Episode 362 Deep Dive: César Cernuda | Trust, Trade & the New Data Diplomacy

In this episode, we sit down with César Cernuda, President at NetApp, as he explores the growing significance of data and the evolving role of trust, governance, and transparency in managing this strategic asset. César discusses how organizations and nations must build intelligent data infrastructures to enable AI and navigate complex regulatory landscapes, emphasizing the importance of cybersecurity, interoperability, and modernizing data lakes. We also examine the balance between protection and openness, the resurgence of sovereign cloud requirements, and the pressure for leaders to cultivate a data-first mindset to stay competitive. César Cernuda has led NetApp’s integrated go-to-market organization since July 2020, delivering on the company’s promise to meet customers wherever they are on their digital-transformation journeys by providing the superior products, specialist skills, and services they need to architect, build, and manage their data fabrics. César joined NetApp following a long career at Microsoft, where he served as President of Microsoft Asia Pacific, President of Microsoft Latin America, and Global Corporate Vice President of the brand. Having walked in the shoes of NetApp’s enterprise customers, he brings a customer-centric perspective to all he does as president. César serves as the non-executive director and Chairman of the ESG committee at Gestamp, an international organization dedicated to the automotive industry; as an advisory board member of Georgetown University’s McDonough School of Business; and as an international advisory board member of IESE Business School – University of Navarra.