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

1011: Build with AI. Lead with people. In this episode of Technovation, host Peter High speaks with Jennifer Charters, Executive Vice President and Chief Information Officer of Lincoln Financial. Jennifer shares how she’s shaping the future of IT and innovation at the $18.5B insurer by investing in AI while doubling down on what makes transformation succeed: people. She discusses Lincoln’s evolving enterprise AI strategy, why a model-agnostic approach matters, and how her team is redesigning workflows and talent models in parallel. From regulatory complexity to the rise of AI agents, Jennifer emphasizes the need to prepare rather than predict the future, and to keep human connection at the center of it. Key topics include: A 401(k)-style framework for IT budgeting and innovation How Lincoln’s model-agnostic AI architecture supports agility AI use cases in development, cybersecurity, and customer experience Partnering with HR to future-proof skills and change readiness

2: What if every human had an army of agents working for them? Aaref Hilaly, Partner at Bain Capital Ventures and veteran investor in AI-native startups, joins Peter High to discuss the transformative potential of agentic AI, the mindset he looks for in founders, and how legal, healthcare, and education sectors are poised for disruption. Key highlights from the conversation: How AI is reshaping venture investment strategy The role of agents in redefining work and productivity Why legal and healthcare are prime for automation Lessons from Hilaly’s time as a founder Emerging trends like vibe coding and invisible apps

1010: Simplify to accelerate. In this episode of Technovation, host Peter High speaks with Richard Jardim, Executive Vice President and Chief Information Officer of the Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce (CIBC). Richard shares how his team is modernizing one of North America's leading banks by focusing on technology simplification, speed, and agility in service of building a relationship-oriented bank for a modern world. He details CIBC’s transformation journey, from migrating core platforms to the cloud and leveraging proprietary online banking infrastructure, to developing digital talent, integrating AI, and preparing for quantum computing. Richard also reflects on the importance of curiosity, communication, and adaptive leadership in today’s fast-moving tech environment. Key topics include: How CIBC simplifies its 1,200+ app footprint to increase agility The bank’s strategy for scaling internal IP and AI skills Bridging business and technology through vertical CIO alignment Quantum computing as both risk and opportunity in financial services

1008: Ukraine's Digital Revolution: From Warzone to Innovation Hub In this episode of Technovation, host Peter High speaks with Valeriya Ionan, Advisor to the Deputy Prime Minister of Ukraine on Innovation, Digitalization, and Global Partnerships. Previously Deputy Minister at the Ministry of Digital Transformation, Valeriya played a pivotal role in launching Ukraine’s groundbreaking Diia ecosystem and driving the nation's goal of becoming the world’s most convenient digital state. She shares how digital public services, AI-driven education, and defense-tech innovation are reshaping Ukraine’s future, even in the face of war. With partnerships spanning global governments and tech giants, Valeriya offers a masterclass in crisis-driven transformation, digital infrastructure, and building agile government at scale. Key insights include: The evolution of Diia: from IDPs to e-marriage to war bonds Scaling drone production from 7 to 500+ in three years Ukraine’s “Win-Win” Innovation Strategy and defense tech surge The rise of the CDTO and building a digital-first public sector

1008: Resilience is earned, not given. In this episode of Technovation, host Peter High speaks with Rusty Patel, Chief Information Officer at Baxter, about leading IT through one of the most consequential 13-month periods in the company’s history. Rusty reflects on Baxter’s mission to save and sustain lives, the resilience required to restore operations after natural disasters, and the CIO's role in both enabling innovation and enforcing enterprise discipline. He shares insights into simplifying a complex IT ecosystem, building financial acumen across the org, and advancing connected care and AI across Baxter’s portfolio of 1.5 million devices and 350 million patients served annually. Key topics include: How Baxter IT responded to floods and cyber incidents without a playbook Rationalizing thousands of systems to reduce IT cost-to-serve Creating segment-aligned tech leadership and shared services Applying AI to connected care and enterprise transformation

1007: Can AI transform a 200-year-old commercial real estate company? In this episode, Peter High speaks with Yao Morin, Chief Technology Officer of JLL, a $24B global commercial real estate leader. Yao shares how she is leading JLL’s AI and data transformation which is reshaping how buildings are operated, how software is developed, and how employees work. Yao details how JLL is building customer-facing AI products like the JLL Property Assistant, driving cultural change through AI literacy programs, and launching internal tools like JLL GPT that already see 17,000 daily users. She also explains why she believes Scrum teams will shrink, engineers will code less, and AI adoption will soon be table stakes across industries. Key topics include: AI strategy across internal and external JLL platforms The APEX program for AI-driven software engineering Metrics for measuring AI impact beyond efficiency gains Ethical AI design, data privacy, and client trust

