Mark Sequeira

One of our two big announcements. We are honored to welcome John Hamlin to Agile Auto’s Board of Directors as we continue advancing our mission to help dealers thrive in today’s hyper competitive post COVID automotive market. John’s experience, leadership, and industry reputation will accelerate our growth and elevate the level of intelligence we bring to dealers’ used car operations. Welcome, John.

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Part of my job is to focus on data quality and this research caught my attention: “Improving Your Financial Institution’s Data Execution Quality (EQ)”, Nov. 18, 2025, by Ron Shevlin from Cornerstone Advisors. Based on a survey of 124 FIs the study assesses how well they execute on data across 5 areas, from strategic planning to operational delivery and data access. (Note : the sample focuses on the smaller FIs, but from what I’ve seen in larger and global institutions, many of the findings can be extrapolated.) As a CDO, a few things resonated with me and here's my key takeaways: 1. Operational delivery & AI AI will boost back-office efficiency but much more if granular process data and metadata are captured and integrated. Ensure you have robust SOPs and process data or AI applications will remain theory. 2. The CDO is not the sole owner of Data Quality A CDO is critical, but should not carry all the responsibility for each business unit’s data quality. Ownership span across the organization and the CDO orchestrating with federation is one model. 3. Data access vs. data quality monitoring Most FIs score well with having tools and formal governance in place, but data quality and integrity monitoring is still lagging. If you’re not continuously monitoring data quality within your governance framework, it's putting icing on a mud cake. Source : https://lnkd.in/ejdwzfwg #DataQuality #DataGovernance #FinancialServices #AI

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Cox Automotive forecasts U.S. new-vehicle sales will slip to 15.8 million in 2026 as market fragmentation and affordability pressures persist. https://ow.ly/Gmvx50XVOnc

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Ever feel like today’s AI models are getting smarter but somehow less useful? You’re not imagining it. LLM benchmarks have become the obsession. Model makers are locked in a cycle of chasing leaderboard points on MMLU, GSM8K, and other tests no one actually cares about outside of research labs. The result? Models that ace exams but fall apart in real-world use. They misinterpret vague instructions. They forget what you said three messages ago. They can’t think beyond a single step. But sure, the score went up by 0.3 percent. Benchmarks were supposed to be a guide. Instead, they’ve become a crutch. A way to show “progress” without improving anything that matters. The questions we should be asking are simple: Can the model follow messy, human instructions? Can it reason through problems, not just regurgitate answers? Can it actually help people get real work done? If you’ve worked with these models, you’ve felt the gap. You’ve seen the hype, and then you’ve seen it fall short when it counts. Are we building for people, or are we building for points? I’d love to hear what others are seeing in the wild. #AI #LLMs #Benchmarks #MachineLearning #RealWorldAI

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Every institution has blind spots. The challenge is knowing where they are before they become losses. That goal shaped the work of my team in developing Experian's new Fraud Peer Benchmarking Report. The report highlights: • Where your exposure is increasing fastest • How your defenses compare to organizations with similar risk profiles • Where targeted investment could deliver immediate impact For lenders and fraud executives, this external context is no longer optional. Threats evolve by industry segment, channel, and portfolio mix — often faster than internal data can reveal. This new report is an important step toward more proactive risk management. If you're interested in learning more, please reach out. https://lnkd.in/gyiVaPsE

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I'm looking forward to these peer-to-peer conversations. Bringing leaders together to share real experiences, challenges, and ideas should spark valuable discussions.

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William Langford, Director of Data Analytics at Suncoast Credit Union shared a compelling session on the Automated Research Analyst at #CULyticsSummit2026. His message was clear: AI becomes truly useful when it moves beyond giving simple answers to delivering real insight — powered by governed, curated data, shared definitions, and a strong semantic foundation. He also highlighted a key challenge many teams face today: not lack of data, but the decision bottleneck between questions and answers. A strong takeaway from Will’s session: start with a focused subject area, build your gold-standard datasets, and let natural language accelerate insight — not replace the foundation. #CULyticsSummit2026 #CreditUnions #AI #Analytics #DataGovernance

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In the realm of data delivery, the age-old tendency to blame the messenger for unwelcome news persists. As individuals leading Business Intelligence departments, Data Science teams, Chief Information Officers, and even the Commissioner of Labor Statistics, we are more than mere messengers. Our roles extend far beyond conveying information; they encompass the intricate processes of gathering, compiling, standardizing, and contextualizing data, ensuring its accuracy and relevance within set parameters and resources. This multifaceted responsibility sets us apart from historical messengers like Pheidippides, whose fate was sealed despite delivering good news. Reflecting on a past executive position, I recall being reprimanded for not presenting accurate information forcefully enough. While I may not resort to table-pounding theatrics, I firmly believe that information leaders must imbue their data with transparent context and clarity. Key indicators such as respondent percentages, data completeness estimates, accuracy levels, margins of error, and confidence qualifiers should always accompany the data dissemination process. The data landscape is a dynamic realm where challenges evolve, paradigms shift, and methodologies age. Amidst this flux, the critical demand for precise and timely information remains constant. It falls upon information leaders to adapt, strategize, and execute operational solutions to meet this demand effectively. While data consumers share the onus of comprehending the information presented to them, it ultimately rests on information leaders to elevate their audience's data literacy. Educating consumers to a level where ambiguity dissipates is a long-term endeavor, akin to a marathon rather than a sprint. Yet, the investment in fostering data literacy pays dividends in empowering informed decision-making and fostering a culture of trust in data-driven insights.

