THE TOP AI LEADERS DRIVING REAL-WORLD IMPACT
Foreword
When we launched the H2O AI 100 in 2024, our goal was simple: recognize the people turning AI from promise into progress. In 2025, that progress looks different. Fewer proofs-of-concept. More production systems. Fewer flashy demos. More measurable ROI.
This year’s winners are the builders behind that shift: the executives modernizing core systems, the researchers setting new guardrails, and the operators scaling agentic and generative AI into secure, governed, enterprise-grade deployments. They’re doing the hard work—across banks, telcos, healthcare, government, manufacturing, and tech platforms—to make AI trustworthy, resilient, and useful at scale.
We hope this report gives you a clear view of where AI is actually working, and who is making it work.
—The H2O.ai Team
Alex Karp
ORGANIZATION: Palantir
TITLE: CEO
Liang Wenfeng
ORGANIZATION: DeepSeek
TITLE: Founder and CEO
Our Top 100
| Name | Title | Organization | Category | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ash Gupta | Ex- President Global Risk and Information Management | American Express | Innovators - Financial Services | https://www.linkedin.com/in/ashgupta2/ |
| Bhagyesh Phanse | SVP, Chief Data & Analytics Officer | Starbucks | Innovators - Enterprise | https://www.linkedin.com/in/bhagyeshphanse/ |
| Bharath Sudharsan | Head of AI | Amalgam Rx | Innovators - Enterprise | https://www.linkedin.com/in/bharath-sudharsan-7219b9a/ |
| Chee Wee Ang | Chief AI Officer | HTX | Public Sector | https://www.linkedin.com/in/chee-wee-ang-8bb6705/ |
| Chris Concannon | CEO | MarketAxess | Innovators - Financial Services | https://investor.marketaxess.com/governance/board-of-directors/person-details/default.aspx?ItemId=c3bfd7fe-183a-4e66-9e38-2bbe7812c60a |
| Clem Delangue | Co-Founder and CEO | Hugging Face | AI for Good / Research | https://www.linkedin.com/in/clementdelangue/ |
| Clémentine Fourrier | Research Scientist | Hugging Face | AI for Good / Research | https://www.linkedin.com/in/clefourrier/ |
| Dave Salvagnini | CDO | NASA | Public Sector | https://www.linkedin.com/in/dave-salvagnini-b432b0a9/ |
| David Hardoon | Global Head of AI Enablement | Standard Chartered | Innovators - Financial Services | https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidrh/ |
| David Palmer | Senior Supervisory Financial Analyst | Federal Reserve Board | Public Sector | https://www.linkedin.com/in/david-palmer-625864a/ |
| Deep Ratna Srivastav | Chief AI Officer | Franklin Templeton | Innovators - Financial Services | https://www.linkedin.com/in/deepsrivastavinnovate/ |
| Deven Panchal | VP Innovation & IP/Patents | AT&T | Innovators - Enterprise | https://www.linkedin.com/in/panchaldeven/ |
| Dr. Promiti Dutta | Head of Analytics Technology & Innovation | Citi | Innovators - Financial Services | https://www.linkedin.com/in/promiti/ |
| Dr. Ramine Tinati | Chief AI Officer | Accenture | Innovators - Enterprise | https://www.linkedin.com/in/raminetinati/ |
| Ediz Ozkaya | Portfolio Manager | World Quant | Innovators - Financial Services | https://www.linkedin.com/in/edizozkaya/ |
| Gabriel Vernalha Ribeiro | CDAO | DASA | Innovators - Enterprise | https://www.linkedin.com/in/gvribeiro/ |
| Gan Kim Yong | Deputy Prime Minister | Singapore | Public Sector | https://www.linkedin.com/in/gankimyong/ |
| Gary Marcus | Emeritus Professor of Psychology and Neural Science | NYU | AI for Good / Research | https://www.linkedin.com/in/gary-marcus-b6384b4/ |
| Gavin Munroe | Group Chief Information Officer | CBA | Innovators - Financial Services | https://www.linkedin.com/in/gavinmunroe/ |
| Genevieve Bell | Distinguished Professor & Director, School of Cybernetics | Australian National University | AI for Good / Research | https://www.linkedin.com/in/genevievebell/ |
