Pictured left to right: Dr. Ramnish Singh, chief solutions officer at Onix; Calvin Powell, CIO at First American Financial; KC Rakam, senior director of Data & AI Platforms and Operations at McDonald's; John Varghese, VP of Business Applications at Independence Blue Cross
Independence Blue Cross (IBX) leaders, Sushma Akunuru, SVP and chief information officer, and John Varghese, VP of Business Applications, participated in panel discussions at the 2026 Google Cloud Next conference.
Held from April 22 to 24, the 2026 Google Cloud Next conference focused discussions on the advancements in cloud infrastructure, enterprise artificial intelligence (AI), application development, and data security.
Sushma Akunuru joined the panel “How health care leaders are finally escaping pilot purgatory to deliver real-world impact,” where she discussed strategies for scaling AI in health care organizations. Akunuru highlighted IBX’s use of AI driven initiatives to reducing prior authorization, demonstrating how thoughtful implementation can improve efficiency while meeting evolving industry demands.
John Varghese participated in the panel, “Fuel the future: How global leaders turn data into AI-powered growth.” The session explored how moving beyond legacy systems to a future-ready data foundation on Google Cloud simplifies AI adoption, delivers real-time insights, and turns unified data into a powerful engine for AI-driven growth.
“A modern data foundation on Google Cloud has enabled IBX to move quickly into AI — improving member experience, customer service, and clinical management, while fostering an AI‑first culture that empowers our workforce to use responsible AI every day,” said John Varghese.
Google Cloud Next brings together hundreds of technology professionals for hands-on learning, networking, and conversations about the current and emerging trends in technology.
Pictured left to right: Aashima Gupta, global director of Health Care solutions at Google Cloud; Nishant Usapkar, AVP of AI Engineering at HCA Healthcare, Sushma Akunuru, CIO at Independence Blue Cross; Madhu Narasimhan, CIO at Davita; Maddy Vasantham, VP of AI at Elevance Health
