a tech-forward and data-driven company. We’ve modernized our core technology/data platforms, moved applications to the cloud, and are now set up to scale seamlessly across multiple global tentpole events and deliver personalized experiences to hundreds of millions of fans. The NBA is a leader in applied AI and data for sports, delivering real-time game stats and advanced analytics to fans, partners and teams. The recent NBA Finals were the most-watched since 1998, with record digital engagement. Technology is now central to how we grow the game.

Dan Bosman is the CIO for TD Securities and Payments Technology, leading a global technology organization supporting TD’s capital markets, transaction banking, and payments businesses. He is recognized for advancing innovation through AI, data, platform modernization, and engineering excellence. A visible member and passionate advocate of the 2SLGBTQ+ community, Dan champions inclusion, develops future leaders, and believes the strongest organizations are built on trust, connection, and empowering people to do their best work.

My team’s greatest accomplishment has been transforming technology into a strategic advantage for TD Securities. We delivered the largest technology integration in the firm’s history, creating a stronger, more scalable franchise that expanded our global reach and accelerated growth. We also modernized critical payments infrastructure, advanced electronic trading, and embedded AI across front-office, engineering, and operational workflows. These efforts helped support record quarterly revenue, adjusted net income, and meaningful contributions toward TD’s C$1 billion AI value commitment. Most importantly, we empower our people to innovate, execute with discipline, and help shape the future of banking.

Brian Carlson serves as Chief Tech, Data, Digital and Innovation Officer at Sodexo North America. His organization delivers measurable outcomes for clients, consumers and employees through AI, automation and emerging technology programs. He champions innovation and enables growth, advancing Sodexo’s mission to serve people better through technology. He is a featured speaker at industry events, and was quoted in The Wall Street Journal as an expert source on emerging ransomware threats.

The flagship transformation initiative that demonstrates my team’s digital transformation success is scaling Everyday from a mobile ordering app into Sodexo’s enterprise digital commerce ecosystem. Today, it delivers a more connected dining experience while enabling stronger digital engagement across the business. When we began this work, consumers often encountered inconsistent menu, ingredient, allergen, and pricing information. I led a cross-functional team to address the root causes, improving data quality, enhancing the user experience, and creating a scalable foundation for continued digital growth. Today, Everyday is a widely adopted platform that supports consumers across a broad range of Sodexo locations.

As Chief Information Officer, Ashish leads technology strategy, information security, operations, and global AI, data science, and analytics across Standard and its operating companies. Previously, he spent over 20 years at Tapestry, Inc., serving most recently as SVP & CIO. Ashish has been recognized as an innovative technology leader by Forbes and Constellation Research and serves on the Board of Trustees at Arcadia University and the International Advisory Council at Seton Hall University.

Our talented global technology team has been working directly with our manufacturing, R&D and sales colleagues to identify opportunities for technology and AI to meaningfully improve their day-to-day work. This partnership has enabled us to have a significant impact across our enterprise – from increasing the efficiency and yields of our plants and accelerating our R&D processes to reducing materials costs and ultimately enhancing our ability to serve our valued customers.

Keith Sarbaugh is Executive Vice President and Chief Digital and Technology Officer at Zoetis, the world’s leading animal health company. He leads technology, AI, digital, cybersecurity, and global customer experience for the Fortune 500 company. Previously, he held IT leadership roles at Biogen and Eli Lilly. Keith holds a bachelor’s degree from Purdue University and an MBA from Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business.

At Zoetis, my team and I turned Tech & Digital from service function into a growth engine shaping the future of animal health. We unified AI efforts across R&D, manufacturing, and commercial teams into one value-driven program, powered by colleagues who pair deep animal health expertise with AI. We enabled adoption beyond IT, reaching 95% adoption among computer-based colleagues and saving nearly one million productivity hours in under a year. Today we partner with every function, building a high-performing culture that delivers measurable outcomes and invests in the next generation of technology talent.

John Stecher is the Chief Technology Officer of Blackstone. He was Chief Technology and Innovation Officer at Barclays. Prior to joining Barclays, Mr. Stecher worked for Goldman Sachs in a variety of senior management and engineering roles. At IBM Mr. Stecher was appointed as an IBM Master Inventor with over 45 patents. Mr. Stecher holds a BS in CS from the University of Wisconsin – Madison and a MS in CS from the University of Minnesota.

One of our biggest successes was BISTRO, a proprietary insurance portfolio visualization and analytics platform. BISTRO was built to support client reporting, analytics, risk management, and portfolio transparency for our insurance partners. We invested approximately $3-5 million developing the platform and expanded its capabilities to become an important differentiator in our insurance offering. Recognizing its value, we led the effort to commercialize the intellectual property, ultimately pursuing a transaction with Clearwater Analytics. The proposed sale valued BISTRO at approximately $125 million, representing a substantial value realization relative to the initial investment while preserving ongoing access for Blackstone and our clients.