Organized Chaos Is Acceptable if It’s Well-documented and Understood — Louisiana Pacific Corporation Director of Data, Analytics, and AI

Karima Zahrir, Director of Data, Analytics, and AI at Louisiana Pacific Corporation, speaks with Todd Foley, Chief Digital Office, and CISO at Lydonia, in a video interview about the rise of generative AI (GenAI), establishment of the AI governance board, launching the data citizen program, and the importance of collaboration for a well-defined enterprise solution.

Louisiana-Pacific Corporation (LP) is a leading American building materials manufacturer.

Zahrir leads data engineering, BI, data science, and AI teams. With over two decades of data and analytics experience, she executes the data strategy as well as implements AI solutions with cross-team collaboration.

Commenting on the rise of GenAI, Zahrir says that feedback received from business users has been overwhelmingly positive, and they are eager to adopt it. However, she remains mindful of the associated risks and security implications.

This awareness has led to the establishment of an AI governance board with clear, defined roles and responsibilities. Additionally, the shift has prompted the corporation to take a step back and strengthen its data governance framework. She informs that while several use cases are underway, the priority is to implement them in a responsible and well-structured manner.

When asked how the rapid rate of change has impacted organizing and retrieving actionable information, Zahrir notes that it is acceptable to have organized chaos, provided it is well documented and understood. She adds that with the rapid emergence of new technologies, there is a constant influx of new data sources.

Each data source brings its own set of challenges related to data quality, security, compliance, and integrity. This reinforces continuous assessment and strengthening of the data governance framework.

Additionally, the growing number of tools available for both data ingestion and retrieval makes training a crucial priority, says Zahrir. The corporation is actively working to ensure teams stay up to date with these technologies while also equipping business users with the necessary skills for effective usage of tools. She says that the training efforts span both IT and business functions, which will help position Louisiana Pacific for success.

Delving deeper, Zahrir discusses the launch of an exciting initiative in response to the growing demand for AI—the Data Citizen Program. Through this program, business and functional leaders identified their most tech-savvy team members to participate in a structured six-month journey.

The program has been designed to include both technical and leadership training, enabling participants not only to develop AI-driven solutions but also to effectively communicate their impact. Within three months, participants began presenting use cases, and by the end of the program, five impactful solutions had been successfully developed, she adds.

These solutions are now actively driving business value, says Zahrir. A few of these use cases were selected for broader deployment across different business units, amplifying their impact.

Calling the initiative a great success, she maintains that expanding her team into business is embedding data analytics expertise within the business, enabling teams to leverage data as a business strategy.

With rapidly emerging technologies, choosing the right tools can often feel overwhelming. Louisiana Pacific focuses on collaboration to ensure the corporation works toward a well-defined solution.

To guide decision-making, the corporation relies on Gartner’s magic quadrant to evaluate tools that are not only robust and secure but also compatible with existing ERP systems. This alignment is crucial, and partners play a key role in support. Together, the goal is to create a simple enterprise that would successfully run LP’s business.

Concluding, Zahrir states that the corporation is currently in the midst of planning an architecture overhaul, along with system integrators (SI) and vendors. With this, she is hopeful to expand her data and analytics footprint and establish a strong AI foundation.

CDO Magazine appreciates Karima Zahrir for sharing her insights with our global community.