AI Ambition Meets Data Reality: What 1,200 Tech Leaders Reveal About Readiness
- Details
- Written by Nasheen Liu
AI is no longer experimental. It’s operational. It’s funded. And it’s expected to deliver. Yet a new global study from Hitachi Vantara reveals a hard truth many CIOs already suspect: AI success is being limited not by algorithms, but by data infrastructure.
The State of Data Infrastructure Global Report by Hitachi Vantara, based on interviews with more than 1,200 IT leaders worldwide, shows that organizations are racing ahead with AI investments while their data foundations struggle to keep up. Nowhere is this tension clearer than in the U.S. and Canada.
The AI Readiness Gap Is Real
AI adoption is nearly universal. But readiness to scale AI and achieve meaningful ROI is not.
In the U.S. and Canada, 58% of organizations fall into “data laggard” categories, meaning their environments lack the structure, automation, and governance required to support AI at scale. Only 42% are considered data-mature leaders.
The performance gap is striking:
- 84% of data-mature organizations report measurable AI ROI, compared to just 48% of less mature peers.
- Data quality is the top driver of AI success, cited by 75% of data-mature organizations versus 47% of laggards.
- Among mature organizations, 59% say AI is critical to their business, compared with only 18% of those with weaker data foundations.
This is not an AI adoption story. It’s a data discipline story.
Complexity Is Becoming a Strategic Risk
CIOs are also grappling with rising infrastructure complexity. In the U.S. and Canada:
- 84% say data environment complexity is growing too quickly to manage
- 57% say complexity makes it harder to detect a data breach
- 59% fear a critical data loss would be catastrophic
- Half admit their systems are so complex that executives would “lose sleep” if they understood the risk
AI doesn’t mask these issues. It magnifies them. As AI becomes embedded in operations, governance, visibility, and resilience become business-critical, not just IT concerns.
Security concerns have intensified year over year globally, with data security now the top AI implementation concern for a majority of organizations.
What Data Leaders Do Differently
The report outlines a clear maturity divide between Emerging, Defined, and Optimized organizations. The difference is not budget or company size, it’s leadership alignment and operational discipline.
Data-mature leaders in North America stand out in several ways:
- 65% have automated infrastructure operations, compared with just 27% of less mature organizations
- 82% report built-in resilience and sustainable design, versus only 19% of laggards
- 87% say they have strong leadership vision linking data and AI to business strategy
They also centralize governance, formalize data classification, and shift from “where systems live” to “how data is managed as a strategic asset.”
In short, they treat data infrastructure the way previous generations treated ERP or cybersecurity: as a foundational capability, not a background utility.
The CIO Takeaway: AI ROI Is an Infrastructure Outcome
One of the most important insights in this research is that AI maturity is a strategic choice. It’s driven by executive prioritization of data quality, governance, automation, and resilience, not by model selection alone.
For CIOs, this reframes the conversation with boards and business peers:
AI transformation is not just about use cases and pilots. It’s about whether your data foundation can support trust, scale, and operational reliability.
The organizations seeing AI returns are not necessarily the most experimental. They are the most disciplined about:
- Data quality and preparation
- Infrastructure automation and resilience
- Clear executive ownership of AI strategy
- Governance that balances innovation with control
As AI moves from innovation to expectation, the winners will be those who modernize the layers beneath the model.
Because in this next phase of AI, your competitive advantage may depend less on how smart your AI is and more on how strong your data foundation is.
Read the full Hitachi Vantara State of Data Infrastructure Report here.
Nasheen Liu is Partner & SVP, CIO Strategy at The IT Media Group, shaping Canada’s tech executive community. She chairs a cross-industry CIO Advisory Board and champions inclusive leadership as a global tech advisor on a number of boards and is an investor with Women’s Equity Lab.
