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

What if the most defensible companies of the AI era aren’t the ones building the infrastructure—but the ones using it to rethink workflows? In this Technoventure episode, Peter High speaks with Jaime Montgomery, Founder and Managing Partner of March Capital, about why the firm is investing heavily in the AI application layer—not chips, not clouds, but the companies delivering real task-based outcomes. Key topics explored: Why workflow-based moats beat data moats in the new venture cycle How application-layer companies are scaling faster with leaner GTM The ripple effects of AI CapEx on the U.S. economy and tax base March Capital’s bets on open-source LLMs and scientific discovery Why Montgomery believes AI “bailed out” the U.S. and VC industry alike

What’s stopping AI from scaling across the enterprise? For Madhu Ramamurthy, CIO of Zurich North America, it’s not the technology. It’s the culture. In this episode, Madhu shares how he’s navigating the paradox of AI: a tool with unprecedented potential, surrounded by institutional resistance, unclear regulations, and cultural misalignment. He outlines Zurich’s approach to responsible AI deployment, organizational change, and ethical tech use. Key highlights include: How “organizational antibodies” can kill innovation before it scalesThe case for explainability and governance in AI developmentWhy domain expertise is more valuable than tech fluencyBuilding AI-native teams outside of legacy systemsMadhu’s warning on digital flattery and sycophantic AI

What does it really take to scale AI across a global enterprise? In this episode, Jaime Montemayor, Chief Digital and Technology Officer at General Mills, shares the AI playbook behind the company’s digital transformation from foundational investments in cloud and data governance to business-led innovation across supply chain, e-commerce, and marketing. With 96% of General Mills’ supply chain data now clean and governed, Jaime’s team is shifting from predictive analytics to agentic architectures that enable scalable, AI-powered automation. Key insights include: Why cloud migration came before ERP modernizationHow trust and business integration drive AI adoptionBuilding a connected data foundation to serve every segmentAgentic AI use cases in supply chain and marketingOrg design strategies to “lift and shift” innovation at scale

1032: What does it take to transform IT from a bottleneck into a business accelerator? In this episode, Waco Bankston, Chief Information Officer at NiSource, shares how he’s repositioning the IT organization to support growth, enable speed, and shift decades of technical and cultural inertia. Leading a 6.5-year enterprise transformation effort, Waco discusses the discipline required to modernize legacy systems while instilling a new execution culture.

1031: What does it take to reimagine a 10,000-employee enterprise for a digital-first future? In this episode, Unum CTO Gautam Roy breaks down how he transformed the company’s operating model, culture, and technology foundation by reshaping experiences from the customer backward. Gautam shares how Unum evolved from applications to journeys to value streams; how AI, data, and automation have become levers for acceleration; and how innovation culture and continuous learning drive enterprise adaptability.

7: What if your company’s greatest advantage isn’t the product—but the purpose behind it? Mike Hayes, Managing Director at Insight Partners and former COO of VMware, believes mission clarity is more than culture—it’s a strategic asset. Drawing on 20 years as a Navy SEAL and senior tech executive, Mike shares why knowing “who you want to be” is a superpower for founders and boards.

1030: What does it take to evolve IT into a forward-looking innovation engine? Mike Blandina, CIO of Snowflake, shares how he's reimagined IT as "Enterprise Technology" as a way to describe what 'IT' really does: lead a solutions-first mindset at Snowflake designed for the AI era. In this conversation, Mike reflects on his first eight months leading tech at one of the world’s most AI-forward data cloud companies.

1029: What if your hiring strategy were fueled by the largest contingent workforce dataset in the world? Magnit CEO Chandra Dhandapani joins Technovation to explore how data is reshaping how companies think about talent—from role design to sourcing strategy to real-time labor cost insights. Chandra also shares lessons from her journey from CIO to CEO and offers perspective on why automation—not AI—is the skill trend to watch.

1028: How can AI be designed from the customer back and not the model forward? Hari Gopalkrishnan, Chief Technology and Information Officer at Bank of America, joins Peter High to share how one of the world's largest financial institutions grounds its AI strategy in user behavior. From developing Erica to enabling employees with tools like Ask Merrill, Hari explains why every AI solution must begin with real customer or employee friction.

1027: What does it take to scale AI from 800 siloed experiments into enterprise-wide impact? Doug Schmitt, President of Dell Technologies Services and CIO of Dell, joins Peter High to unpack the company’s enterprise AI playbook—a journey from fragmented innovation to four scalable platforms used across software development, customer service, supply chain, and sales.

