In this interview, we discuss how SYKES leverages technology inside the company, how SYKES uses data to deeply understand the buyer and design the best solutions for them, and some of the ways in which companies are mismanaging customer experience management. We discuss why Ian believes RPA will be a foundation to organizational transformation for years to come, the major differences between RPA and AI/ML, and the dangers of using intelligent automation capabilities, such as AI, too soon. Lastly, we discuss Ian's career path from strategy consulting, to business process outsourcing, to founding Symphony Ventures, to the C-suite of SYKES, among a variety of other topics.

In this interview, we discuss how being a mutual company, as opposed to a public company, allows IT and the broader organization to think with a longer-term perspective in mind, and how that impacted the firm?s actions during the pandemic. We discuss the difference the company is making in local communities through initiatives such as Outsource to America and Hi, Tech, why Neal decided to join Northwestern Mutual as CIO after having been promoted out of that role to the COO post at Express Scripts, and how the CIO role has evolved to become an immensely influential role. Lastly, we discuss how being a former national champion debater has served him well in business, how COVID and changing consumer expectations have massively accelerated the pace of business change, why talent mobility is going to have a significant impact going forward, and a variety of other topics.

In this interview, we dive into several of the book?s themes, including Process, Technology, and Ecosystems. Steve discusses some of the sweeping changes he has made across his career, such as how he has inverted FINRA's entire IT organization to be platform-oriented. Steve also shares best practices related to cloud computing based on the journeys he has led at NASDAQ and FINRA, his perspective on IT?s role in the business, among a variety of other topics.

In this interview, we discuss some of the tough questions and interesting business challenges Sridhar faced during his time at Google, the consequences of an all growth at all costs mentality, and Sridhar's take on the Justice Department's antitrust lawsuit facing Google. We discuss Sridhar's experience at Greylock and why he joined the firm as an investor, the genesis story of Neeva, and why he felt the time was right to leave Google and start the company. Lastly, we discuss the importance of having a great co-founder when starting a company, why a customer first model lends itself much better to monetizing content on the web, among a variety of other topics.

In this interview, we discuss two strategic decisions IT made to rebuild its technology at the outset of Synchrony and Carol's talent strategy, including why she looked for individuals who wanted to stay beyond the Synchrony?s IPO and were willing to learn. We discuss how health and safety has become a requirement of digital transformations, the company's three pronged AI approach around machine learning, intelligent virtual assistants, and RPA, and how the company uses machine learning models to better understand and detect fraud sooner. Lastly, we discuss the COVID-19 pandemic, including three steps the company took that helped it move quickly once the pandemic struck, the massive technology transformation the company undertook to get its associates home in March, steps Carol and the company have taken to support its employees throughout the pandemic, including launching a virtual summer camp and an after school program to help Synchrony parents and kids, among a variety of other topics.

In this interview, Pat discusses some of the key trends regarding observability, the benefits of taking a best of breed approach to it, and why observability is part of the solution to data privacy, not the problem. We discuss some first steps those low on the maturity curve relative to observability can take and why it has been a key to the digital acceleration that has happened during the pandemic. Lastly, we discuss how COVID has dramatically accelerated Sequoia's business, some of the indelible marks of COVID that will become permanent, among a variety of other topics. Pat has a significant track record of success as his investment portfolio consists of companies like Zoom, Okta, ServiceNow, and Snowflake.

In this interview, we discuss why Mark has decided to kick off his time as CDIO with a digital literacy campaign, the operating model Mark is creating around digital, data, IT, and innovation, and why digital delivery is more important than digital transformation. We discuss Mark's experience being onboarded virtually, the 6 strategic pillars that will anchor Mark?s strategy going forward, and how Mark thinks about data and automation. Lastly, we discuss Mark's path to a corporate board, his advice to those wishing to do the same, Mark's take on the social injustice across the country, among a variety of other topics.

In this interview, we dive into several of the book?s themes, including People, Technology, Strategy, and Ecosystems. Herve begins by sharing how Schneider Electric?s business culture continues to evolve as they adopt aspects of culture from the businesses they acquire. He also discusses his process for making bets on new technologies to gain a first-mover advantage, the importance of agile portfolio management, the partnerships Schneider has forged to foster innovation, among other topics.

