Beyond Rankings: Winning Customers in the Age of AI

What if being found online no longer meant ranking first, and AI decided which businesses customers see, trust, and choose? And what would it take for businesses to stay visible and credible as that shift unfolds?

Today on Leadership Beyond Borders, we explore how AI is changing the way customers discover local businesses, moving from search rankings to personalized AI recommendations. Our guest is Christian J. Ward, Executive Vice President and Chief Data Officer at Yext and co-author of the Amazon bestseller Data Leverage.

We'll look at how entrepreneurs, marketers, directories, and digital agencies can turn AI visibility into customers and revenue. That includes keeping business information accurate and trustworthy, adapting advertising and service models, and making smart choices about which AI tools are worth adopting. From practical steps small businesses can take in the next 90 days to the strategies that will help them keep playing in an ever-changing AI landscape, we'll discuss the practical choices that can help build lasting competitive advantage.

About the Guest

Christian J. Ward is the Executive Vice President and Chief Data Officer at Yext, focused on the expanding applications of data and AI in marketing and entrepreneurship. His focus is to help Yext clients identify, value, and structure their knowledge to maximize their data value in AI and search applications. Ward co-authored the Amazon bestseller Data Leverage: Unlocking the Surprising Growth Potential of Data Partnerships and has developed and executed hundreds of data partnerships worldwide.

Ward has served as Chief Data Officer of Arizent, Chief Data Officer of Data Axle, and Global Head of Content Innovation at Thomson Reuters, among other roles. He founded and sold two structured data companies, one in financial analytics and the other in media analytics. He has been quoted in publications like the Wall Street Journal, The Financial Times, Adweek, Fortune, and Forbes. He speaks frequently on data strategy, partnerships, and the impact of Artificial Intelligence.

Guest Social Media

- Website: https://www.christianjward.com/

- Yext: https://www.yext.com/

- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/wardchristianj/

- Twitter/X: https://x.com/wardchristianj

Host Social Media

- Website: www.siinda.org

- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kimberli-lewis-7a34053/?ppe=1

https://www.linkedin.com/company/search-and-information-industry-association/?viewAsMember=true

- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/followsiinda/