Technovation with Peter High (CIO, CTO, CDO, CXO Interviews)

865: CEOs of major companies serve as both the public face of the organization and pivotal leaders responsible for shaping its strategy and upholding internal values through their actions. In this episode of Technovation, Jim Kavanaugh, co-founder and CEO of World Wide Technology, joins Peter High in a conversation regarding his 34-year leadership tenure at the company and the career path that culminated in his current position. Jim shares his early career journey, playing professional soccer and representing the United States in the 1984 Summer Olympics, and what led him to pivot into technology and co-found WWT in 1990. He reflects on the transition from athlete to entrepreneur, the influence of his upbringing, and the foundational values that have guided his leadership and WWT's culture. Jim also gives his assessment of the evolution of technology since starting WWT, the strategic pivots the company has made to stay ahead in the industry, and the importance of culture, teamwork, and continuous learning in driving success. Given the rise and current significance of generative AI as a transformative technology, Jim talks about the role this technology plays at the company and how WWT's Advanced Technology Center explores future tech advancements. Finally, he recounts the lessons he has learned from his remarkable career and offers valuable advice for individuals seeking to level up their leadership within their organizations.

864: In many cases, companies develop systems with a primary focus on efficiency and begin to address their impacts on the customer late in the process. At BJ’s Wholesale Club, CIO Anjana Harve looks to flip this around with the customer experience in mind at the beginning and end of the process. In this episode of Technovation, Anjana joins Peter in a discussion on improving the digital customer experience at BJ’s Wholesale, optimizing revenue, and boosting efficiency. With extensive experience as a CIO in the healthcare industry, Anjana brings a unique perspective to the retail sector, focusing on customer centricity and the application of technology to serve and improve the member experience at BJ’s. She delves into her strategy for a member-centric architecture that provides a 360-degree view of the customer and fosters hyper-personalization at scale. Finally, Anjana shares her perspective on how companies can uplift and support women in tech, the trends and intersections in technology she keeps her eye on, and the secrets to her continued career success.

863: In the Digital Age, customers rarely distinguish between digital and physical when evaluating the experiences provided by companies. In this episode of Technovation, Tilak Mandadi, Executive Vice President of Ventures and Chief Digital, Data, Analytics, and Technology Officer at CVS Health, joins Peter High in a discussion about how he is driving a consistent and accurate omnichannel experience for customers. Tilak discusses the evolution and current scope of CVS Health, detailing the company’s extensive reach and current integration of physical and digital healthcare services. He reflects on his career journey from MGM Resorts International and Disney to CVS Health and how his prior experiences have informed his view on digital innovation, customer-centricity, and healthcare accessibility. Tilak talks about leading CVS Health Ventures and the organization’s role in fostering innovation and investments in healthcare technology, keeping CVS Health abreast of industry trends, and providing critical assistance to startups through the company’s scale and expertise. Finally, Tilak explains why a one-company mentality is essential for creating better customer experiences, looks ahead at broader technology trends in AI and digital accessibility, and speaks about the personal principles that have guided his career success.

862: Tomorrow's banking will be unrecognizable to past generations, driven by rapid technological and digital advances in the financial services industry. In this episode of Technovation, Ather Williams III, the Senior EVP and Head of Strategy, Digital, Innovation & Enterprise Payments at Wells Fargo, returns to the broadcast to discuss the progress being made towards providing a comprehensive digital customer experience and the exciting innovations he is driving which leverage the latest tools in artificial intelligence (AI). Ather shares the recent expansion of his role to include the head of enterprise payments and the organizational rationale behind it. He delves into the strategic focus on delivering seamless digital experiences through new digital platforms highlighting initiatives such as the development of Vantage, the bank's new digital banking platform; the adoption of Fargo, the digital assistant powered by AI; and the deployment of LifeSync, the digital financial advice and planning tool. The conversation also covers Ather’s three major predictions for the future of banking, the company’s strategic approach to digital transformation, and the anticipation of significant generational wealth transfers. Finally, Ather shares insights into his career success, emphasizing the importance of being data-driven, staying customer-focused, and fostering a curious mentality.