1: Where is software value heading in the age of AI? In the premiere episode of Technoventure, host Peter High speaks with Asheem Chandna, General Partner at Greylock Partners, one of Silicon Valley’s most storied venture firms. Asheem has led early investments in industry-defining companies such as Palo Alto Networks, AppDynamics, Rubrik, and Abnormal Security. With over 20 years at Greylock and a background in product management and cybersecurity, Asheem offers a masterclass on how he assesses founders, identifies breakout potential, and mitigates risk—often before a single line of code is written. He also explores the evolving dynamics of enterprise software, the impact of agentic AI, and how cybersecurity must adapt to combat both bad and good AI. Key themes include: Assessing founders in a world of younger AI entrepreneurs The changing nature of enterprise software and data platforms The immigrant’s mindset and risk tolerance in venture The venture capitalist’s evolving toolkit in the AI era

1006: Apple’s success in China is more complicated—and consequential—than most realize. In this episode, Peter High speaks with Financial Times journalist and author Patrick McGee, who covered Apple for years and recently published Apple in China: The Capture of the World’s Greatest Company. Patrick’s reporting reveals how Apple became deeply intertwined with China’s manufacturing and political landscape, why the company’s investment strategy mirrors the scale of the Marshall Plan, and what it means for America’s technological and geopolitical future. Patrick explains how Apple trained tens of millions of Chinese workers, enabled critical industrial know-how, and inadvertently supported the rise of China’s tech and military capabilities. He also discusses the internal tensions between product design and supply chain mastery, Tim Cook’s evolution as a CEO, and the risks of Apple’s continued dependence on a single nation for its most critical operations. Key insights include: The little-known “Gang of Eight” and Apple’s in-China-for-China strategy Why Apple’s $275B China deal dwarfs U.S. tech investments like the CHIPS Act How Apple’s success helped catalyze Huawei’s resurgence and HarmonyOS The supply chain realities that make shifting manufacturing nearly impossible

1005: "Great innovations are painkillers, not vitamins." In this episode, Peter High speaks with Shez Partovi, Chief Innovation & Strategy Officer and Chief Business Leader of Enterprise Informatics at Royal Philips, a €18B global health technology leader. Shez shares how Philips is building people- and patient-centric innovation by partnering with healthcare providers, co-creating solutions, and scaling software and AI-driven insights to meet the growing demands of modern care delivery. A former AWS health exec and practicing neuroradiologist, Shez offers a unique lens on the convergence of tech and clinical practice. He outlines how Philips’ software-first strategy is accelerating productivity, reducing clinician burnout, and expanding access to care while also navigating AI trust gaps and reshaping internal engineering practices. Key themes include: The strategy behind Philips’ health tech transformation AI’s role in automation, augmentation, and agility in care delivery Co-creation with health systems to drive scalable impact Philips’ dual-speed innovation model (80% business-led, 20% moonshots)

1004: How can AI, digitization, and data create smarter, healthier, and more sustainable buildings? In this episode of Technovation, host Peter High welcomes Vijay Sankaran, Chief Digital and Information Officer of Johnson Controls, a global leader in smart building technologies. Vijay shares how he’s leading enterprise-wide digital transformation across a $23B company while scaling platforms like OpenBlue to optimize energy, equipment, and workplace performance. He unpacks how traditional machine learning, generative AI, and agentic workflows are converging to deliver predictive insights, autonomous actions, and tailored digital experiences. Vijay also reflects on trends in hybrid work, his journey to board membership at Veralto, and why quantum computing is on his innovation radar. Key topics include: AI-driven optimization of HVAC, energy use, and building health OpenBlue’s role in unifying smart building systems Applying generative and agentic AI to customer and employee experiences Trends in workplace utilization and digital transformation at scale

1003: “Resilience is a mindset.” Chris Isaacson, Chief Operating Officer of Cboe Global Markets, joins Technovation host Peter High to discuss how the global exchange operator delivers trusted, 24/7 markets through technology, operational excellence, and a deeply integrated data strategy. A founding employee of BATS Global Markets and former CIO of both BATS and Cboe, Chris reflects on his two-decade journey scaling from startup to enterprise. He shares insights on building fault-tolerant platforms, organizing global teams for growth, and navigating crises like the flash crash and COVID with calm, systems-level thinking. Chris also explores the future of exchange operations, from AI-powered security and timestamping services to data commercialization and agentic software development.