Past Attendees
ADP - VP Architecture & Infrastructure
AESO - VP, Information Technology
Agnico Eagle Mines - VP, IT
Agrium - Global Mgr., IT Security
Agrium - Senior Director IT Shared Services
Aimia - SVP & Global CIO
Ainsworth Engineered - Director IT
Air Canada Vacations - Director IT
Alberta Energy Regulator - Director, Office of the CIO
Anthem Properties - VP IS
AON Risk Solutions Canada - Head of IT
Avison Young - VP Global Enterprise Architecture & Integration
Aviva Canada - VP, Architecture & Strategy
Bank of America Merrill Lynch - CTO
BC Ferry Services - VP & CIO
Bell Business Markets - Director, Strategy & Planning
Bell Canada - National Director, Digital Transformation
Bellatrix Exploration - Director, Information Technology
Bentall Kennedy - VP IT
BFL CANADA - CIO
BFL CANADA - Director, Cybersecurity & IT Risk Management
Black Press - CTO
BlackBerry - VP Corporate IT
BMO Financial Group - Director, Technology & Operations Transformation
BMO Financial Group - Head of Services Delivery
Bombardier Aerospace - CISO
Bonavista Petroleum - Head of IT
Borden Ladner Gervais LLP - Global CIO
Bow Valley College - Director, IT Services
Bridgewater Bank - Head of IT
BuildDirect - VP IT
Bulk Barn - Head, IT
Burnco - CIO
Caisse de Depot et Placement du Quebec - VP, IT Planning, Architecture, Governance, Operations
Calfrac Well Services - Head of IT
Canada Goose - CTO
Canada Live - VP of Technology
Canada Mortgage and Housing - VP, Information & Technology
Canada Protection Plan - Head of IT
Canadian Depository for Securities - CIO
Canadian Direct Insurance - CTO
Canadian Payments Association - VP & CIO
Canucks Sports - Head of IT
Capgemini - Service Delivery Director
CAPREIT - CIO
Cardel Homes - VP MIS
Cargojet - CIO
CBI Health Group - CIO
CCS Corp. - VP IT
CDSPI - Board Director
Centerra Gold - Director IT & Comm
CI Global Asset Management - VP of Enterprise Infrastructure $amp; Operations
CIBC - Senior Director, Infrastructure Planning & Engineering
CIBC - SVP & CIO, Retail and Business Banking Technology
CIBC Mellon - AVP, Enterprise Architecture
CIBC Mellon - SVP & CIO
Cineplex Entertainment - CTO
City of Brampton - Senior Manager, IT Architecture & Planning
City of Richmond Hill - CIO
City of Toronto - Director of Strategic Planning & Architecture
CN Rail Service - Chief Information Security Officer
Coast Capital Savings - VP Technology
Colliers - Head of Technology & Data
Concordia University - AVP & CIO
Crescent Point Energy - Head of IT
Dairy Farmers of Ontario - Head of IT and Administration
Dale Parizeau Morris Mackenzie - VP, IT
Davies Ward Phillips & Vineberg LLP - Director, Information Technology
DealerTrack Canada - Director, Technology
Defence Construction Canada - Corporate Manager, IT
Deloitte - Director, Risk Advisory
Dentons - Canada CIO
Devon Energy - Director, Integrated Business Services
Direct Cash - VP IT & Security
Dynamic Tire Corp - CIO
D+H Partnership - VP, Head of Canadian Mortgage Technology
eHealth - EVP, Technology
eHealth Ontario - VP, IT Systems & Services
Encana - Director, InfoSec
Enbridge Inc. - VP, Technology and Information Services
Enerflex - CIO
Enerplus - VP. IS
ENMAX - VP, IT & PMO
Equitable Bank - CIO
Equitable Bank - CISO
Equity Financial Trust - VP, IT
Essential Energy Services - Director, IT
Expedia Cruise Ship Centers - VP IS
FGL Sports - VP, Information Technology
Finastra - SVP, Head Technology Managed Services
Fix Auto Canada - COO & SVP
Flightnetwork.com - CIO
Freedom Mobile - Head, Customer Applications, Experience, & Strategy
FT Services - CIO
FundServ - CIO
Genus Capital Management - CTO
Genworth Financial Inc. - VP IT
Geotab - Board Member
Golder Associates - CTO
Gran Tierra Energy - Director IT
Grant Thornton LLP - CIO
Grand River Hospital - Director, Data Governance & Analytics
Greenwin Inc - VP, Information Technology
Groupe Dynamite - Director, IT
GSK Canada - IT Director
GTAA - Acting CIO
H&R Block Canada - VP IT
Haventree Bank - VP, Technology
Hewitt Equipment Ltd. - VP & CIO
