Published on December 29, 2025
The Tata Data Excellence Forum (DEF) continues to be a collaborative platform for Tata group companies to share best practices, explore emerging technologies, and accelerate their data-driven transformation journeys. To date, the forum has covered more than 25 topics and enabled six impactful implementations, delivering measurable business impact.
The 5th edition of the Data Excellence Forum (DEF), held virtually on November 27, 2025, brought together over 100 industry leaders and data practitioners from more than 30 companies. The session focused on AI-driven transformation and the role of strong data foundations in scaling innovation responsibly.
Key Highlights:
The event featured Tata Capital’s pioneering journey in GenAI adoption. Uttam Soni, Head Business Excellence, Tata Capital; and Ekta Rijhwani, AVP, Tata Capital, shared real-world use cases, including Credit Assessment Memo (CAM) automation, AI-powered customer service through email and voice bots, and document intelligence for operational efficiency. These initiatives have led to meaningful reductions in turnaround time, productivity improvements, and enhanced customer experience.
Participants also explored Databricks Lakehouse capabilities, with live demos covering agent-based AI, data democratisation through conversational BI, and unified governance through Lakehouse architecture. The session emphasised how enterprises can leverage data foundations to scale AI responsibly and securely.
Adding practical perspective, Nilesh Jathar, Head – Data Office, Tata AIG, shared the company’s experience of migrating to Databricks. He noted improvements in reporting speed, strengthened governance through Unity Catalogue, and showcased future plans for AI-driven Customer 360 solutions.
Across sessions, a consistent insight emerged: AI success is built on strong data foundations, and data excellence is a shared, enterprise-wide responsibility. By aligning governance, scalability, and innovation, Tata companies are building a future-ready ecosystem that uses data as a strategic advantage.
Participant Feedback
This is a good platform to learn, enhance knowledge and connect.
Forum was conducted very well and extremely informative. Looking forward to more such interactions.
Participants also suggested ways to make future sessions even more impactful, such as incorporating interactive Q&A segments and case studies, and creating focused connects with individual companies. The enthusiasm and actionable ideas shared reaffirm the forum’s role as a catalyst for collaboration and innovation across the Group.
The Data Excellence Forum will continue to facilitate these knowledge-sharing conversations as Tata companies deepen their use of data and AI to drive business transformation.
