691: Huma discusses the creative ways artificial intelligence is being applied and the path ahead for combatting unconscious biases in AI models. She describes her purview at Intel and explains to Peter High the key differences between typical software and artificial intelligence software. Huma dives deep into the intersection of AI and creativity and shares the remarkable progress being made in the creation of things like art, podcasts, and more. Finally, Huma reiterates the importance of diversity when building AI models to eliminate biases and shares how companies, both AI and non-AI-focused, can improve the opportunities granted to diverse talent in the workplace.
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690: Shanthi discusses the company’s immense growth and the transformation that arose as a result. Shanthi begins with what brought her to the company and what her purview entails as the company’s CIO. As a part of her role, she drives the employee experience and looks to improve it across areas like process automation and a consolidated and three-layered data strategy. Shanthi also reflects on her time at Cisco, the lessons she has brought with her to DocuSign, and how the role of the CIO has evolved over the years. Finally, she covers the state of women in technology, trends that excite her as she looks ahead, and the keys to her continued success in the field.
689: Earl discusses the company’s strategic pivot to focus on agility, resiliency, and business capability management. Earl begins with an overview of the company’s business and his role as CIO. As CIO, he covers the areas of importance on his priority list, the new business engagement model he has driven at the company, and the change management that arose as a result. Earl also speaks on bringing diversity into the workplace and the work he and others are doing to increase diverse talent in the workplace through the TechPACT organization. Earl also talks about the company’s increased focus on cybersecurity and how he is training his employees to be “CyberSMART”. Finally, Earl shares the trends in technology that he is looking forward to and gives advice on how others can reach the same level of success as he has had throughout his career.
688: Thimaya Subaiya, SVP and General Manager of Global Customer Experience at Cisco, shares his perspective on changing customer expectations and their impact on the future of work. He shares the hallmarks of great customer experience in the digital age, highlights shifting customer priorities, and articulates the ways in which companies are responding to these changes. He also discusses how hyper-automation is changing collaboration tools and shares his thoughts on what the future might hold. Finally, Thimaya looks ahead at other trends in technology on his radar, including the expansion of 5G and continued prevalence of data analytics.
687: In this interview, Keith discusses his remarkably diverse set of career experiences. Keith reflects on the evolution and adoption of robotics and the internet and the genesis behind Ariba. He also talks about the importance of trust in technology and how that paved the way for DocuSign. We then discuss his time in policy as Under Secretary of State and developing the Institute for Tech Diplomacy at Purdue. Finally, Keith shares his perspective on current geopolitical topics including US-China relations, China’s relationship with Taiwan, and the future of tech diplomacy.
686: Dame Stephanie reflects on her storied career as an IT pioneer. After escaping Nazi Germany and arriving in the UK as a child, she went on to hold a series of influential positions in the technology industry. Dame Stephanie describes the trials and tribulations of starting a company as a woman in the 1960s, building client relationships as a woman-led business, and adopting an ahead-of-its-time approach to workplace flexibility. She also shares her passion for autism research, her role as a “venture philanthropist,” in the space, and progress made in developing an autism treatment. Finally, Dame Stephanie discusses her memoir, Let It Go: My Extraordinary Story, and how she remains active and productive in the later years of her life.
685: Craig discusses the evolution of digital in the healthcare space across his career as a digital executive in the industry. Craig shares how he helped drive a patient-first perspective when it came to digital and his focus on cloud adoption and a mobile-first orientation to set a better foundation for the company. He also discusses the pathway he and his peers have taken going from running support organizations to running strategic drivers for their companies at present.
684: Marykay Wells, CIO of Pearson, discusses the remarkable transformation she has driven at Pearson to reinvent itself for the digital age. Marykay dissects the pandemic’s impact on digital learning platforms and their adoption, including Pearson’s own Pearson+ platform. She also covers how this digital learning has translated into internal training at Pearson and how it has shifted the company’s focus from primarily B2B into a B2C orientation. Marykay describes the internal innovation competitions the company holds to identify opportunities and how she has moved the IT organization towards a new IT service model. Finally, Marykay talks about the up-and-coming trends in technology she sees and gives advice for people looking to follow in her footsteps as a tech executive.
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683: Ather Williams III; EVP & Head of Strategy, Digital, and Innovation at Wells Fargo; and Prakash Kota, SVP & Chief Information Officer of Autodesk, discuss the technology-led business model innovations at their respective companies. Prakash begins with the digital transformation he has led at Autodesk. Both executives then give their perspectives on identifying and operationalizing innovation opportunities and adopting an agile mindset to measure the value realized from these opportunities.
682: In this interview, Rahul discusses his transformation efforts to modernize the 160-year-old railroad. Rahul covers his purview as CIO, what it means to be a tech executive at a railway company, and the internal operational lens of his purview. He also reflects on his experience in B2C functions and how they have informed his B2B role at Union Pacific. Rahul also describes what he means by transforming Union Pacific into a platform company, creating a high-performing culture through recruitment and DE&I, and why he has chosen to rebrand IT at the company. Finally, Rahul looks ahead at trends in technology that he is keeping abreast of and clues us in to the keys to his career success.