861: Kara Swisher has established herself as one of the tech world’s most influential, recognizable, and ‘feared-but-revered’ journalists. In this episode of Technovation, Peter High speaks with Kara about her remarkable career journey and highlights from her recent book “Burn Book”. Kara reflects on the events from her early life that instilled a sense of resilience and toughness and the impacts they had on her career success. She touches on her military ambitions, the early realization of the limitations imposed on her by her sexual orientation, and how that inspired her to instead pursue journalism. Kara then shares her experiences from her decorated career as a tech journalist interviewing tech giants, developing a critical view of Silicon Valley's leadership, and learning the role of technology, media, and government regulation in society. Throughout the conversation, Kara sheds light on the impact of technology on societal progression and the continual need for innovation in media.

860: Artificial intelligence (AI) plays a larger role than ever in every aspect of our lives. From businesses to academia, technology leaders must not only learn how to wield these tools but also how to collaborate with them. In this episode of Technovation, Ethan Mollick, Associate Professor of Management at The Wharton School, discusses insights from his latest book “Co-Intelligence: Living and Working with AI” and focuses the conversation around the dynamic interplay between humans and artificial intelligence. Ethan begins by reflecting on his early entrepreneurship journey during the internet boom and his eventual pivot into academia pioneering educational methods using AI and simulations at Wharton Interactive. He shares his research on the implications of AI on work and creativity, demystifies common myths around entrepreneurship, and provides a glimpse into an AI-driven future of entrepreneurship. Furthermore, Ethan delves into the ‘Four Rules of Co-Intelligence' explained in his book, talks through the variety of roles that AI can play ranging from a co-founder to a tutor, and emphasizes the importance of a proactive and experiential approach to integrating AI into educational and professional environments citing its potential challenges and opportunities.

859: As the digital landscape continues to evolve rapidly, executives are quick to understand that doing the same thing they did before isn't going to get them where they need to go in the future. In a panel from our February 2024 Metis Strategy Symposium, Sunbelt Rentals CDTO JP Saini and Grainger CTO Jonny LeRoy join Metis Strategy Co-Head of Research, Media, and Executive Networks Steven Norton in a discussion about digital as an enabler of scale and how these executives are evolving their organizations’ business practices through the integration of technology and people to achieve growth and efficiency. JP and Jonny share insights on their companies' journeys toward digital transformation, focusing on scaling operations, enhancing customer experiences, and improving predictive maintenance and service quality. These executives also cover the significance of culture, value alignment, and leadership in driving innovation and operational change. The discussion also covers the role of AI in enhancing productivity and decision-making highlighting the practical applications both JP and Jonny have identified and the challenges they’ve encountered in managing the costs of emerging technology. Finally, both technology leaders conclude with strategies they’ve implemented within their organizations for maintaining a forward-looking mindset and inspiring teams to navigate the dynamic landscape of technology and business.

858: The world of travel today is defined by digital experiences and powered by technology. At Marriott, CTO Naveen Manga is leading a digital transformation across the company’s 30 brands to bring guests the digital experiences they desire and transform the hospitality industry as a whole. In this episode of Technovation, Peter High speaks with Naveen about technology transformation and Marriott’s new tech-enabled headquarters, which serves as a symbol of how the company has embraced technology in its corporate strategy. Naveen provides insight into the new technology capabilities his team has delivered, including a revolutionary composable architecture, and a range of other initiatives. Finally, Naveen looks ahead at trends in artificial intelligence and other emerging technologies and shares how he has fostered a culture of innovation in his team to be able to act upon these trends quickly.

857: In the last decade, companies across a variety of industries have experienced the ascent of the as-a-service model. At Nile Secure, Co-Founder and CEO Pankaj Patel has pioneered the category of network-as-a-service featuring built-in security, automation, and continuous monitoring for maximum performance. In this episode of Technovation, Peter High speaks with Pankaj about this category of network-as-a-service and the broader mission of Nile. Pankaj reflects on his early career at Cisco, the challenges he saw in the IT landscape, and how the partnership with Cisco’s former CEO John Chambers led to the eventual establishment of Nile Secure. He also details the market transitions that influenced the company’s founding, the impact of AI and automation in network engineering, and what the future ahead looks like for the industry. Finally, Pankaj looks back on starting a company as a grandfather, balancing family life with work, and the secrets to his career success including early customer interaction and emphasis on team building.

