Title: Data and AI Governance Lead
Company: Rio Tinto
Location: Singapore, Singapore
Puneet Matai, Data and AI Governance Lead at Rio Tinto, has been recognized by Marquis Who’s Who Top Executives for dedication, achievements, and leadership in information technology.
Currently serving as the data and artificial intelligence (AI) governance lead at Rio Tinto’s Commercial business unit, Mr. Matai is responsible for establishing data & AI governance framework and Rio Tinto Commercial’s data strategy to enhance data quality, maturity and innovation while ensuring it’s security and privacy, compliance and risk mitigation. He manages and collaborates with a team of data analysts, data scientists and data modelers that oversees the business unit’s data management progress and develops resolution procedures for any data issues that may arise. With outside entities, he serves as a spokesperson and point of contact, collaborating with the enterprise team to ensure alignment and compliance with firm-wide data strategy. In addition, he defines data standards, policies and procedures for the commercial business unit to follow regarding advancement of data management maturity.
Originally from India, Mr. Matai began his education at Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha University, where he earned a Bachelor of Technology in computer science in 2004. After graduating, he secured a position at Infosys Limited, where he served in multiple roles until 2017, moving up to product technology lead and Lead Solution Architect for ANZ Bank as his client in 2010, and data manager for Standard Chartered Bank in 2015. Leaving Infosys Limited, he worked for Standard Chartered Bank from 2017 to 2019 as their Head of Data Management, thereafter he joined Santander Bank as the associate director of enterprise data governance. That same year he completed a Master of Science in applied analytics at Columbia University.
Mr. Matai considers his most notable achievement to be his leadership of the enterprise data governance group at Santander Bank, where he worked until 2022. When he was hired in 2019, his primary task was to address specific data management and data risk issues at the bank. Within the two-year timeline, he helped in successfully resolving these issues, enabling the bank to expand its operations and presence in the United States. In addition to his work at Santander Bank, he has published over 20 research papers focused on data and AI in prestigious international journals. He also holds a patent for his innovative work in the field of “Incremental Download Framework & Data Transformation Using Oracle CDC.” His research has been widely recognized in the industry, earning him multiple national and international awards and features in global magazines like Business Insider and Insights Success.
Following his tenure at Santander Bank, Mr. Matai joined Salesforce as a strategic client advisor for their data cloud and integration suite of products. After a year in the position, he moved to United Overseas Bank Limited Co., where he worked as a program manager before entering his current position at Rio Tinto in 2024. Moving forward, he envisions himself stepping into a senior leadership role in data management or serving as the head or chief of data & AI, where he can spearhead enterprise-wide data & AI initiatives. He feels fortunate to have had fantastic mentors throughout his career, and he credits his success to these positive relationships with mentors and peers. For him, leadership is centered on how one treats, communicates with and understands others, an approach that has been crucial in shaping his career trajectory. He envisions his legacy not as a groundbreaking technology leader, but as a professional who successfully bridged the gap between theory and real-world application in data and AI governance.
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