How are companies redefining what it means to be a technology leader? In this episode of Technovation, we feature a panel recorded at our most recent Metis Strategy Summit, where Steven Norton moderated a discussion on executive talent and leadership transformation. Panelists include Joon Yoon, Global Co-Head of the Tech Officers Practice at Egon Zehnder; Tony Leng, Managing Partner at H.I. Executive Consulting; and Eric Sigurdson, Head of the CIO Practice at Russell Reynolds Associates. Together, they explore how evolving business needs, AI, and shifting workplace norms are reshaping the archetype of modern tech leaders and the boardroom roles they’re increasingly poised to step into. Key insights include: Three emerging archetypes of technology executives Why self-awareness and “leading from the inside” matter more than ever The growing boardroom presence of tech-savvy leaders How AI is changing C-suite titles, expectations, and accountability The shift from operational excellence to customer-facing innovation

1001: How do you digitally transform a leading beverage distributor across 16 markets? In this episode of Technovation, host Peter High speaks with Glenn Remoreras, Chief Information Officer of Breakthru Beverage Group, a family-owned company with $8.6B in annual revenue and operations across the US and Canada. Glenn shares how he is driving innovation, scaling AI adoption, and modernizing the company’s sales and operational processes. From expanding a $500M+ B2B e-commerce platform to building data architecture that fuels AI innovation, Glenn outlines his strategy for becoming the distributor of choice in a competitive industry. He also reflects on lessons from global leadership roles and offers insights into fostering AI literacy across an organization’s executive ranks. Key topics include: Breakthru’s digital marketplace and AI-powered sales enablement Cloud transformation and enterprise data strategy Building a culture of AI literacy and scalable use cases Innovation operating models and business-led technology partnerships Leadership lessons from working in Asia, Europe, and North America

1000: From Hollywood mogul to venture capital visionary, Jeffrey Katzenberg’s story is one of bold bets, iconic storytelling, and relentless reinvention. In this milestone 1000th episode of Technovation, host Peter High welcomes Katzenberg to reflect on a remarkable career spanning five decades across film, animation, and now AI-driven venture investing. As the founding partner of WndrCo, Katzenberg backs transformative companies like Netomi (conversational AI), Writer (enterprise GenAI), Alembic (causal AI), and Aura (consumer digital safety). But long before that, he shaped global pop culture as President of Paramount Pictures, Chairman of Walt Disney Studios, and Co-Founder of DreamWorks SKG and DreamWorks Animation. In this wide-ranging and candid conversation, Katzenberg shares: Why the best ideas are risky and why failure is essential to success How DreamWorks was launched just 8 days after being fired from Disney Leadership lessons from icons like Barry Diller and David Geffen The real story behind building Hollywood’s most beloved franchises Why AI is both “prose” and “poetry” and what that means for creativity How WndrCo is scaling category-defining businesses across tech This episode explores 50 years of transformation, from The Lion King to Shrek, from studio boardrooms to Silicon Valley pitch rooms. A must-listen for anyone interested in creativity, leadership, and what it takes to build at scale.

From Tesla to Tekion: How Jay Vijayan Is Transforming the Automotive Experience In this episode of Technovation, Peter High speaks with Jay Vijayan, Founder & CEO of Tekion and former CIO of Tesla, about revolutionizing the dealer-to-consumer automotive experience through a cloud-first, AI-powered SaaS platform. Jay shares how his time at Oracle, VMware, and Tesla inspired the vision for Tekion, now valued at over $4 billion and serving major OEMs and dealer groups across the U.S. Jay explains Tekion’s three-cloud architecture—Retail Cloud, Enterprise Cloud, and Partner Cloud—and how it’s streamlining operations, enabling e-commerce, and connecting a vast automotive ecosystem. He also unpacks Tekion’s innovative use of AI agents to enhance after-sales service, deliver transparency, and empower both dealers and consumers. Key topics include: How Tekion modernizes the fragmented automotive retail experience The impact of AI co-pilots on vehicle service and customer trust Lessons from Tesla and Elon Musk that shape Tekion’s product philosophy Jay’s advice for CIOs aspiring to become CEOs