856: With a wide range of levers at their disposal, technology and operational executives are strategically positioned to be masters of speed within their respective organizations. In this episode, we feature a panel from our February 2024 Metis Strategy Digital Symposium where Jen Felch, Chief Digital Officer and Chief Information Officer of Dell, and Mojgan Lefebvre, Chief Technology and Operations Officer of Travelers speak with Peter High about how they drive speed and agility at their companies. Both executives discuss cultivating a culture of speed and innovation on their team, leading the change management associated with the mindset shift toward agility, and the methods they use to accelerate and automate processes within the organization. Jen and Mojgan also dive deeper into the types of technology they are using today and the emerging technologies like advancements in artificial intelligence that are on their radar for the future.

855: As digital capabilities become more important to competitive positioning, companies have begun to rethink the composition of their digital and IT workforces. In a panel from our February 2024 Metis Strategy Digital Symposium, Brink’s Global CIO Neelu Sethi and Zurich North America COO Barry Perkins join Metis Strategy Partner and Central Office Lead Michael Bertha in a conversation about optimizing workforce composition for digital maturity. Tune in to the discussion to hear these executives speak about shifting workforce compositions within their organizations, focusing on storytelling when driving the mindset shift, and the cultural implications of the new composition.

854: The pandemic has caused executives from across industries to think through how to best prepare their organizations for times of uncertainty and develop a digital strategy that fosters resilience. In a panel discussion moderated by Metis Strategy Partner and West Coast Lead Chris Davis, Shobie Ramakrishnan, CDTO of GSK, and Diego Silva, CIO of Gates Corporation, discuss building resilience through technology amid disruption. Shobie, hailing from a long-standing science and pharmaceutical company, emphasizes the importance of innovation and the dual approach of playing offense and defense in digital and technological implementations to impact global health positively. Diego shares insights from Gates Corporation's manufacturing and materials science advancements, highlighting how investing during downturns can prepare a company for future success. Both executives explore the significance of cybersecurity, AI responsibility, and supply chain management in maintaining a resilient organization and underscore the need to balance investment in innovation with risk management to navigate uncertain times effectively.

854: Advancing and maintaining digital capabilities can be a tall task especially if for organizations that are not digitally native, or those that have been in existence and operating before the onset of the Digital Age. In this episode of Technovation, we feature a panel from our February 2024 Metis Strategy Digital Symposium with FM Global Chief Strategy & Innovation Officer Srini Krishnamurthy and Northrop Grumman Chief Information Officer John Russell speaking on the topic of advancing digital capabilities in non-digital-native organizations. Both executives discuss their digital strategies, automating processes within their organizations, and the role technology overall plays in the broader corporate strategy. Additionally, these executives share their forward-looking perspectives on the advancement of artificial intelligence, the opportunities it will present, and the challenges that will be faced.

852: Technology executives within an organization are no longer solely regarded as a support function having had their responsibilities grow into key business decision-makers with a seat at the table. According to Total Quality Logistics (TQL) CIO Ryan Kean, tech execs are “business leaders first and technology leaders second.” In this episode of Technovation, Peter High speaks with Ryan about the massive growth TQL has experienced over the past few years and the elements of his strategy that have helped facilitate that growth. Ryan discusses the broader modernization of the logistics industry, the focus he has placed on people and talent development, and the importance of having a sound data strategy. He also shares the work being done to improve the business user experience for the clients TQL serves, the company’s shift toward a product-oriented approach, and the interplay between automation and process innovation at the company. Ryan dives deeper into the Hackathons TQL hosts to bring about innovative ideas within the company, the advancements in AI that have come from those events, and the emphasis placed on celebrating the successes of talent within the company. Finally, Ryan looks ahead at the broader impacts of trends in emerging technologies and reflects on the keys to his career success.

851: Following the COVID-19 Pandemic, companies operating within the biopharmaceutical space are seeing an increased need to stay ahead of technology trends and keep pace with the speed at which digital technology is evolving. At Danaher, the leading producer of technology and services for biopharma companies, CTO James Ross is leading a digital transformation that sets the foundation for future agility and “innovation at the speed of life.” In this episode of Technovation, Peter High speaks with James about the company’s transformation, the strategic areas of focus for his team, and how he is shifting away from the legacy OpCo model towards an IT-centric model. James also discusses the importance of Danaher’s Data and Analytics Strategy, their exploration of AI tools, and other areas of innovation. Finally, James looks ahead at the trends in technology, reaffirms the growing popularization of the metaverse, and reflects on the keys to success from his career journey.