| Greg Mori | Research Director | RBC | Innovators - Financial Services | https://www.linkedin.com/in/greg-mori-5445b36/ |
| Greg Ulrich | Chief AI and Data Officer | Mastercard | Innovators - Financial Services | https://www.linkedin.com/in/gregu/ |
| Gurumurthy Palani | Group Head, Transaction Banking | GIB | Innovators - Financial Services | https://www.linkedin.com/in/gurumurthy-palani-2a6103a/ |
| H.E. Ahmed Tamim Al Kuttab | Chairman | DGE | Public Sector | https://www.linkedin.com/in/ahmed-alkuttab/ |
| Harrison Chase | Co-Founder and CEO | LangChain | Founders | https://www.linkedin.com/in/harrison-chase-961287118/ |
| H.E. Wesam Lootah | CEO, Corporate Support Services Sector, Dubai Municipality | DGE | Public Sector | https://www.linkedin.com/in/wesamlootah/ |
| Helena Fu | Director | Office of Critical and Emerging Technologies | Public Sector | https://www.linkedin.com/in/helenafu/ |
| Hilary DGE | EVP CTO | American Express | Innovators - Financial Services | https://www.linkedin.com/in/hilarypacker/ |
| Howie Lau How Sin | Managing Partner | NCS Group | Innovators - Enterprise | https://www.linkedin.com/in/hlau1/ |
| Jacob Kassof | Data Science & Model Development Executive | Bank of America | Innovators - Financial Services | https://www.linkedin.com/in/jacob-kosoff/ |
| Jan Leike | Alignment Science Co-Lead | Anthropic | AI for Good / Research | https://www.linkedin.com/in/jan-leike-40aa87331/ |
| Jesse Whaley | President, CTO&CISO | Digital Cyber Forge | Public Sector | https://www.linkedin.com/in/cisojesse/ |
| Jessica Li Guild | Managing Director - Global Head of Payment Control | Deutsche Bank | Innovators - Financial Services | https://www.linkedin.com/in/jessica-li-guild-28b3459/ |
| João Moura | CEO | Crew AI | AI for Good / Research | https://www.linkedin.com/in/joaomdmoura/ |
| John Roese | Global CTO and Chief AI Officer | Dell | Innovators - Enterprise | https://www.linkedin.com/in/johnroese/ |
| Joy Buolamwini | President, Founder, and Artist-in-Chief | Algorithmic Justice League | AI for Good / Research | https://www.linkedin.com/in/buolamwini/ |
| Justin Boitano | VP, Enterprise AI | NVIDIA | Innovators - Enterprise | https://www.linkedin.com/in/justinboitano/ |
| Kapila Monga | Managing Director - Artificial Intelligence and Automation | Nordic Global | Innovators - Enterprise | https://www.linkedin.com/in/kapilamonga/ |
| Kay Firth-Butterfield | CEO | Good Tech Advisory | AI for Good / Research | https://www.linkedin.com/in/kay-firth-butterfield/ |
| Kent Nelson | Vice President of AI & Emergent Technologies | CRH America | Innovators - Enterprise | https://www.linkedin.com/in/kent-nelson-08b004221/ |
| Lawrence Goh | Head, Group Technology & Operations | UOB | Public Sector | https://www.linkedin.com/in/lawrence-goh-uob/ |
| Lawrence Wong | Prime Minister for Singapore | Singapore | Public Sector | https://www.linkedin.com/in/lawrence-wong-15728a18/ |
| Lee Hickin | Executive Director | National AI Center | Public Sector | https://www.linkedin.com/in/leehickin/ |
| Liang Wenfeng | Founder and CEO | DeepSeek | Founders | |
| Maksims Volkovs | SVP, Chief AI Scientist | TD Bank, Layer 6 | Innovators - Financial Services | https://www.linkedin.com/in/maksimsvolkovs/ |
| Marisa Reghini | Vice President, Digital Business & Technology | Banco do Brasil | Innovators - Financial Services | https://www.linkedin.com/in/marisareghini/ |
| Mark Liu | Chairman | TSMC | Public Sector | https://www.linkedin.com/in/mark-liu-041345375/ |
| Marta Yebra | Associate Professor | NU Fenner School of Environment & Society | AI for Good / Research | https://www.linkedin.com/in/marta-yebra-40241575/ |
| May Habib | CEO | Writer AI | Founders | https://www.linkedin.com/in/may-habib/ |
| Meixi Ong | Deputy Director (AI Lab) | DIS | Public Sector | https://www.linkedin.com/in/meixi-ong/ |
