Samantha Kappagoda was invited to speak on AI Governance at the 2025 NYU Directors Academy on October 9-10, 2025, participating in the panel Governance of AI and Emerging Technology Risk. The panel was moderated by Joseph Facciponti, Executive Director of NYU Law PCCE Institute. Samantha’s fellow presenters were:
- Virginia Gambale: Managing Partner, Azimuth Partners; Chair, Nutanix; Director, Virtu Financial, Evertec, 10x Banking, Consumer Edge
- Jonathan Martin: Vice President & Deputy General Counsel, Meta
- Sheila Bangalore: Board Member, Games Global and StoneAge Water Blast Tools
Samantha Kappagoda’s Contribution at NYU Directors’ Academy 2025
Samantha’s third consecutive appearance as a speaker at NYU Directors’ Academy, now alongside a Meta Deputy General Counsel and Virginia Gambale, one of the most experienced multi-board directors in the governance community, reflects her deepening standing as a governance faculty presence on AI and emerging technology risk. Her contribution drew on her published work in Directors & Boards and the NACD Director Essentials series, her active board service as Independent Director, Nominating Committee Chair, and Audit Committee Member at Credit Suisse Funds under UBS, and her operating depth as Chief Data Scientist at Numerati® Partners, to address how boards can move from AI awareness to substantive AI governance, a question that has become more pressing with each successive year of her NYU Directors’ Academy participation.
Samantha was previously a speaker at NYU Directors’ Academy in 2024 and 2023, as well as the NYU Law 2025 Spring Conference: Managing Effective Ethics and Compliance Programs in a Changing Regulatory Landscape.
About Samantha Kappagoda
Samantha Kappagoda is a board director and technology strategist who brings a distinctive blend of capital markets judgment, AI governance and data strategy expertise to complex, regulated environments. Her boardroom perspective leverages her operating experience — in data, analytics and technology — to navigate emerging opportunities, drive value and mitigate risk.
Samantha currently serves as Board Director, Nominating & Governance Committee Chair and Audit Committee Member at the Credit Suisse Funds, now under UBS (NYSE: UBS), and a Member of the Governing Council Business Board at the University of Toronto. She also serves as Chief Data Scientist and Co-Founder of Numerati® Partners LLC, a RiskTech firm, and Visiting Scholar at Courant Institute of Mathematical Sciences at New York University.
Recognized by the Financial Times as a Future 50 Director, and a Director to Watch by Directors & Boards magazine, Samantha is the author of Board Governance of AI & Emerging Technologies, in Directors & Boards, and a contributor to NACD Director Essentials: Implementing AI Governance. She is an active contributor at governance forums in USA, Canada and UK, addressing AI and data governance, cybersecurity, financial markets and global macroeconomic trends. She has served as faculty at NYU Directors’ Academy, NACD Master Class on Technology and Innovation Oversight and Diligent Institute, and been an invited panelist at conferences including Character of the Corporation, Corporate Board Member, Independent Directors Council, Institute of Directors UK, NACD Summit, Private Directors Association, Society for Corporate Governance, WCD Global Institute, and WGOB Canada. Samantha has been awarded the DCRO Institute Certificate in Risk Governance®, Certificate in Private Company Governance from the Private Directors Association, and has also completed the Harvard Business School Program Making Corporate Boards More Effective. For additional information, please see Samantha’s biography and recent news.