850: With patient care being the top priority for healthcare providers, offering digital experiences for clients and associates and integrating technology into every aspect of operations is crucial in staying ahead of the competition. In this episode of Technovation, Jane Moran, the Chief Information and Digital Officer at Mass General Brigham, discusses the impact of integrating technology in healthcare. Jane shares her experiences transitioning into the non-profit healthcare sector, the strategic unification of technological operations within Mass General Brigham, and the emphasis on improving patient care through digital innovation. She notes the catalytic effect the pandemic had on digital innovation across industries, explains the advancements that her team has made in identifying use cases for AI tools, and provides a deeper look at the newly founded digital research operations team at the company. Jane also delves into her passion for fostering greater health equity and championing diversity. Finally, she shares her insights on the technology trends that are on her radar and reflects on the keys to her career success.

849: In a world of work defined by remote employees, management skills are crucial for executives to retain talent, develop culture, and achieve success. In this episode of Technovation, host Peter High interviews David Dodson, a seasoned entrepreneur, author, and academic at Stanford Graduate School of Business, to discuss Dodson's career journey, from his initial foray into investment vehicles called search funds to his ongoing involvement in over 40 businesses. Dodson highlights the importance of entrepreneurship through acquisition and shares the strategy behind the notable success of companies like Apple and Amazon. He also offers in-depth insight on critical skills for a leader gleaned from his book 'The Manager's Handbook: Five Simple Steps to Build a Team, Stay Focused, Make Better Decisions, and Crush Your Competition'. These skills include building teams, managing time, using advisors, sticking to priorities, and obsessing over quality. With real-world examples, Dodson highlights how these skills contribute to successful execution and, ultimately, business success.

848: The experience a company delivers to its customers is critical to its success, making it the number one priority for many technology and digital leaders. As such, a paradigm shift is beginning to emerge transitioning from being product-oriented to being experience-oriented. In this episode of Technovation, Ally’s President of Consumer & Commercial Banking Diane Morais and Chief Information, Data, & Digital Officer Sathish Muthukrishnan jointly discuss the digital financial institution’s journey and its focus on being experience-oriented. Throughout the conversation, both executives expand on the company’s digital capabilities they’ve developed and explain how the Ally Technology Operating Model (ATOM) was the answer to creating a better banking experience. Similarly, both Sathish and Diane share details around the One Ally initiative which aims to bring the company’s multiple customer experiences to a single platform powered by data and artificial intelligence. Finally, both executives reflect on the opportunities that have come from challenging times, the innovation process they’ve developed, and the culture of collaboration they’ve fostered to drive forward this experience-oriented mindset.

847: The digital experiences for both customers and employees are experiencing an overhaul thanks to new artificial intelligence tools at executives’ disposal. But what value do these tools provide? In this episode of Technovation, Munir Hafez, CIO of TransUnion, discusses the role that AI is playing at the company and how it is improving the digital experiences the company provides. He explains how he leverages AI tools in business operations, developer workflows, and the overall employee experience. Munir also talks about how he integrates security into the innovation process and how he manages the multitude of integrations coming from the company’s M&A activities. Finally, Munir looks ahead at the trends in technology that he is keeping an eye on and reflects on the keys to his career success.

846: Enterprises are rapidly accelerating their artificial intelligence strategies as new tools emerge, and the executives at these companies are constantly looking for ways AI can solve big problems that have plagued them for decades. Seeing this niche as an opportunity, Gustavo Sapoznik, the founder and CEO of ASAPP, has led the company toward building products that leverage AI/ML tools to solve the world's most difficult problems. In this interview, Gustavo sits down with Peter High to describe the journey he went through starting up ASAPP, the value it provides companies, and what inspired him to start down the path of entrepreneurship. Throughout his career, Gustavo has gathered many unique insights on the evolution and potential of artificial intelligence and shares some of what he has learned throughout the conversation. More broadly, Gustavo discusses his personal entrepreneurship journey and his advice for those looking to follow in his footsteps.