FIMA US 2026

April 22 - 23, 2026

The Westin Copley Place, Boston, MA

Justin Heller

Justin Heller

Former SVP, Chief Data Officer Synchrony Financial

Day 1 Wednesday, April 22, 2026

8:40 AM Morning Mindshare Meetup: Mastering Your Data Future - The Game-Changing Do's and Don'ts for Your Success

Fuel your morning with a stimulating exercise designed to engage, enlighten, and evolve. We’re not just setting the tone but pioneering conversations that matter, creating a dynamic platform in which brainstorming meets expertise. In deep-dive conversations led by our distinguished advisory board, get ready to reimagine your data strategies by unveiling the transformative ✅’s and ❌’s pivotal for driving unparalleled success. Once you’ve exchanged best practices and benchmarked with your fellow data leaders, our distinguished advisors will share their group’s findings with the entire audience from the main stage.

10:25 AM Spotlight: Building Data-Driven Organizations that Empower Data Leaders

Empowerment and accountability remain critical questions for CDOs and their data teams. This campfire-style spotlight provides concrete, peer-led case studies demonstrating how organizations successfully secured executive alignment and built the necessary cultural, governance, and technological foundations to empower their data leaders to thrive. Join two data champions to learn:


    • Actionable strategies for overcoming internal politics
    • Framing complex data conversations for executive consumption; and
    • Transforming data teams into essential revenue-driving partners

    2:05 PM Data Dives

    Join these incisive deep dives into specific, nitty-gritty problem-solving. Take control of your event experience by seizing this unique opportunity to benchmark directly with data executives.

    1. Legacy Debt and Adoption Challenges – Sharing Failures and Lessons Learned

    2. Selling Governance to the Business – Overcoming Internal Politics and Reluctance for Data Ownership
    Hosted by Fabien Thiaucourt, SVP, Data Governance & Enablement, Mastercard

    3. Navigating the Technology Tightrope: Evaluating Build vs. Buy for AI & Analytics Capabilities

    4. Data Quality Messes: Sharing Failures and Lessons Learned
    Hosted by Justin Heller, Former SVP, Chief Data Officer, Synchrony Financial

    5. The Most Interesting AI Use Cases to Take Back to Your Desk

    6. Predictive Power for Credit Unions: Leveraging External Data for Targeted Campaigns
    Hosted by Ramesh Sepehrrad, VP, Head of Tech and Cyber Risk, Navy Federal Credit Union

    Check out the incredible speaker line-up to see who will be joining Justin.

    Download The Latest Agenda