Hitachi Vantara - GVP & Global CTO
Home Trust Company - CIO
Home Trust Company - CTO
Home Trust Company - VP & CISO
Horizon North Logistics - CIO
HSB Canada - VP IT
IBM Canada - Associate Partner, Payments Industry
Indigo Books and Music - CIO
Interac Corp - Director, Platform Engineering
ivari - SVP & CIO
JP Morgan Chase Canada - Executive Director, Information Risk Management
Keyera Energy - Director, Information Technology
KFC Canada - CTO
KnowledgeOne - CIO
LaFarge Canada - Director, IT
Landmark Cinemas Canada - VP, IT
LAWPRO - CIO
LCBO - Director, Applications Systems
LCBO - SVP & CIO
Leisureworld Senior Care Corp - VP IS
Lifeguard Digital Health - Chief Security & Informatics Officer
Loblaw Companies Ltd - Senior Director, Customer Engagement Technology
London Drugs - GM IT
Loto-Quebec - Corporate Director, InfoSec
Magna International Inc - VP & Global Leader, IT (CIO)
Manulife - Global Head of Private Markets & Real Estate Technology
March Networks - VP Professional Services & CIO
MaRS Discovery District - Managing Director, Fintech and Commerce
McCain Foods Limited - Manager InfoSec
McInnis Cement - Director of Information Technology
Medical Pharmacies Group - VP, Information Technology
MEG Energy - Manager, Information Technology Solutions & Services
Metrolinx - EVP & CIO
Minto Group - VP IT
MMM Group - CIO
Montreal Police Service - CIO
Morguard Investments - CIO
Moulding & Millwork - CIO
MullenLowe Group - Global CIO
National Bank of Canada - Information Security Officer
National Capital Commission - Chief, IT infrastructure & Support Services
NHL Players' Association - Head, Security & Technology
Northbridge Financial Corp - CIO
OEC Group Canada - Vice President, Information Technology and Client solutions
ODAIA - CEO
Oildex - VP, Architecture & Infrastructure
OPTrust - AVP, Enterprise Data Services
Olympia Financial Group - CIO
OMERS - EVP, Data & Technology
OMERS - SVP IT
OMERS - SVP, Data & Advanced Analytics
Ontario Pension Board - CTO
Ontario Teachers' Pension Plan - SVP, Product & Delivery
Ontario Trillium Foundation - CIO
Osum Oil Sands Corp - Manager, IS
Ottawa Police Service - CIO
Pacific Western Transportation - CIO
Packers Plus - Global IT Director
Pason Systems - Manager, Digital Communications & Corporate IT
Patient News - CTO
Peel District School Board - CIO
Pengrowth Corp - Director IS
Penn West Exploration - Snr. Manager, IT Operations
Peterson Investment Group - Head of IT
PFB Corp. - CIO
Pizza Pizza - CIO & VP, IT
Precision Drilling - VP, IT
Precision Drilling - Director, IT Infrastructure & Security
PSP Investments - Snr. Director, Internal Audit & Business Infosec
Public Works and Government Services Canada - Director, IT Security Directorate
PwC - Managing Director, Real Estate Technology Advisory
Pythian - CTO
Qantas - Global CIO
Queen's University - Director, Information Technology
RBC Royal Bank - Head of Application Security, Data Protection & Security Consulting
RBC Royal Bank - VP, Technology Platforms & Risk Management
RBC Royal Bank - Global Cybersecurity VP
Regal Lifestyle Communities - CIO
Revera Inc. - CIO
Revera Inc. - Security Architect
Rheem Manufacturing - CISO & Enterprise Architect
Ricoh Canada - VP,IT
RioCan Property Services - VP IT
Roche - Head of IT Americas – Operations
Rogers Communications - SVP, Customer Experience IT
ROM - CIO
Russel Metals - VP,IS
Salvation Army Canada - Board Director
SCI Group - CIO
Scotiabank - Head, Systems Architecture & Platform Modernization
Scotiabank - VP - International Systems Technology
Scotiabank - Head, System Architecture & Platform Modernization
Scotiabank - Global Head, GBM Compliance & Transformation
Sears Canada - Divisional VP, Information Technology Services
Secure Energy Services - GM, IT
Shaw - Head, Customer Applications, Experience, & Strategy
Shaw Communications - VP, Technology Operations
Shaw Communications - Director, Risk Management
SMART Technologies - Director, IS Corporate Services
Smartcentres - Director IS, IT