In this interview, we discuss why Rhonda formed an enterprise IT organization to consolidate all of IT across the company and why Rhonda has aligned IT to the company's three strategic pillars: financial performance, innovation, and responsibility. We discuss the company's North Star innovation model, which has the data platform positioned at the core and 4 interconnected platforms, as well as ways in which IT's standardization and modernization helped prepare the company for the pandemic. Lastly, we discuss the company's 4 top priorities once the pandemic hit, Rhonda's path to a public board, her advice to others wishing to do the same, among a variety of other topics.

In this interview, we discuss the company's journey from on-premise to the cloud and the benefits that provided, Alexion's secret sauce to change management, and the firm?s close relationship with external partners. We discuss how George works with the VC community, including why Alexion invests in smaller companies, the risk George took on Zoom back in 2016, and the win-win partnership between Alexion and the smaller companies it invests in and works with. Lastly, we discuss some of the lessons George has taken from the pandemic, how the social injustices that came to light this year are not new, George's take on new and emerging digital tools, among a variety of other topics.

In this interview, we discuss Dmitri?s perspectives on the recent US government hack believed by many to have originated in Russia, including why the hack was not an act of war but instead was traditional espionage, why this hack has potential to be 100X as significant as the OPM hack, as well as some of the silver linings of the hack. We discuss how organizations can protect themselves from adversaries, including why every organization needs to start with the assumption that an attacker is already inside, why trying to build walls around the perimeter of your network is futile, and the importance of planning regularly to defend a cyber attack. We also discuss the importance of using a password manager, why individuals should be suspicious of emails and not click attachments from unknown people, why our government is at its weakest point to be able to respond to this threat, among a variety of other topics.

In this interview, we discuss the opportunity Paul sees for the oil and gas industry to adopt new technologies, the significance of Paul's title change from chief information officer to chief digital officer, and some of the strategic priorities for Paul's team as he has taken the CDO role. We discuss some of the external partnerships the company has formed as it has looked to embrace analytics, why Calgary is one of the world's best kept secrets in the technology landscape, and how the company's future of work program allowed it to have a more seamless transition to work from home once the pandemic struck. Lastly, we discuss Paul's view on the future of the mobile workforce, some of the emerging technologies on Paul's mind, including 5G, AR, VR, drones, and blockchain, among a variety of other topics.

Lenovo CIO Art Hu discusses several of the themes from our upcoming book, Getting to Nimble, including Process, Technology, and Strategy. Art describes how Lenovo has managed the shift from a project to a product-focused IT management mindset and shares lessons learned from that change. We also discuss how Lenovo is using cloud technology to improve key applications and explore how Art ensures IT and business strategy remain aligned; among other topics.

In this interview, we discuss Fumbi's career path as a woman of color, the legacy she wants to leave, and the value Fumbi gained growing up and living in many continents of the world. We discuss how Fumbi brings her whole self to each role she has taken on and why organizations have no choice but to change following the pandemic. Lastly, we discuss insights from Fumbi?s board membership, including why companies need technologists on their boards if they are going to survive over the next five to ten years, a bit about the technologist's role on boards, how being on a board helps Fumbi in her day job, and a variety of other topics.

In this interview, we discuss the defensive and offensive roles the technology team runs, the company?s Six S strategy, which stands for skills, secure, stable, scale, speed, and satisfaction, and Wells Fargo?s three pillared innovation strategy. We discuss Saul?s view on quantum computing, the natural partnership between big banks and Fintechs, and Wells Fargo?s response to the pandemic. We also discuss some of the indelible marks Saul believes will and won?t remain once we return to normal, why we need to be careful that we are using AI ethically, Saul?s lessons for effective cross-cultural communication, among a variety of other topics.

In this interview, we discuss the company's transformation to modernize its technology and how the company has transitioned to a mobile workforce. We discuss the implications of switching to a gig economy, why Copart keeps a closer eye on companies in other markets than those in its own industry, and Copart's partnership with Twilio. Lastly, we discuss some aspects of Copart's strategic plan, why WhatsApp is tremendously underutilized in Rama?s estimation, and a variety of other topics.

