S&P Global sits at the intersection of finance, data and technology. With over 160 years of history and more than $14 billion in annual revenue, the company plays a pivotal role in providing essential intelligence to global markets. Swamy Kocherlakota leads the company’s efforts at this intersection as the executive vice president and chief digital solutions officer. Formerly the global chief information officer, Kocherlakota has helped shape the company’s approach to artificial intelligence, data infrastructure and ecosystem partnerships.
In a recent conversation, Kocherlakota reflected on his evolving role, the company’s deep investments in AI through Kensho, and the systems and strategies in place that enable S&P Global to thrive in the digital age.
An Evolving Leadership Role and Building a Future-Ready Team
Kocherlakota’s journey at S&P Global has mirrored the company’s broader evolution. Originally serving as chief information officer for six years, his responsibilities expanded significantly in December of 2023.
“When AI [became more prominent], I took on the mandate for the AI for the company,” he said. “We then adjusted the role and the title to chief digital solutions officer.”
With a remit spanning digital infrastructure, security and innovation, Kocherlakota described himself as both “the first technologist for the company and the first cheerleader for technology.” This blend of technical depth and visionary leadership has positioned him to navigate the organization through continuous digital transformation.
As S&P Global transitioned from a project-based to a product-based operating model, Kocherlakota’s team transformed alongside it. His organization now includes everything from corporate platforms and infrastructure to cybersecurity and artificial intelligence.
“We went through a project-to-product transition,” he explained. “The core product development reports to business leaders, but every other function—like infrastructure and AI—sits within my team.”
He emphasized the need for flexible, cross-functional teams that can evolve with changing technologies and business demands, helping S&P Global stay agile in a fast-moving marketplace.
The Role of Kensho in AI Strategy
One of the most strategic decisions in the company’s AI journey was the acquisition of Kensho, an AI technology innovator that operates as a separate entity under the S&P Global umbrella.
“We made a lot of progress with them, and we eventually acquired that company way back in 2018,” Kocherlakota noted. “They have been navigating us through AI, data science and now the generative AI revolution.”
By maintaining Kensho’s distinct culture and operating model, S&P Global gained both agility and expertise. Kocherlakota described Kensho as the company’s “speedboat,” offering a faster, more experimental counterpart to the larger enterprise vessel.
Scaling a Digital Ecosystem
S&P Global’s strategy goes beyond internal development. Kocherlakota and his team have made a point of expanding the company’s digital reach through an interconnected ecosystem.
“We make our data available through traditional desktops, feeds, APIs and increasingly through data cloud providers,” he said. “Now, with AI, we distribute agents and skills across ecosystems like Microsoft Teams.”
This flexible approach allows S&P Global to meet customers where they are, whether in trading platforms, productivity suites, or AI-driven environments. It also enables faster innovation and feedback loops, enhancing customer value.
Data Organization as a Competitive Advantage
With 165 years of accumulated data, organizing and securing information is both a challenge and a unique differentiator. Kocherlakota described a sophisticated metadata and taxonomy management system as key to making sense of the company’s vast information assets.
“We do that by managing the metadata very well,” he underscored with a note of pride. “Connecting and curating the data so you can take supply chain information to energy transition data to private markets data in a seamless way is what we do. That is the secret sauce.”
Technologies like named entity resolution and standardized identifiers like Cap IQ ID are central to this effort, enabling deep interoperability across datasets.
Leading Digital Transformation
Kocherlakota recalled a pivotal moment nine years ago when S&P Global transitioned from a conglomerate to a focused financial information enterprise. That shift, he said, was the catalyst for large-scale digital modernization.
“We said that we have to modernize the technology stack,” he noted. “At the same time, [we had] to modernize the people and the processes as well.”
Cloud-first and agile methodologies became the foundation, enabling the company to later embrace AI and generative AI at scale. Without those prior investments, Kocherlakota said, “we wouldn’t have been able to embrace AI as much as we’re able to do now.”
Empowering Productivity Through AI
AI is not just a tool; it’s a platform for accelerating productivity. Kocherlakota described a comprehensive four-P framework (Potential, Productivity, People and Protection) created by the company’s CEO to guide AI adoption.
“We built what started like a GPT wrapper inside, both for API and for employee use,” he said. “That technology is used widely inside the company where people share workflows called Sparks.”
These Sparks allow employees to co-create and scale productivity tools, sparking innovation at the grassroots level. “Our employees don’t have the barrier of ‘What is AI going to do?’ They’re embracing, they’re sharing and they’re learning,” he said.
AI Workflows and the Next Frontier
Looking ahead, Kocherlakota is especially excited about AI’s role in orchestrating workflows. The company’s internal low-code/no-code platform allows users to stitch together processes using AI agents and prompts.
“You can orchestrate your own workflow and then share that workflow,” he said. “I’m very much excited about what AI can do with workflows and how humans and agents will work under these workflows.”
AI as the New User Interface
In closing, Kocherlakota highlighted a profound shift in how users interact with technology. “AI is the new UI,” he said. “Customers want to converse with our essential intelligence. How you do that is going to be a differentiator in our view.”
That vision aligns closely with S&P Global’s mission to accelerate progress. By embedding intelligence into every workflow and interaction, the company is not just keeping pace with change; it’s leading it.
Peter High is President of Metis Strategy, a business and IT advisory firm. He has written three bestselling books, including his latest Getting to Nimble. He also moderates the Technovation podcast series and speaks at conferences around the world. Follow him on Twitter @PeterAHigh.
