David Gholami
Director of Data & Ai @Avanade
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WORK HISTORY
Director of Data & Ai @Avanade
Ottawa, ON, CA
Led a large team of data scientists, data engineers, and AI specialists to successfully deliver data and AI projects• Managed a portfolio of high-value projects, ensuring consistent growth and profitability within the annual revenue pipeline• Designed and developed a cutting-edge legal research tool for a Canadian federal department using GPT-powered RAG architecture, enabling caseworkers to retrieve relevant jurisprudence, analyze legal reasoning, and generate cited case summaries• Built a Generative AI-driven case intelligence system for a public safety organization that ingests public court documents—including handwritten notes—into a CRM, offering chatbot-based legal Q&A, case summaries, and document retrieval• Delivered Agentic AI automation solutions for financial institutions, implementing domain-specific LLM applications to streamline underwriting and claims processing workflows• Designed and implemented robust MLOps and LLMOps frameworks, ensuring scalable and automated deployment of AI and machine learning applications across production environments• Provided strategic oversight of enterprise data platforms across Azure and Databricks, enabling governed data products, trusted enterprise analytics, and scalable AI applications• Offered consultation on data and AI services across Microsoft Azure and Databricks, advising clients on best practices for data ingestion, data transformation, analytics, and machine learning• Promoted data-driven decision-making across organizations by implementing technologies, such as MS Fabric, Azure Purview and Databricks Unity Catalog, and data governance processes• Ensured the ethical and responsible use of AI/Generative AI technologies, including addressing issues such as bias, fairness, and privacy concerns• Ensured compliance with data privacy and security regulations, such as PIPEDA and GDPR, establishing robust data governance frameworks and policies
EDUCATION
University of Calgary
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), Mechanical Engineering
Islamic Azad University
Master's degree, Industrial Engineering
SKILLS
ABOUT DAVID GHOLAMI
Strategic technology and digital leader with 15 years of progressive IT leadership and senior executive experience driving enterprise digital transformation, cloud modernization, and large-scale secure data & AI platforms. Proven ability to partner with C-suite stakeholders, modernize digital foundations, and deliver governed, secure, scalable platforms that enable mission-critical outcomes.Technical Leadership: • Led a large team of data scientists, engineers, and AI specialists• Managed a portfolio of data and AI projects generating a significant annual revenue pipeline• Led enterprise data and AI strategy development and execution with responsibility for cross-functional teams, spanning data, analytics, cloud, security, and AI operations• Directed governance frameworks for data and AI platforms ensuring compliance, quality, and operational rigor across global stakeholders• Established federated data operating models balancing centralized standards with business-aligned execution teams.• Partnered with CIO/CDO level executives to align IT strategic roadmaps with organizational missions and revenue goalsCloud Modernization and AI at Scale: • Led enterprise data platform modernization using Microsoft Azure, Databricks and Google Cloud Platform for clients across government, finance, and healthcare • Built enterprise-scale AI/ML capabilities that improved operational decision-making and reduced manual workload through automated insights and predictive analytics• Established enterprise AI/ML operations frameworks (MLOps/LLMOps) to enable secure, governed, scalable deployment of AI systems across production environments• Experience leading cloud migration and hybrid-cloud strategy (e.g, Azure/AWS), including SaaS modernization and platform rationalizationGovernance and Compliance: • Established enterprise data governance and control frameworks aligned with regulated industry requirements• Ensured the ethical and responsible use of AI technologies, addressing issues such as bias, fairness, and privacy concerns• Promoted data-driven decision-making across organizations by implementing technologies, such as Microsoft Fabric, Azure Purview and Databricks Unity Catalog, and data governance processes• Partnered with risk, compliance, and security teams to ensure data governance practices aligned with regulatory expectations (privacy, access control, auditability)Thought Leadership: • Authored 1 patent and 16 peer-reviewed papers published in national and international journals
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