In this interview, we discuss Richard's interactions with the division CIOs of Cox Enterprises and how they work together, why Richard is focused on building a holistic strategy, and some of IT's focus areas for 2021. We also discuss the digital acceleration driven by the pandemic, the importance of having relentless and transparent communication during times like these, and Richard's experience working for the City of Atlanta during a major cyberattack. Lastly, we discuss some of Cox Enterprises' diversity and inclusion efforts, Richard's take on RPA, AI, and data analytics, and a variety of other topics.

In this interview we discuss Cognizant's three pillared strategy around accelerating digital, globalizing Cognizant, and increasing its relevance to its clients. We discuss Cognizant's approach to partnering with other companies, and the pros and cons of being onboarded virtually. Lastly, we discuss the changes driven by the pandemic that will be permanent. some of the emerging technologies Anil is keeping an eye on, Anil?s experience working for the Federal Government, among a variety of other topics.

In this interview, we discuss why Howard joined Signet Jewelers and the company's path to brilliance strategy, which has been focused on 1) customer-first, 2) omnichannel with a digital focus, and 3) building a culture of agility and efficiency. We discuss how COVID served as an accelerant for the company's digital strategy, how IT has leveraged centers of excellence to achieve agility and efficiency at scale, and why measuring business value is the most important metric businesses should focus on. Lastly, we discuss how the company uses analytics to help maximize return, how augmented reality allows customers to try on a ring from home, how the company enabled its jewelry consultants to keep working during the pandemic, among a variety of other topics.

In this interview, we discuss five problems companies are facing brought on by the explosion of data and three of the biggest challenges in discovering sensitive data: the diversity of the systems, the massive scale of data, and the attack surface. We discuss the most common ways threat actors can breach data and some of the ways companies can handle data internally to protect themselves from cyber attacks. Lastly, we discuss individuals' legal rights to their data, among a variety of other topics.

In this interview, we discuss the importance of being in a company whose products you believe in, understand, and can talk credibly about, and how Sharon?s background as a software engineer helps her as a CIO. We discuss how the distinction between what goes on inside the walls of a company and how the product is delivered is becoming increasingly blurred, Sharon?s decision to get an MBA to better understand how business people think, and how Juniper uses the cloud and AI. Lastly, we discuss how Juniper has responded to the pandemic, the measures it has taken to keep its employees safe, Sharon?s experience being onboarded during the pandemic, among a variety of other topics.

In this interview, we discuss the differences in IBM and Red Hat?s culture, why they are looking to inject cultural elements from each other into their own operating models, and the three cultural characteristics IBM wants to drive: entrepreneurial spirit, growth mindset, and radical candor. We discuss why IBM decided to spin out the managed services business, why Red Hat is separate from IBM, and the importance and potential of AI. Lastly, we discuss some of IBM?s failures, how IBM thinks about where it?s going to invest versus where it?s going to rely on open source, among a variety of other topics.

In this interview, we discuss Domino?s remarkable transformation over the past decade focused on product, technology, and customer experience. We also discuss the advantages the company gained by insourcing talent that was once outsourced, and why Domino?s considers itself an e-commerce company that sells pizza rather than a pizza company that sells online. We cover the steps Domino?s has taken to create a memorable customer experience both in-store and online, how recent innovations positioned Domino?s to quickly become a consumer safety leader during the pandemic, and why the company is filling in potholes in every state in the US. Lastly, we discuss how Domino?s is preparing for autonomous delivery, the consumer preference changes that are here to stay post pandemic, and a variety of other topics.

In this interview, we discuss the two roles of a technology leader: To manage technology and to help differentiate their enterprises. We also discuss some of the education programs CISR has for management teams to increase digital savviness, and some of the long-term implications the pandemic will have on the world. We also discuss the results and implications from several of the machine learning based studies done by CISR that show that less than half of CIOs or CTOs and less than a quarter of boards are digitally savvy. Lastly, we discuss his view on boards, including the importance of having at least three digital savvy directors on a board, the three major aspects of a board, and the value of having CIOs on boards, among a variety of other topics.

