Samantha Kappagoda has been recognized as a Director to Watch in the Directors & Boards 2024 public company boardroom gender diversity issue. Her governance and operating experience was featured in this special issue alongside twenty other directors serving on the boards of public/listed entities. In this special issue, Samantha was asked for her viewpoint on emerging issues for corporate directors:
“Corporations are currently at an inflection point in the adoption of artificial intelligence and other emerging technologies. Corporate directors must navigate trade-offs between prospective competitive advantage of early adoption versus corresponding risk and liability implications. In addition, directors should explore prudent technology adoption policies coupled with cybersecurity oversight, beta testing and periodic testing for the hybrid workplace environment, and also consider the talent management pipeline for skilled technical employees and the role of upskilling. The accelerating pace of innovation dictates that directors should remain current by exercising diligence, vigilance and prudence as AI and emerging technologies continue to develop.”
An Inflection Point in AI Adoption: Samantha’s Governance Perspective
Samantha’s published viewpoint in the Directors & Boards special issue identified corporate AI adoption as an inflection point requiring directors to navigate the tradeoff between competitive advantage and risk and liability implications, alongside accelerating AI deployment across industries. Her emphasis on prudent technology adoption policies, cybersecurity oversight, beta and periodic testing, and talent management reflects a governance perspective that is grounded in the operational realities of technology deployment rather than the abstract principles of technology oversight. That perspective draws directly on her experience as Chief Data Scientist at Numerati® Partners and her board oversight responsibilities at Credit Suisse Funds under UBS.
Directors & Boards is a leading publication focused on corporate governance and board-management best practices. MLR Media, the publisher of Directors & Boards, provides public and private company directors, leaders and owners of multi-generational family businesses and C-suite executives with knowledge and skills to be successful in their roles.
About Samantha Kappagoda
Samantha Kappagoda is a data and technology leader and strategist enabling data and technology-led strategic pivots, applying sound data principles to robust and ethical technology innovation across industries and sectors, spanning Fortune 100 and middle-market environments. Her 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 in USA and Canada, addressing AI and data governance at Independent Directors Council, NYU Directors’ Academy, Private Directors Association and WGOB Canada. For additional information, please see Samantha’s biography, recent news and conferences & events.
