Samantha Kappagoda was invited to speak on AI nuts and bolts for Independent Directors Council (IDC). She participated in the webinar titled The Nuts and Bolts of Artificial Intelligence (AI): A Primer for Fund Directors – on May 1, 2024. The session was moderated by David Blass, Partner at Simpson Thacher, and Samantha was joined by co-panelist Tim Persons, Principal, Digital Assurance and Transparency at PwC. The panel discussed implications for the asset management industry, how investment advisors are approaching the use of AI, and its potential impact on the oversight role of fund directors.
Samantha Kappagoda’s Contribution
Samantha’s contribution to this IDC webinar addressed the practical knowledge requirements for fund board directors overseeing AI adoption in asset management, drawing on her operating experience at Numerati® Partners to ground the discussion in the technical and fiduciary realities of AI deployment in investment management contexts. Her perspective, combining active fund board directorship with data science expertise, offered IDC’s audience of independent fund directors a framework for engaging with AI governance that is both technically informed and directly applicable to their oversight responsibilities.
Samantha previously presented on AI and Asset Management: Considerations for Fund Boards at the 2023 IDC Fund Directors Conference in Chicago, as well as the joint IDC/MFDF event last month on Diversity and the Board of the Future. The IDC represents independent directors and trustees who serve on the boards of mutual funds, closed-end funds, exchange-traded funds and other registered investment companies.
About Samantha Kappagoda
Samantha Kappagoda is a technology leader and strategist enabling data and technology-led strategic pivots, applying sound data principles to robust and ethical technology innovation across companies and sectors, spanning Fortune 100 and middle-market environments. Samantha’s boardroom perspective leverages her operating experience — in data, analytics and technology — to navigate emerging opportunities, drive ROI and mitigate risk, incorporating a distinctive blend of technology expertise, capital markets fluency and risk governance.
Samantha currently serves as an Independent Director, Nominating Committee Chair and Audit Committee Member for the Credit Suisse Funds, now under UBS (NYSE: UBS). She is also Chief Data Scientist and Co-Managing Member of Numerati® Partners LLC and Visiting Scholar at Courant Institute of Mathematical Sciences at New York University. Samantha is an active contributor at governance forums, addressing AI and data governance at Independent Directors Council, NYU Directors’ Academy, and Private Directors Association. For additional information, please see Samantha’s biography, recent news and conferences & events.
