2025 Speakers
Craig Nowell, Vice President of Global AI, Databricks
Craig Nowell is the Vice President of Global AI at Databricks and an accomplished leader with extensive experience driving innovation at the intersection of gaming, technology and data, helping customers leverage their data to build, deploy, and monitor highly customized AI systems at scale. Before joining Databricks, Craig held executive positions at AWS, where he led Data and AI Sales for the U.S. segment, spearheading key initiatives in AI/ML (including GenAI), Analytics, Databases, and Storage. Prior to this role, Craig built and scaled out the AWS Industries (ie Global Accounts) Data and AI Sales and GTM team. Throughout both roles Craig led WW efforts on Data and AI relevant industry solutions, Data Mesh, Data Strategy, and the importance of Data Governance in building and scaling GenAI (ie “Data is Your Differentiator” messaging). Craig's career began after earning a degree in Computer Engineering from NC State University, with early roles as a System Engineer at Intel, IBM, and Cisco. Craig later joined Greenplum, which led to his involvement with Pivotal during its inception and eventual IPO. At Pivotal, Craig held leadership roles in key market segments such as US Telco & Media, NY & NJ, and Southern California. Craig resides in Pacific Palisades, California, with his wife and two sons. Outside of work, he enjoys reading historical non-fictions, coaching youth sports, camping, surfing, and golfing. Craig is also a passionate supporter of NC State athletics and Manchester United.
