On Stage at AddeConf26: The Executive Playbook for AI

On May 21, Redbud COO Carsten Hood joined a panel at AddeConf26, Addepar’s flagship conference in New York. AddeConf brings together advisors, multi-family offices, single family offices, and banks, this year at The Glasshouse on the Hudson.

The panel, “The Executive Playbook for AI,” covered where AI is producing real value at wealth firms and how firms are handling the risks. Kunal Gosar, who leads AI at Addepar, moderated. The other panelists were Stefan Ludlow, CTO and Partner at Cerity Partners; Douglas Flanzer, CTO of Jordan Park; and Peter Pauley, CFA, CEO of QP Global Family Offices. Carsten has a software background and built Redbud’s reporting and workflow systems.

The panel agreed that security and compliance come first, and that firms are seeing real efficiency gains from AI tools, though more autonomous “agentic” workflows have yet to deliver. No one knows where things are headed. One panelist called it “peak ambiguity.”

Carsten discussed how Redbud uses AI to process data and handle other back office tasks, enabling the team to spend more time on client strategy. He also made the case that smaller firms can use AI safely and compliantly with client data, as long as they use business-grade tools and take the time to train their teams.

Watch the full panel on Addepar’s AddeConf26 page →