In this interview, we discuss why data is the currency of any digital transformation, how the IT organization moved from being 69% outsourced, to much more heavily insource, and how the pandemic has supplied the market with a significant amount of world class talent. We discuss how Honeywell has successfully identified, hired, and onboarded new employees during the pandemic, why video is here to stay, and the increasing importance of security in a remote workforce. Lastly, we discuss an overview of Honeywell?s connected enterprise, the state of the union of women in IT, Sheila's take on AI, and a variety of other topics.

In this interview, we discuss the problems ThoughtTrace solves for its customers, how the company uses AI to create extraordinarily detailed models for natural language processing for highly specific use cases, and why some people miss the progress made in the realm of AI due to the future promise of artificial general intelligence. We discuss why we should embrace incrementalism with AI, why you do not need a degree from a top technology school to be effective with AI and data science tools, and the right and wrong way to approach AI when first starting out. Lastly, we discuss why companies should ask if they have the requisite data in-house to build a durable AI model, rather than if they have a large enough quantity of data, Nick?s path from being an Army officer to a CEO, and a variety of other topics.

In this interview, we discuss how Duke Energy uses data, as well as an overview of Lighthouse, the company?s enterprise digital transformation program. We discuss how Duke Energy?s people-focused approach towards digital transformation helped set the company up well to deal with COVID and how the pandemic has accelerated the digital and technology transformation for many companies. Lastly, we discuss Bonnie?s view on the state of women in technology, how AI and other technologies can be used to modernize the energy sector, and a variety of other topics.

In this interview, we discuss how Allstate evolved from just using AI for the purpose of using AI and how the company introduced voice technology and machine learning in its claims process. We also discuss how Paola and Tenant Healthcare view technology?s role in healthcare, how the company partnered with a tiny company to help it think differently about the speed at which it makes decisions, among a variety of other topics.

In this interview, we discuss how Jay differentiates the IT department in a company where technologists are everywhere. We also cover how SAS uses its own products internally. We discuss the company?s response to COVID, including how Jay looked to coach his team through the isolation of working from home and keep them engaged and the COVID-19 dashboards the company created to make the analytics available to anybody. Finally, we discuss the company?s partnership with Microsoft, SAS? cloud strategy, and a variety of other topics.

In this interview, we discuss Dale?s work as the CEO of Diversified Search, but we also speak about how COVID has accelerated changes around transformation and innovation. As a leader of color, I was also interested in getting his thoughts on how the pandemic has underscored racial disparities in the United States, and we also discuss the importance of listening before taking a stand against racial injustice and how diverse teams add value to companies in terms of thinking and processing, among a variety of other topics.

In this interview, we discuss the digital transformation the company has undertaken, including what he refers to as ?One Digital Aflac? and how the transformation has impacted the customer experience. We discuss Rich?s thoughts on the COVID-19 pandemic, including how it forced Aflac to reinvent and double down on digital as well as the changes here to stay post-pandemic. Finally, we discuss how the company shifted from a waterfall to an agile approach, why one's ability to adapt to more than coming up with new technologies is the most important thing for the company, among a variety of other topics.

In our 500th episode, The Carlyle Group's David Rubenstein discusses his youth growing up in a blue-collar family in Baltimore, his experience working for the Jimmy Carter administration, and why that administration was viewed as unsuccessful. We also discuss David?s decision to leave government and the legal profession to start Carlyle and how David and a partner came up with the firm?s name. We discuss how Carlyle got major prominent political figures to join the firm, including presidents and prime ministers, David?s decision to have the business diversify and go global, and David?s rationale for taking the firm public. Lastly, we discuss David?s philanthropic endeavors, why he has decided to give all of his money away, why he now stays out of politics, among a variety of other topics.

In this interview, we discuss Sri's purview as CTO and his three main priorities in the role. We discuss aspects of the COVID-19 pandemic, such as PayPal?s response, how the company has seen significant growth throughout it, and how it has resulted in an acceleration of digital payments. Lastly, we discuss Sri?s experience serving on the board of a public company, why Sri believes payments as a known activity will begin to disappear, among a variety of other topics.

In this interview, we discuss how focusing on the customer experience and leading with digital and analytics is serving Zoetis well and the steps the company takes to position its customer at the center of the universe. We discuss how T.D Ameritrade uses analytics and AI to enhance the customer experience, including the Voice of the Customer Analytics capability it has created to help with the added digital pressures on the business and how it has used AI for personalization. Lastly, we discuss how COVID and low interest rates have caused more and more investors to explore the stock market, how the culture of innovation at T.D Ameritrade has allowed it to bring new ideas to market extremely quickly, among a variety of other topics.

