Beyond the Pilot: How Leaders Are Operationalizing AI at Enterprise Scale
Most organizations have run the pilots. Few are running the business on AI.
The gap between AI ambition and operational reality is where most programs stall: scattered experiments, unclear ownership, governance treated as a brake instead of an enabler, and workflows that still depend on the same manual handoffs they always did.
Join us for an evening with AI and business leaders who are closing that gap. Over a moderated panel and open Q&A, we'll get into what's actually working:
Ownership in practice. Who owns AI inside the enterprise, and what that role looks like when it's real.
From pilots to production. Moving past proofs of concept to governed systems that run critical workflows end to end.
Safe speed. Why responsible AI is becoming a competitive advantage, not a compliance tax.
Culture and fluency. Building the trust and capability that let AI scale across the org.
You'll leave with a clearer picture of what separates the organizations operationalizing AI from the ones still stuck in pilot mode, and practical perspective from leaders doing the work.
Featured Panelists:
Mark Farley – Vice President of Artificial Intelligence and Data, Thermo Fisher Scientific
Mark Farley is Vice President of Artificial Intelligence and Data at Thermo Fisher Scientific, where he leads the company’s enterprise AI and data practice and is focused on turning advanced analytics into governed systems that run the business at scale. With nearly a decade of senior leadership at Thermo Fisher and more than 20 years of technology and IT experience, including CIO‑level roles at FEI Company, he brings a rare blend of deep technical fluency and cross‑functional business transformation expertise. Mark has led AI, IT, and digital teams across complex, highly regulated scientific and analytical instruments businesses, giving him a front‑row view into what it takes to move from pilots to production, define real ownership for AI, and build the trust, culture, and operating models that let AI safely power critical workflows end‑to‑end.
Jeff Doolittle – Distinguished Engineer and Principal Architect, Trimble
Jeff Doolittle is a Distinguished Engineer and Principal Architect at Trimble, where he helps organizations translate emerging AI capabilities into durable business value through rigorous architecture, modernization strategy, and engineering leadership. With more than 25 years of experience as a software architect, CTO, and technology executive across consulting, SaaS, and enterprise software, Jeff has deep practical mastery of system design, distributed systems, and high‑scale, event‑driven architectures that actually ship to production. His work sits at the intersection of AI innovation, enterprise architecture, and operational systems, giving him a front‑line view into how to modernize legacy environments, avoid “pilot purgatory,” and make technical leadership decisions that materially improve execution quality and business outcomes. Jeff is also a writer, speaker, and longtime host of Software Engineering Radio, where he has helped surface pragmatic thinking on architecture, leadership, and emerging technology for professional software teams worldwide.
Stephanie Cheney – SVP, Strategy and AI, Dualboot Partners
Stephanie Cheney is a versatile technology leader with experience in full-stack software development, product management, and business strategy across startups and enterprise environments. She studied at the McCombs School of Business at UT Austin after teaching herself to code in high school, and went on to become the first employee at an e-commerce startup, helping build its foundation and culture. She later moved into management roles supporting mid-size companies and enterprise clients, and most recently led a venture studio focused on helping founders secure funding and launch MVPs. Stephanie specializes in translating complex business challenges into scalable technical solutions, with a strong interest in applying AI to improve productivity and decision-making. At Dualboot Partners, she guides development teams on complex projects while aligning product execution with long-term client goals.
Matt Kortering – Partner and UX Strategist, EKKO Studio
Matt Kortering is a UX strategist, design leader, and partner at EKKO Studio with more than 12 years of experience helping companies curate digital experiences and products that people actually enjoy using.
At the core of Matt’s work is a strong belief that great products start with knowing the user. Through research, testing, and observation, he works to deeply understand how people think, behave, and interact with technology before jumping into solutions. That approach allows him to turn complex business requirements and user needs into intuitive, thoughtful experiences. His expertise in UX architecture and prototyping helps teams move quickly from ideas to tangible solutions that are grounded in real user behavior.
Over the years, Matt has worked across a wide range of industries and product types, helping teams navigate everything from early-stage product strategy to enterprise-scale digital transformation. He has also contributed to the broader UX community by helping develop UX training materials for SAFe programs, supporting the integration of user experience into Agile product development practices.