AI Heroes Live From Cannes: Dawn Farren - Episode 9

AI Heroes: Dawn Farren on Being Comfortably Uncomfortable, Democratising Data & Shaping the Future of Insights

🎙️ Live from Cannes – AI Heroes Live

In this episode of AI Heroes Live, recorded at Insights Lighthouse during the Cannes Lions Festival, we sit down with Dawn Farren, Head of Insights and Analytics at Pepsi Lipton, a joint venture between Unilever and PepsiCo. Dawn offers a candid and forward-looking perspective on navigating AI adoption in a large-scale, end-to-end business—where the balance between experimentation and caution is critical.

Dawn shares her philosophy of being “comfortably uncomfortable,” and what it really means to build momentum with AI in a risk-managed, business-integrated way. From reshaping stakeholder relationships to unlocking data ecosystems, she lays out what it takes to embed AI while staying human-centered and purpose-driven.

We also dive into:

• Why experimentation needs structure—and why not all pilots should fly

• How Dawn’s team is leveraging AI across category visioning, mix development, and data democratisation

• The real risks of shiny object syndrome in enterprise AI

• What it means to “stack data” effectively across silos, functions, and global teams

• How to build trust, curiosity, and applied insight into every corner of the organisation

• What’s next for in-house insights teams—and the critical traits leaders should hire for now

If you’re navigating AI implementation in a large, matrixed organisation—or just want to hear how a seasoned insights leader stays sharp in the face of constant change—this episode offers grounded wisdom and real-world reflections from one of the best in the business.