SmartOne Solutions - President & CIO
Societe de Transport de Montreal - Division Head - Security and Compliance
Street Capital Financial - CIO
Sun Life Financial - AVP, Data & Business Intelligence Services
Sun Life Financial - VP Application Ops & Services
Sunco Communication - COO
Suncor Energy Inc. - Director, Application Portfolio Optimization, I&PM, Business Services
Symcor - CTO, VP Technology Services
Talisman Energy - SVP IT & Business Services
TD Bank - Enterprise Architect
Teknion - SVP, CIO
TELUS - Chief Security Architect
Tervita Corporation - VP, Information Technology
The Hudsons Bay Company - VP Technology
The Hudson's Bay Company - SVP & CIO
The Source - VP, Information Technology
TMX Group - CISO & Global Head of Infrastructure Services
Toromont Industries - VP & CIO
Toronto District School Board - Chief Technology Officer
Toronto Hospital for Sick Children - Director of Technology
Toronto Parking Authority - CIO
Toronto Police Services - CISO
Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) - Chief Enterprise Architect
Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) - CIO
Toyota Canada - National Manager, IS
Transamerica Life Canada - CIO
Trican Well Services Ltd. - Director, Business Information Systems
Tridel Corporation - CIO
Trillium Health Partners - IT Director, Applications & Clinical Informatics
UFA Cooperative - VP & CIO
University of Calgary - Executive Director, Development Services
University of Ottawa - CIO
University of Ottawa - Senior Director IT Services & Infrastructure
University of Toronto - Director, Centre for Management & Technology
University of Waterloo - Director, Technology Entrepreneurship
Valencia Risk - Managing Director
Vancity - VP Technology & Solutions
Viterra - Director Enterprise Technology
Wawanesa Mutual Insurance Company - Director of Innovation Outpost
World Health - Director IT
Wolseley Canada - CIO & COO
WSIB - Board Director
Yellow Pages Group - Director - Enterprise Data Management
York Region District School Board - CIO
York University - Board Director
Leadership Archive
- ► 2026 (2)
- ► 2025 (6)
- ► 2024 (12)
- ► 2023 (11)
- ► 2022 (11)
- ► 2021 (28)
- ► 2020 (20)
- ► 2019 (6)
- ► 2018 (5)
- ► 2017 (3)
- ► 2016 (4)
- ► 2015 (8)
- ► 2014 (1)
- ► 2013 (14)
- ► 2012 (11)
- ► 2011 (1)
Insights from Nasheen Liu on the AI Future Leaders Podcast.
Cyber incidents are no longer isolated IT events. They are enterprise-level crises that can halt operations, trigger regulatory scrutiny and erode customer trust overnight. Yet too often, planning for how to respond is treated as a compliance checkbox or delegated piecemeal across functions.
Having an AI advisor that provides recommendations based on your direction can be helpful. But an expert actor that can make decisions and work without oversight is even more powerful.
Artificial Intelligence is no longer a buzzword; it's a daily boardroom reality. CIOs are tasked not only with adopting AI but also with translating their "AI promise" into operational and financial value. However, despite board-level urgency and growing enterprise investments, many AI programs still fail to deliver—not due to lack of ambition, but because of a strategic value gap.
AI is transforming industries at warp speed, with companies across sectors driven by its potential to accelerate revenue growth, boost operational efficiency and customize customer experiences.
Salad.
The Banking, Financial Services, and Insurance (BFSI) sector is witnessing a rapid AI adoption surge, but this digital acceleration comes with significant challenges. According to the
Why Flexible Infrastructure Consumption is in High Demand and Driving Business Growth
The year is 2035. AI has become as invisible and integral to our lives as Wi-Fi and solar energy. After overcoming energy consumption challenges, chip shortages, and infrastructure limits, technology has evolved into a powerhouse that drives industries while solving sustainability issues.
