Ayaz Somani

VP Data and AI at Wave HQ | Leading data, prediction and GenAI-driven platform and product

I am the Vice President of Data and AI at Wave Financial, a Toronto-based fintech that helps small business owners take control of their finances. At Wave, I lead a growing team of data and analytic engineers, analysts and ML engineers who use data insights, predictive models and GenAI to drive the quality and velocity of decision-making across the business, and to surface actionable intelligence for our customers.

My success in leading teams of data practitioners, optimizing data infrastructure and fostering a culture emphasizing the intelligent use of data is founded on more than two decades of experience as a technology strategist and software developer, as well as a strong foundation in data engineering and AI / machine learning. For much of my career, I've helped clients to bridge their business goals with the data and technology tools they require, and to build and deliver high-availability, cloud-native production systems.

I founded Aluance Digital to help organizations address strategic technology challenges. Working closely with client stakeholders, we discovered value gaps and sought to understand their pain points. We designed data experiences and infrastructure, leveraging open source technologies like Airflow, Spark and Elasticsearch. We also identified opportunities for machine learning and AI to improve customer journeys, deliver efficiencies and provide greater insight with better analytics.