Welcome to Technovation, a twice-weekly podcast highlighting the stories of people who are shaping the technology landscape. I'm Peter High, president of Metis Strategy, advisor to technology executives, Forbes columnist, book author, and your host. Each episode of Technovation features insights from top executives at the intersection of business technology and innovation. From CXOs of the world's largest, most recognizable companies, to high profile founders and investors, to industry influencers, authors, and former heads of state, our extensive collection of over 500 high profile interviews makes Technovation the leading independent podcast for business and technology, executives and professionals. Whether you are an innovator, a technology creator, an investor, a CIO CDO, or CTO, or you aspire to be any of the above, you will hear powerful yet accessible stories along with practical advice from leading thinkers. We would be grateful to have you as a listener. Find us wherever you get your podcasts. And do not forget to subscribe.

In this interview, we discuss Adam?s view on working from home, why he moved from Chicago to Austin, and his belief that technology cannot replicate the full in person work experience. We also discuss Adam?s advice for those looking to make a positive change in social justice, why every board of a Fortune 500 company needs to demand a quarterly diversity report, and some of the recruiting tools that are looking to take away subconscious bias out of recruiting. Lastly, we discuss Adam?s advice for CIOs looking to join boards, Adam?s interest in technologies that positively impact the environment, how the pace of technological change is faster today than ever before, and a variety of other topics.

In this interview, we discuss Goldman Sachs? strategic decisions around technology, including how it is building new businesses that are adjacent to its historical core businesses, how it is trying to build the digital consumer bank of the future, and the transaction banking business it is building. We discuss Clay?s view on the importance of having a fail-fast model, especially in the days of COVID, and the pivot Yum! Brands has made since COVID. We also discuss Clay and George?s view on the customer experience, including how customers have come to expect the Amazon experience everywhere and the importance of the business product and the tech product working together to create a seamless journey for the customer. Lastly, we discuss how the lines between the business and IT are eroding, including how agile and DevOps are beginning to move into the business and why the people capable of leading businesses are oftentimes engineers, among a variety of other topics.

In this interview, we discuss ADP?s history as one of the earliest cloud companies, as well as why the company has shifted from embracing the private cloud to the public cloud. We also discuss the innovation labs the company has created, how the larger ADP organization draws new practices from the innovation labs, and why one of the hardest challenges that any organization has is not identifying new ideas that have promise, but cancelling the ones that do not show value. We also discuss how a partial reopening of offices could negatively impact productivity and agile methodologies, some of ADP?s efforts around diversity and inclusion, how artificial intelligence algorithms can actually reinforce historical bias, and a variety of other topics.

In this interview, we discuss an overview of SYKES, including its portfolio of capabilities, and the company?s partner network, and SYKES Digital. We also discuss Dave?s purview as CIO and the OneTeam platform the company developed to support its work-at-home agents. We also cover why the company has had a virtual structure for many of its employees since before the pandemic, and the learnings from that. Lastly, we discuss Dave?s take on the cloud and artificial intelligence, among a variety of other topics.

In this interview, we discuss Atif's purview in his role, MGM?s expansion into digital services, and Viva La Office, an offering the company has developed to encourage people to work and live from Las Vegas during the pandemic. We also discuss the company?s response to COVID-19, including the digital and contactless experiences the company has swiftly put in, how the customer conveniences created by COVID are sticky and will remain long term, and the company?s Seven-Point Safety Plan aimed to keep customers and employees safe during the pandemic. We also discuss how COVID has resulted in far more agility inside companies, CONBODY, a digital fitness started by a formerly incarcerated person with formerly incarcerated instructors, among a variety of other topics.

In this interview, we discuss both company?s reactions to the COVID-19 pandemic, including how Fiserv?s digital agenda was impacted by COVID, how the pandemic forced Fiserv to react at a speed significantly faster than before, and how Subway franchises innovated and solved problems to keep their businesses sustainable throughout. We also discuss why Subway is looking to react to the current marketplace rather than try to predict it, the permanent changes that will result from COVID-19, such as the digital transformation we are seeing in the office, among a variety of other topics.