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Moody’s Analytics reports that 21 states and Washington, D.C. are either in recession or at high risk of entering one, highlighting growing economic fragility across the U.S. States like California, New York, and Illinois are already seeing contraction, while others including Texas and Florida are at elevated risk. Analysts point to slower job growth, weakening consumer spending, and cooling labor markets as key warning signs

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AI Transformation: From Incremental Gains to Systemic Impact This week I had the privilege of joining a panel on the future of customer data management. Reflecting on our discussion, I am struck by how far AI has come—from early pattern recognition to today’s agentic systems that imagine, reason, and collaborate alongside us. The real shift isn’t just about using AI for incremental productivity. It’s about doing AI: embedding it into workflows, decision making, and operations to drive true transformation. Key insights: · Innovation vs. Governance: Build privacy and ethics into the architecture, and foster a culture where every team member owns data responsibility. · Process Excellence: Standardization and automation free up talent for higher value work, while continuous improvement keeps strategies future ready. · AI’s Next Frontier: We are moving from reporting to prediction and action, with agentic AI systems and conversational analytics democratizing data for all. · Overcoming Roadblocks: Unified data strategies and automated quality checks are essential, but real change happens when we empower data champions and celebrate wins. Having led analytics and AI teams across banking and telecom, I have seen firsthand how merging process excellence with advanced technology unlocks value and drives lasting change. Shoutout to my fellow panelists for an amazing discussion! Sniggi Venuturumilli, Duffie Brunson, Araceli Colclough, MBA ✨ Thanks to Group Futurista for organizing the event. Where is your organization on the AI journey? Comment below. I would love to hear your perspective!

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Reflections from Women in Data Science (WiDS) @ UNC Charlotte I had an incredible time attending the Women in Data Science (WiDS) Conference at UNC Charlotte on March 23rd. The energy in the room was electric, filled with students and professionals from across universities and industries all gathered to push the boundaries of AI and data science. The day kicked off with an opening keynote by Dr. Rebecca Nugent from Carnegie Mellon. Her passion for the future of data science and AI was truly infectious and set a high bar for the rest of the event. One of the standout moments was a panel discussion featuring three phenomenal women at different stages of their careers: • Kayla Harasymchuk (Honeywell) • Benika Hall, PhD (NVIDIA) • Jennifer Manry (Vanguard) They shared real, raw stories about their professional journeys—the major wins, the unique challenges, and the perseverance required to navigate systems not always built for them. We also heard from visionary leaders like Sheila Jordan , Chief Digital Technology Officer of Honeywell, and Jessica Dunn from Bank of America, who both provided invaluable industry perspective and leadership insights. A huge thank you to everyone who presented, volunteered, or sponsored this event. Most importantly, thank you to every woman (and man!) who showed up to invest in themselves. #WiDS #WomenInDataScience #UNCCharlotte #AI #Leadership #DataScience #WomenInAI

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What a difference a year makes? Or does it? One year ago on June 19, dealership customers of CDK Global began scrambling as two cyberattacks forced the DMS provider to shut down its system to prevent the hack from spreading. Dealerships spent days selling and repairing vehicles using pencil and paper; some stores simply shut down. What lessons were learned from the cyberattacks? Automotive News retail tech reporter Mark Hollmer takes a look. https://lnkd.in/grdpUZUK

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2026 is kicking off with a much easier car-buying experience: After hitting a record low of 66% late last year, CDK’s Ease of Purchase score rebounded sharply to 85% in January (one of the strongest readings on record). What changed: Inventory availability and fewer disruptions. The share of buyers who found the exact vehicle they wanted jumped from 31% in December to 57% in January. The signal: Even the thorniest parts of the buying experience are showing big gains. (Data source: CDK Global)

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“It’s about extending our ability to reason using data when the physics is unknown, hidden, or too cumbersome to write down.” https://lnkd.in/g8CGtx_Y

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I had fun sitting down with Esther Shittu on the sidelines of the Gartner Data & Analytics Summit to talk about evolving our data ecosystem to power AI across the business. We covered everything from the importance of well-managed data, to platforms, to automation, to data products, and why curiosity and problem solving are the most critical skills to seek out and cultivate. In a world where we are looking to figure out how to leverage the latest AI innovations to drive business value, talent that is great at learning and applying those learnings in ways that matter becomes even more important. Check out the full interview here: https://lnkd.in/ghDF7eTc #CapitalOne #LifeatCapitalOne #Data #AI

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Nishant Pradhan shares his views on “How AI is changing the way Mutual Funds Spot Opportunities.” An insightful article and must read. #AI #MutualFunds

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Many dealerships accept GAP chargebacks as a cost of doing business. A growing number are making one small structural change that can protect thousands each year while keeping customer refunds intact. #WeAreEliteFI https://lnkd.in/gF4wc5QU

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