2026 Annual Women’s Client Executive Forum

Keynote Speaker

Dr. Maya Ackerman is a leading expert on artificial intelligence, creativity, and human-AI collaboration. She is the CEO and Co-Founder of WaveAI, a pioneering generative AI company whose technologies have helped millions of creators, and an Associate Professor of Computer Science and Engineering at Santa Clara University.

For more than a decade, Dr. Ackerman has studied how AI can enhance rather than replace human capabilities. She has published over 50 research papers and has spoken at the United Nations, Oxford, Stanford, Google, Microsoft, IBM Research, and major corporate events around the world. She is the author of "Creative Machines: AI, Art & Us," which explores the evolving relationship between artificial intelligence and human creativity. Her work has been featured in Forbes, NPR, and other major media outlets, and she was named one of 100 Women in AI (Flybridge & Others) and Woman of Influence by the Silicon Valley Business Journal, and is a Billboard Executive Honoree.

Kim Crawford Goodman is Chief Executive Officer of Smarsh, the global leader in AI-powered communications compliance and intelligence. She leads the company's strategy and operations, driving innovation that helps regulated organizations of all sizes manage risk and harness the power of AI. Under her leadership, Smarsh has accelerated its growth and strengthened its market leadership, serving 18 of the world's top 20 global banks, earning recognition as a Leader in the Gartner® Magic Quadrant™ for Digital Communications Governance and Archiving Solutions for eight consecutive evaluations, and appearing on the Inc. 5000 list for 19 consecutive years.

Kim brings more than 25 years of executive leadership experience from Worldpay, Fiserv, American Express, Dell Technologies, and Bain & Company. She serves on the Board of Directors of Charter Communications and holds degrees from Stanford University and an MBA from Harvard Business School, where she was a Baker Scholar. In 2026, she was recognized by the Los Angeles Times as an Inspiring Leader in Technology & Software, honoring her leadership and contributions to the technology industry.

Lisa Falzone is the Founder of Athena Security and a serial entrepreneur with a proven track record of disrupting out-of-touch industries. In less than a decade she built and scaled the first iPad-based cash register, Revel Systems to over 700 global employees and tens of thousands of installations spanning five continents. She brought on flagship customers like Royal Dutch Shell, Qantas Airlines, Cinnabon, and Estee Lauder, and led partnerships with Intuit, IBM, and Apple.

Lisa has raised over 200 million dollars from top-tier venture capitalists and private equity firms and has received numerous government grants based on her track record of high-growth leadership.

Awards 2017: Named by Business Insider as a founder of one the “The 21 Hottest Women-Founded Startups to Watch in 2017”. 2016: Part of Tech Crunch’s list of “40 Female Founders Who Crushed it in 2016”. 2015: Falzone was recognized by Fortune Magazine as no. 19 on the 40 Under 40 list as well as the Forbes list of Eight Rising Stars. 2015: Ernst & Young Entrepreneurial Winning Women, on the Business Journal Upstart 100 list, Recognized by Fortune Magazine’s list of “40 Under 40,” Honored by Forbes magazine as one of the “Women to Watch – Eight Rising Stars.” 2012 & 2013: Named by Forbes magazine in their “30 Under 30” awards.

Vania Schlogel is the Founder and Managing Partner of Atwater Capital, a media and entertainment sector-focused investment firm headquartered in Los Angeles, California with assets under management of approximately $500 million. She also serves as the Chief Strategy Officer of Magnific, an all-in-one AI creative suite (and Atwater portfolio company). Prior to founding Atwater in 2017, Vania served as a senior executive at several leading companies, including as Chief Investment Officer of Roc Nation, and was a member of KKR's Private Equity team, where she specialized in the media sector and launched the Growth Equity division. She began her career in the Leveraged Finance and Capital Markets groups at Goldman Sachs in London and Los Angeles. Vania was formerly the Chairperson of Mediawan US, the holding company of Brad Pitt's Plan B Entertainment, and of LEONINE Studios, Germany's leading film and TV studio. She was formerly also the Chairperson of Epidemic Sound, Atwater’s first unicorn investment valued at $1.4 billion in 2021. Her other former board roles include wiip Productions, a Los Angeles-based film and TV studio; 88rising, a multi-media music label and live events company; BMG, the world's largest independent music publisher; Hipgnosis Songs Fund, the FTSE 250 music IP company; and Pets at Home, the large UK retailer. She is currently on the board of Banc of California (NYSE: BANC), a $35 billion bank in assets. Ms. Schlogel is a graduate of UCLA, summa cum laude, with a degree in Business Economics and Minor in Accounting.

Chief Information Officer for the Americas
Co-CIO for MUFG Securities International
Executive Officer of MUFG and MUFG Bank

Alla Whitston is an Executive Officer of MUFG and MUFG Bank, Chief Information Officer for MUFG Americas, and Co-Chief Information Officer for MUFG Securities International. She is a global executive with extensive experience aligning technology investments to drive growth, resilience, risk management, and client outcomes. At MUFG, she leads the Bank's end-to-end technology agenda, spanning modernization, AI, data, cybersecurity, operational resilience, and technology risk.

Her career spans senior leadership roles at SVB, CIT Group, Bank of America, JPMorgan, Goldman Sachs, and Bankers Trust. Across these institutions, she has led large-scale business and technology transformation, operating model change, modernization, and complex programs across commercial banking, investment banking, and capital markets. Her experience also includes integration and organizational transformation, providing a broad perspective on technology as a driver of enterprise value.

Throughout her career, Alla has partnered with executive leadership teams and boards on matters at the intersection of business strategy, technology, AI, cybersecurity, risk, resilience, and governance. She brings an enterprise perspective to navigating disruption, balancing innovation with disciplined risk management, and translating emerging technologies into measurable business outcomes.

Alla received the 2024 New York CIO ORBIE® Award for technology leadership. She serves on the Board of Liberty Science Center and is a frequent speaker on artificial intelligence, digital transformation, cybersecurity, and the strategic role of technology in business performance.

Alla holds a master’s degree in computer science with honors from Georgian Technical University in Tbilisi, Georgia.