| Melissa Arnoldi | EVP & GM, AT&T Business | AT&T | Innovators - Enterprise | https://www.linkedin.com/in/melissaarnoldiinnovator/ |
| Michael Demissie | Managing Director, Head of Applied AI and Practice | BNY | Innovators - Financial Services | https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaeldemissie/ |
| Michael Ross | Applied AI | AI Hub | BNY | Innovators - Financial Services | https://www.linkedin.com/in/oneross/ |
| Michel Fernandes | Data Science & Analytics Leader | Bradesco | Innovators - Financial Services | https://www.linkedin.com/in/michel-fernandes-9a5221113/ |
| Mike Santomassimo | CFO | Wells Fargo | Innovators - Financial Services | https://www.linkedin.com/in/mike-santomassimo-7628961/ |
| Mira Murati | Founder & CEO | Thinking Machines Lab | Founders | https://www.linkedin.com/in/mira-murati-4b39a066/ |
| Neema Raphael | Data, AI & Chief Data Officer | Goldman Sachs | Innovators - Financial Services | https://www.linkedin.com/in/neema-raphael/ |
| Nitzan Mekel-Bobrov | Chief AI Officer | eBay | Innovators - Enterprise | https://www.linkedin.com/in/nmekelbobrov/ |
| Nur Aitzhan | CDO | Al Futtaim | Innovators - Enterprise | https://www.linkedin.com/in/nur-aitzhan/ |
| Prabhu Ramamoorthy | Global Partner Success Manager Financial Services | NVIDIA | Innovators - Enterprise | https://www.linkedin.com/in/prabhuramamoorthy/overlay/about-this-profile/ |
| Prem Tadipatri | Managing Director | CTO | AI, Data, Strategic Solutions | Global Wealth Management Americas Tech | UBS | Innovators - Enterprise | https://www.linkedin.com/in/tadipatri/ |
| Prince Paulraj | Assistant Vice President Data & AI, Chief Data Office | AT&T | Innovators - Enterprise | https://www.linkedin.com/in/prince-paulraj/ |
| Ravi Korlimarla | Sr. Director Data Science and Advanced Analytics | Workday | Innovators - Enterprise | https://www.linkedin.com/in/rkorlimarla/ |
| Ravi Radhakrishnan | CIO | American Express | Innovators - Financial Services | https://www.linkedin.com/in/ravikumar-radhakrishnan/ |
| Rodrigo Castillo | CTO | CBA | Innovators - Financial Services | https://www.linkedin.com/in/rodrigocastillof/ |
| Sam Sirafi | Manager, Insights & Analytics | Chipotle | Innovators - Enterprise | https://www.linkedin.com/in/samsirafi/ |
| Sara Hooker | Founder | Adaptable Intelligence | Founders | https://www.linkedin.com/in/sararosehooker/ |
| Sarthak Pattanaik | Chief Data & AI Officer | BNY | Innovators - Financial Services | https://www.linkedin.com/in/sarthak-pattanaik-1a191b/ |
| Satish Iyer | VP CTO | Dell | Innovators - Enterprise | https://www.linkedin.com/in/satishkiyer/ |
| Scott Wu | Founder | Cognition | Founders | https://www.linkedin.com/in/scott-wu-8b94ab96/ |
| Seemantini Godbole | CIO | Lowes | Innovators - Enterprise | https://www.linkedin.com/in/seemantini-godbole-241a4a1/ |
| Sergei Izrailev | Head of Data Science & Analytics | Above Data | Innovators - Enterprise | https://www.linkedin.com/in/sizrailev/ |
| Shanker Trivedi | Head of Software | NVIDIA | Innovators - Enterprise | https://www.linkedin.com/in/shanker-trivedi-12540/ |
| Shri Santhanam | EVP Chief AI Officer | Experian | Innovators - Enterprise | https://www.linkedin.com/in/shriramsanthanam/ |
| Sophia Leung | EVP, Protect | TD Bank | Innovators - Financial Services | https://www.linkedin.com/in/sophia-leung-8ba67a22/ |
| Sudeshna Banerjee | Managing Director, Head of Enterprise Data Science & AI | Wells Fargo | Innovators - Financial Services | https://www.linkedin.com/in/sudeshna-banerjee-b75b641/ |
| Sue Keay | Director AI Institute | UNSW | AI for Good / Research | https://www.linkedin.com/in/sukeay/ |
| Suresh Rangasamy | Associate Vice President, Data & Analytics | Montefiore | Innovators - Enterprise | https://www.linkedin.com/in/sureshrangasamy/ |