In this interview, we discuss Shankar?s role as the Global CIO of Verizon, the five questions embedded in the company?s IT strategy, and the company?s approach to change management. We also discuss the company?s response to COVID-19, including how the company quickly retrained 20,000 sales associates once the pandemic hit, how the company transitioned to a remote workforce, and the framework the company developed to guide it through the pandemic. Finally, we discuss Shankar?s front row seat in Verizon?s technological evolutions over the past 20+ years, the three prongs to the company?s 5G strategy, how the company uses AI, among a variety of other topics.

In this interview, we discuss Kimberly?s take on the renewed focus on social injustice in our society and the role technology can play to help foster change. We also talk about how the concept of anti-racism is gaining traction as well as some of the groups Kimberly admires. We also discuss how the COVID-19 pandemic has brought out more empathy in people, the importance of diversifying your slate of mentors and mentees, and a variety of other topics.

In this interview, we discuss Harman International's focus on driving integrated, seamless, frictionless, excellent experiences to both the automotive and the consumer markets, IT?s focus on four S's: To make technology simpler, smarter, scalable, and secure, and some of the work the company has done around cyber. We also discuss how the company has responded to COVID-19, how it is preparing to return to work, and how the pandemic has resulted in a rapid acceleration towards a digital workforce. Lastly, we discuss how the company is looking to improve the experience in the car, how Nick?s time at GE helped him become a better leader, his take on 5G, AI, and autonomous vehicles, among a variety of other topics.

In this interview, we discuss racial inequities and social justice, and the importance of not reinforcing the same networks and biases, but rather providing equal opportunity when it comes to developing talent. We also discuss how the company is bringing in excellent talent by investing in historically black colleges and universities, high school programs, and other funds, and a variety of other topics.

In this interview, we discuss an overview of Ryder and Rajeev?s purview as CIO, the IT function?s four strategic goals, and the company?s approach to eliminating technical debt. We also discuss the COVID-19 pandemic, including why Ryder was prepared for it and how the company has created a sense of community throughout it. Lastly, we discuss Rajeev?s take on a variety of rising trends, such as AI modeling, robotics, and autonomous vehicles.

In this interview, we discuss the three parts of Insight?s investment thesis, an overview of the company?s digital acceleration program, Insight IGNITE, and the challenges of communication between IT and the rest of the business. We also discuss how Insight Partners can save IT leaders many trips to Silicon Valley by finding tech globally, and how the COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated many of the areas the company has invested in. Further, we discuss the four types of boards that exist based on the size and maturity of those companies and the assistance each needs from its directors, the increased importance on creativity for humans with more AI and automation, Emmet?s take on IoT, the cloud, automation, 5G, and RPA, and a variety of other topics.

In this interview, we discuss Sathish?s three-pillared IT strategy, which is focused on driving customer value, creating a compelling financial trajectory for all its shareholders and investors, and executing that through great culture. We also discuss the company?s transition to a mobile workforce due to the pandemic and Sathish?s experience being onboarded largely in quarantine. Finally, we discuss the approach Sathish used to create his data strategy, what he has learned from his prior experiences as CIO, and a variety of other topics.

In this interview, we discuss how Jason has navigated working with three variations of the same company, and how Lenovo operates as a global firm. We also discuss the pandemic?s impact on the company, and how the fact that Lenovo has a major manufacturing operation in Wuhan, China led to early warnings as to the issues that arose related to COVID-19. We cover how the pandemic has led to a 3x increase in cyber attacks, and the methods Jason and his team have undertaken to counteract them. We also cover his CIO and CISO responsibilities and how he segments his thoughts processes related to each and a variety of other topics.

In this interview, we discuss Bill?s purview as the CIO of NetApp and how the company works with external partners to build capabilities. We also discuss how the company acts as an internal first user, including NetApp on NetApp and the Customer One Platform, as well as The Cloud One Platform and The DevOps framework the company has built. We discuss Bill?s view on the COVID-19 pandemic, including how it will impact the world in the long term and how the company responded to it. Finally, we discuss the importance of CIOs getting advantages out of data and the biggest threats to CIOs today.