Uttam x Claire // EY Snowflake
Date: March 26, 2026 Source: Granola Meeting ID: 5ad628f9-ff8f-430f-9f14-97daa563f04b URL: https://notes.granola.ai/t/5ad628f9-ff8f-430f-9f14-97daa563f04b
Participants:
- Uttam Kumaran (note creator) from Brainforge uttam@brainforge.ai
- Claire Callahan claire.callahan@ey.com
EY’s High-Profile Tax/Audit Project
- Major 3-year incremental rollout project combining US and non-US operations
- First-of-its-kind tax consolidation using Snowflake
- Risk-based review metrics for tax completion
- Gradual ML and agentic AI integration
- End goal: Direct data transfer from client’s Databricks to EY’s Snowflake/Databricks
- Would handle both audit and tax work through data pipeline
- Current team limitations
- Limited and junior Snowflake knowledge
- Senior manager (Michael Tran) taking paternity leave April 13-July
- Claire running support part-time
- High visibility with US audit leader attached
Vicinity Labs Tool Market Entry Strategy
- Claire’s political approach to internal adoption
- Massive organization politics around AI tools
- Everyone thinks they can build AI solutions internally
- Fastest approval path: sell to client first, then internal adoption
- Target accounts identified
- Lone Star (local, US audit leader attached)
- Reports to Global head of investment accounting
- AI-first, data-first mindset with Six Sigma approach
- Two large insurers including Providence/Corbridge-Equitable merger
- Becoming largest life insurer overnight
- Major transformation programs
- New York Life
- Super AI-focused but no transformation management tool
- Already presented bastardized Factory Droids version to strategic accounts
- GCSP and head of insurance showing strong interest
Engagement Structure & Next Steps
- Contractor model while vendor onboarding processes
- 10-15 hours/week average, April-July
- Front-loaded work before Michael’s departure
- Internal approval meeting scheduled next week
- Dual objectives
- Lead technical Snowflake architecture and thinking
- Form-fit Vicinity product for active client engagements
- Broader opportunities
- Exposure to Claire’s manager who handles entire platform
- Multiple Brainforge partnership avenues beyond initial engagement
- Uttam to provide rate and availability details today