| Swarup Pogalur | Managing Director , CTO Digital and AI Engineering | Wells Fargo | Innovators - Financial Services | https://www.linkedin.com/in/swaruppogalur/ |
| Swee Hai Eng | Chief Operating Officer | PCS Security Pte Ltd | Innovators - Enterprise | https://www.linkedin.com/in/swee-hai-eng-076824172/ |
| Tharman Shanmugaratnam | President of Singapore | Singapore | Public Sector | https://www.linkedin.com/in/tharman-shanmugaratnam/ |
| Tian Beng Ng | President & Group CEO | Certis | Innovators - Enterprise | https://www.linkedin.com/in/tian-beng-ng-b3886a32/ |
| Tony Lin | Principal Software Engineer | Cisco | Innovators - Enterprise | https://www.linkedin.com/in/tony-lin-6605948/ |
| Tony Winston | Principal Hardware Engineer | Cisco | Innovators - Enterprise | https://www.linkedin.com/in/tony-winston-5a89987/ |
| Tracy Kerrins | Consumer CIO and Head of Enterprise Generative AI | Wells Fargo | Innovators - Financial Services | https://www.linkedin.com/in/tracymkerrins/ |
| Trevor Hastie | Professor Emeritus | Stanford University | AI for Good / Research | https://www.linkedin.com/in/trevor-hastie-a6a4735/ |
| Vicky Ledda | CIO Retail | CBA | Innovators - Financial Services | https://www.linkedin.com/in/victoria-ledda-104aa635/ |
| Vijay Parthasarathy | MD, Firmwide Head of AI | JP Morgan | Innovators - Financial Services | https://www.linkedin.com/in/vijay2win/ |
| Winston Wu | VP, Enterprise Data & AI Technologies and Architecture | Workday | Innovators - Enterprise | https://www.linkedin.com/in/wuwinst/ |
| Xiang Li | SVP / Deputy Head, Group Technology & Operations | Certis | Innovators - Enterprise | https://www.linkedin.com/in/shawn-xiang-li-10746136/ |
| Yigal Elbaz | SVP, Network CTO | AT&T | Innovators - Enterprise | https://www.linkedin.com/in/yigal-elbaz-b1372b1/ |
Judges
Alexandra V. Mousavizadeh
Co-CEO and Co-founder, Evident
Alexandra has spent the last 25 years ranking and quantifying complex societal and political forces. She started her career at Moody’s, then Morgan Stanley, later became CEO of ARC Ratings and then Director of the Prosperity Index. Most recently, Alexandra was a Founding Partner at Tortoise Media, where she ran Tortoise Intelligence, the Index and data business. Here, she was the architect of the groundbreaking Global AI Index, the first benchmark to track the strength of national AI ecosystems. She holds a degree in economics, mathematics and game theory from the University of Copenhagen.
Tess Posner
Board Member, AI4ALL
Tess Posner is an award-winning entrepreneur and artist dedicated to making innovation, creativity, and opportunity accessible to all. She served as Interim CEO and Board Member of AI4ALL, scaling it into an internationally recognized AI education organization with 20+ partner sites. Before that, she led TechHire at Opportunity@Work, a White House initiative expanding pathways into tech careers across 72 cities and 1,300+ companies. Earlier, Tess built and led Samaschool, training 50,000+ students in 70+ countries in digital freelancing and workforce adaptability, earning a spot on Business Insider’s “13 Most Innovative Schools in the World.” She also led workforce programs at First Place for Youth and ran literacy and debate programs in underserved NYC schools.
Philipp Singer
Senior Principal Data Scientist at H2O.AI
Philipp Singer is Senior Principal Data Scientist at H2O.ai and a distinguished Kaggle Grandmaster, having achieved world-#1 ranking in the global competitions leaderboard. He holds a PhD in Computer Science (with honours) from the Technical University of Graz. Philipp is known for his deep expertise in machine learning, data mining and statistics, contributing both to scientific publications and leadership in state-of-the-art applied AI.
Is there another AI innovator we should celebrate?
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