998: How are executives creating value from AI investment? In this Technovation episode, we feature a panel from our most recent Metis Strategy Summit where Metis Strategy's Chris Davis moderates a panel on how companies can unlock real value from their investment in AI with AMD CIO Hasmukh Ranjan, Palantir CIO Jim Siders, and Ingram Micro CTO Dham Pathervellai. The panel shares bold strategies for AI adoption, including AMD’s “Four A’s” maturity model, Palantir’s mandate to scale lean with high impact, and Ingram Micro’s marketplace revolution powered by GenAI. With an emphasis on data ownership, productivity KPIs, and shifting product development mindsets, this conversation offers a playbook for turning AI talk into measurable impact. Key themes include: AMD’s assist-to-autonomous AI framework and data-centric strategy Palantir’s edge IT model and shift to generalist engineering teams Ingram Micro’s GenAI integration and “Come as you are” partner model Rethinking productivity, talent models, and data governance for AI scale

997: At Mars, digital services must feel shared and personal at the same time. In this episode, Peter High speaks with Marina Bellini, President of Global Services and Digital Technologies at Mars. With over 150,000 associates across 70+ markets, Mars spans industries from pet care and veterinary services to food and confectionery. Marina oversees shared services, enterprise technology, and Mars' digital transformation. She discusses her first six months in the role, how Mars blends scale with customization across business units, and the company’s accelerating use of product operating models, data platforms, and GenAI. Marina also shares how Mars' family-owned, fifth-generation culture drives long-term thinking and responsible innovation.

996: How are digital leaders driving real business impact with GenAI and agents? In this Technovation episode, we feature a panel from our most recent Metis Strategy Summit where Metis Strategy’s Steven Norton speaks with three top executives who are driving innovation through generative AI and agents: Motti Finkelstein, CIO of Intel; Shri Santhanam, EVP & Chief AI Officer at Experian; and Jaime Montemayor, Chief Digital and Technology Officer at General Mills. Together, they explore what it takes to move from pilots to production at scale, how to build trust in AI agents, and the organizational shifts required to maximize GenAI’s potential. With insights spanning financial services, semiconductors, and consumer packaged goods, this conversation dives into strategic frameworks, technical foundations, and real-world use cases. Key topics include: Experian’s EVA: A financial agent handling personal credit data at scale Intel’s 2,500+ AI use cases tracked through finance-validated buckets MillsChat at General Mills: Securing and scaling enterprise AI tools AI training compressing certification time from 12 months to weeks Future of AI agents as full digital coworkers across B2B and B2C

995: “The genie is out of the bottle” In this episode of Technovation, host Peter High speaks with Adam Brotman and Andy Sack, co-CEOs of Forum3 and co-authors of AI First: The Playbook for a Future-Proof Business and Brand. Adam is a former co-CEO of J.Crew and Starbucks Chief Digital Officer, while Andy is a longtime entrepreneur, VC, and former advisor to Satya Nadella at Microsoft. Together, they’re helping executives and brands navigate the unprecedented opportunities and risks of generative AI. They discuss lessons from their book, including their conversations with thought leaders like Sam Altman and Bill Gates, the imperative of becoming an AI-first company, and why future-proofing requires both agility and principled leadership. Adam and Andy also share practical advice on building an “AI council,” experimenting at all levels, and keeping pace with a technology that’s reshaping work, society, and competition. Key insights from this episode: Why AGI could arrive within 3 - 5 years and what it means for your business How to build an AI-first culture, starting with leadership Lessons from Moderna’s AI adoption playbook The importance of balancing innovation, security, and ethics How generative AI can act as a “co-founder” and personal productivity multiplier

994: Leading Through Change Requires Culture, Clarity, and Courage. In this episode of Technovation, Metis Strategy’s Andrew Krusell moderates a powerful panel with three accomplished CIOs: Richard Donaldson (CIO of Duke Energy), Neal Sample (CIO of Walgreens Boots Alliance), and Darlene Taylor (CIO of Superior Industries). Together, they share candid lessons and actionable strategies for leading large-scale transformation amid disruption. From building cultural permission for failure and branding your own leadership style to balancing customer needs with operational rigor and navigating AI-driven growth, these executives illustrate how technology leaders can drive meaningful, sustainable change in complex environments.