Aerospace & Defense Archives

853: 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.

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This episode is sponsored by ASAPP.

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841: The product development lifecycle includes a list of many disparate stakeholders that if not aligned properly, can result in disagreements, delays, and potential negative financial impacts. At Northrop Grumman, CIO John Russell has developed a “digital thread” that brings every stakeholder together to align the team before the product hits production. In this interview, John discusses the concept behind the “digital thread” and other methods he has adopted to create a more efficient enterprise. He explains the sanctity of data in a highly sensitive industry, the advantages of implementing automation across the organization, the implications of AI on talent development, and the critical process of including cybersecurity early in the product development process. Finally, John looks ahead at trends in AI and remote collaboration and reflects on the key elements of his career ascension.

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836: The world of technology is increasingly becoming more and more connected offering valuable data to enterprises offering such products. At Textron, this data provides critical insight into product usage and allows the company to offer true value-added services to its customers. On this episode of Technovation, Global CIO Todd Kackley explains how he has built a better-connected business and aligned the IT function that reports to him. He discusses the collaboration between the Divisional CIOs, ascending to the Global CIO post, and the North Star Strategy he follows to foster this alignment. Todd also talks about the technology he uses including the adoption of generative AI tools, the advantages of digital twins, and the necessity of connected products. Finally, Todd covers his talent strategy, succession planning, and the trends in technology that are on his radar for the future.

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833: The advent of artificial intelligence comes with a host of new cybersecurity risks that technology and business leaders alike must consider when adopting these tools. In a panel from our most recent Metis Strategy Digital Symposium, Peter High spoke with Martin Stanley, Chief of the Strategic Technology Branch at the US Department of Homeland Security Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), to discuss the ways executives can prepare for these risks and the work he is doing to stay ahead of bad actors in the space. Martin explains the relationship between CISA and NIST and the basis behind their collaboration on the AI Risk Management Framework. Finally, Martin shares the advantages of collaboration with both private and public sector organizations on AI cybersecurity and what the path ahead looks like for cybersecurity innovation.

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824: Behind every successful digital transformation is a well-defined mission that drives the enterprise toward a common goal. At Collins Aerospace, CIO Mona Bates leads her team with the company’s mission in mind and ensures everyone feels that tie to the business and the customers they serve. In this interview, Mona talks about the strategy behind Collins’ digital transformation, the four pillars that make up that strategy, and how the company’s mission connects her globally distributed team. She emphasizes the importance of building digital literacy in talent beyond IT, defines the process of digitizing the product lifecycle, and explains her methods of collaborating with the other business units within the broader organization of RTX. Finally, Mona describes her passion for diversity, equity, and inclusion; reflects on the keys to her career success; and looks ahead at the trends in technology and beyond.

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Monday, Boeing announced that Ted Colbert has been named president and chief executive officer of its Defense, Space and Security business. This move will take effect on April 1. Colbert succeeds Leanne Caret who is retiring following nearly 35 years with Boeing. Colbert had been president and CEO of Boeing Global Services (BGS). Stephanie Pope has been appointed as his successor in that role.

Boeing’s Defense, Space and Security business provides military aircraft and network and space systems to customers around the world, and earned revenues of $26.5 billion in 2021. As such, this is the company’s largest business unit by revenue.

“Throughout his career, Ted Colbert has consistently brought technical excellence and strong and innovative leadership to every position he has held,” said Boeing president and CEO Dave Calhoun. “Under his leadership, BGS has assembled an excellent leadership team focused on delivering safe and high-quality services for our defense and commercial customers. His leadership track record and current experience supporting the defense services portfolio ideally position Ted to lead BDS.”

Colbert joined Boeing’s information technology department in 2009, rising to the role of chief information officer in 2013 and to the role of CIO and senior vice president of Information Technology & Data Analytics in 2016. It was in that role that Colbert won Forbes CIO Innovation Award in 2018 for the development of a digital flight deck. In May of 2021, Colbert joined the board of ADM, the $85 billion revenue multinational food processing and commodities trading corporation, as well.

Colbert’s expanded responsibilities from CIO to CIO-plus to beyond CIO to board-level executive has him in an exclusive but growing club of former CIOs who have expanded their responsibilities.

Peter High is President of Metis Strategy, a business and IT advisory firm. He has written two bestselling books, and his third, Getting to Nimble, was recently released. He also moderates the Technovation podcast series and speaks at conferences around the world. Follow him on Twitter @PeterAHigh.

661: In this interview, we feature a conversation from our most recent Metis Strategy Digital Symposium on the topic of how data and digital capabilities are shaping the future of work with Vince Campisi, the Senior Vice President of Enterprise Services and Chief Digital Officer of Raytheon Technologies, and Edward Wagoner, the Chief Information Officer of JLL. The conversation was moderated by Metis Strategy’s Co-Head of Research, Media, and Executive Networks Steven Norton. Edward discusses the evolution of hybrid working environments, the future of technology’s role as a whole in how employees work and live, and how CIOs can take full advantage of facilities using technology. Vince gives his perspective on Raytheon’s return-to-site strategy and bridging the physical and digital through the use of digital twins. Finally, both executives talk about the importance of sustainability and what the path forward looks like at their respective companies.

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This episode is sponsored by Cisco.

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652: Vince discusses how he is creating a digital thread throughout the conglomerate. Vince gives an overview of Raytheon Technologies, its merger with United Technologies, and the two sides of his purview. He describes what the digital thread at the company looks like and how it has accelerated the pace at which the company can create minimal viable products in the space. Vince also covers how he brings both unique and common solutions to the companies under the Raytheon umbrella, how he has curated his team at the company, and how he leverages an ecosystem of partners to accomplish the speed of innovation he seeks to achieve. Finally, Vince talks about his 70-20-10 philosophy behind investing in innovation, developing a sound data strategy, and the tech trends that he believes will change the aerospace industry down the road.

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This episode is sponsored by Splunk and Cisco.

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640: Bharat discusses the digitization of the defense industry and digital innovation in the industry. Bharat provides an overview of Huntington Ingalls Industries and his purview as Chief Information Officer. He describes how his team is structured and what areas under his purview are managed on a global level versus what are managed on a divisional level. Bharat details his framework for gauging the effectiveness of cybersecurity at the company and what digital innovation looks like. Finally, Bharat talks about how he curates an ecosystem of technology partners to expand the advanced technologies used to protect, connect, and integrate the armed forces as well as the trends in technology that are on his radar which will further transform the defense industry.

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This episode is sponsored by Cisco.

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507: Honeywell Chief Digital Technology Officer Sheila Jordan discusses

Why data is the currency of any digital transformation
How the IT organization moved from being 69% outsourced, to much more heavily insource
How the pandemic has supplied the market with a significant amount of world class talent
How Honeywell has successfully identified, hired, and onboarded new employees during the pandemic
Why video is here to stay
The increasing importance of security in a remote workforce
An overview of Honeywell’s connected enterprise
The state of the union of women in IT
Sheila’s take on AI