6: What does it take to play the long game in innovation? Venture capitalist Brad Feld has spent four decades answering that question as a founder, mentor, and early-stage investor in companies like Fitbit, MakerBot, and Techstars. In this episode, Feld unpacks the enduring impact of mentorship, the logic behind his "Give First" philosophy, and how startups and enterprises alike can benefit from ecosystem thinking.

1026: What if your company’s data could become a public good and a competitive moat? Beaumont Vance, SVP of Data and AI at Paychex, shares how his team transforms payroll and HR data into real-time economic insight, powering everything from AI copilots to U.S. government response efforts. With 1 in 11 U.S. workers on the platform and 39 million client interactions annually, Paychex treats data as infrastructure.

1025: What does it take to go from CIO to CEO? For Saul Van Beurden, tech leadership was the ideal proving ground. Now CEO of Consumer, Small, and Business Banking at Wells Fargo, Saul shares how his background in IT helped him lead at enterprise scale. In this episode, he speaks with Peter High about the strategic, operational, and cultural mindset shifts that enabled his rise—and why CIOs are uniquely positioned to lead beyond technology.

1024: Where is AI actually moving the needle in industrial operations? In this episode, Anil Bhatt, Chief Information and Digital Officer of Norfolk Southern, shares how the $12B freight rail company is turning AI into measurable value — without overhyping its potential. Topics include: A disciplined approach to AI deployment with measurable ROI Norfolk Southern’s “3 As” framework for enterprise data strategy Copilot adoption to augment associate workflows Lessons from customer-centric redesign of freight experiences The role of AI in enabling safety, resilience, and transformation

1023: What does it really take to scale AI responsibly across a global enterprise? In this episode, Ramon Richards, Chief Technology Officer at T. Rowe Price, shares how his team is advancing AI capabilities with discipline and speed—balancing innovation with the need for risk controls, data readiness, and workforce enablement. Ramon unpacks T. Rowe Price’s multi-pronged approach to artificial intelligence, from founding an AI Labs function to piloting autonomous agents, all while modernizing infrastructure and investing in talent development.

5: How can venture investors consistently identify the next breakout market? Barry Eggers, Founding Partner at Lightspeed Venture Partners, reveals the firm’s thesis-driven approach to venture capital of using early “learning investments” to test conviction, then scaling fast into emerging markets before the crowd arrives. In this episode, Barry shares insights from Lightspeed’s foundational bets in enterprise tech, Snap’s billion-dollar rise, and how the firm built multi-company portfolios around early themes like flash storage and analytics.

1022: What if your innovation team operated more like a venture fund than a lab? In this episode of Technovation, Peter High speaks with Andres Vazquez, Chief Digital Intelligence Officer of América Móvil, about how he leads open innovation at scale, evaluating thousands of companies a year to drive customer value, operational efficiency, and revenue.

1021: Is your infrastructure ready to flex? In this episode of Technovation, Manish Kumar, EVP of Digital Energy at Schneider Electric, explains how buildings can become interactive energy assets with the help of AI, real-time data, and distributed energy systems. He shares the strategy behind Schneider’s Energy Command Center model, which reduced energy use by 25 GWh across 23 buildings, and outlines how AI can be deployed both locally and enterprise-wide to drive sustainability and efficiency.

1020: What happens when the CIO responsible for powering AI also has to manage its energy demands? Richard Donaldson, SVP & CIO of Duke Energy, joins Technovation to discuss the unique position utilities now face: supporting exponential growth in data center power needs while simultaneously using AI to optimize grid performance, customer experience, and internal operations. In this episode, Richard and Peter explore: The intersection of AI and national energy infrastructure How one data center can require as much power as a nuclear reactor Strategies for responsible AI rollout and internal enablement Customer journey innovation in a highly regulated industry Why the utility CIO role is now central to digital transformation

1019: What does it take to build a high-performing IT organization from scratch while navigating a carve-out, preparing for IPO, and pivoting into acquisition? In this episode of Technovation, Kirk Ball, Chief Information Officer at Worldpay, shares his 15-month journey leading digital transformation, tech modernization, and cultural reinvention at a global payments company doing business in 135+ countries. Ball reflects on the leadership decisions, cloud strategies, and AI integration efforts that helped stand up a scalable, resilient tech function, even as plans shifted from IPO to M&A.