Episode Summary: 

In this episode of Better Tech Podcast on Building the AI First Enterprise , host Jocelyn Houle sits down with JoAnn Stonier, Executive and Board Advisor at Cantilus Group, to explore how enterprise leaders are building AI-first organizations. JoAnn shares her unique journey from financial auditor to Chief Privacy Officer at American Express, to Chief Data Officer at MasterCard, and now as a strategic advisor and board consultant. She discusses how privacy and data governance must be enablers of innovation, not obstacles. JoAnn reveals building the AI First Enterprise is important and why design thinking is essential for solving complex enterprise AI problems, and how leaders must work “at the margins of ignorance” to stay relevant in the rapidly evolving AI era. A must-listen for any enterprise leader navigating AI governance.

Show Notes:

1. JoAnn’s role as American Express’s first Chief Privacy Officer exposed her to data governance at a cellular level, combining her legal background with operational understanding of the business.
2. At MasterCard, she advocated for data governance, eventually becoming the organization’s first Chief Data Officer, where she focused on data strategy, management, and execution for innovation.
3. Her design degree, earned later in her career out of passion, fundamentally changed how she approaches problem-solving by understanding constraints as opportunities rather than barriers.
4. JoAnn currently leads Cantilus Group, consulting with both Fortune 500 companies and startups on agentic AI, data governance, and enterprise transformation, while teaching at Carnegie Mellon and Pratt Institute.
5. She emphasizes that governance frameworks must balance the need for security with the need for speed finding the intelligent middle ground.

This episode is hosted by Jocelyn Houle, Host, BetterTech