670: In this interview, Willard discusses the topic of continuous modernization and innovation through co-creation. Will begins with an overview of The Hanover Insurance Group’s business model and the two sides of his purview. He shares his career journey through various roles in IT, operations, and other business lines; how they culminated in his current role in both IT and innovation; and how they have positioned him to better seize opportunities in innovation. Will also covers how his team is set up, its intersections across the rest of the business, and the role of IT in the agent, customer, and employee journeys. Finally, Will touches on the role of data and analytics at the company, his perspective on rising InsurTech players, future trends, and the keys to his career success.
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669: In this interview, we cover the topic of value-driven development and creating tangible value through digital. Sanjib shares how he looks at internal processes and behaviors to model those of the customers and helps improve the external practices which Ingram Micro adopts. He discusses the vision at Ingram Micro, the internal cultural change that is necessary to achieve the vision, and how he recruits and retains top talent to drive that vision. Finally, he looks ahead at the tech trends he is excited about and talks about what he views as the key to his career success.
668: In this interview, Maya covers the company’s mission of “delivering value faster” to customers and leveraging technology to improve the customer experience. She begins by reflecting on the challenges American has faced during the COVID-19 Pandemic, the new sources of innovation that arose during the time, and how the next generation strategic initiatives that began at the company prior to the pandemic became a major source of resilience. Maya also discusses how technology is being leveraged to improve customer and employee experiences, how her experience as President of AAdvantage Loyalty Program influenced how she views the customer experience, and how her long tenure as CIO has opened up a world of opportunities. Finally, she talks about her personal and professional growth as a woman in technology, the trends she is excited to see in customer experience design, and the keys to her continued success.
667: In this interview, Dave covers the topic of how Upstart is leveraging artificial intelligence models to increase people’s access to credit. He provides an overview of the company’s business model, how it collects the data it uses across multiple constituents, and the learning process he went through during the development of the company. He then describes the way artificial intelligence fits into the model, why this approach is its differentiator, and what hurdles he faced along the way. Finally, Dave talks about the company’s IPO, why this was the right time to go public, and how his experience building out Google’s cloud business set him up for success with Upstart.
666: In this interview, Pres. Vicente Fox covers the topic of leadership and the key traits that determine a successful leader. He starts by giving a thumbnail sketch of the state of politics currently in Mexico and other Latin American countries and describes the evolution that Mexico has undergone to become a hub for technology and talent in the global economy. Pres. Fox also shares his perspective on the current war in Ukraine and why leadership needs to be both compassionate and purposeful in order for it to work. Finally, Pres. Fox talks about what makes him optimistic for the future and the work that he is doing now to make it a better place for everyone.
665: Prakash covers the topic of Autodesk’s transformation into a customer-centric organization with a focus on people and processes. Prakash provides an overview of Autodesk’s business, his purview as CIO, and what the migration towards customer-centricity has looked like. He describes the way his role as an IT leader and consumer of cloud services prepared him for the transformation at Autodesk as well as how his various roles at the company have given him a unique perspective in IT. Specifically, Prakash looks at the way IT has played a role in improving both the customer and employee experience, recruiting top talent, and providing growth opportunities for current talent at the company. Finally, Prakash looks at the trends in technology that his team is focusing on and what the keys to success were in his personal career path.
664: Puneet discusses the combination of business operations and technology in his career. Puneet begins with an overview of Unum Group and his purview as both CIO and CDO. He talks about the skill sets he looks for in talent when building his team and how they contribute to the company’s focus on creating value through platforms in addition to other areas of innovation at Unum. Puneet also shares his career experience in both operations and technology and covers the ways the CIO role translates into adjacent areas of influence in a company. Finally, Puneet gives his perspective on his pathway to board membership, trends in technology that are on his radar, and the keys to his success in his field.
663: In this interview, Dan covers the topic of leveraging digital channels to build a resilient business model. Dan begins with an overview of IHG, the company’s differentiating factors in the hospitality space, and his purview as CTO. He recalls the nimble strategy the company adopted during the early stages of the pandemic and how he focused on new digital channels as well as transitioning towards next-generation capabilities through an art-of-the-possible mindset. Finally, Dan gives his perspective on emerging trends in technology that could impact the hospitality industry and the keys he attributes to his successful career.
662: In this interview, we discuss the thesis behind Unscaled and his latest book Intended Consequences, and how companies need to be intentional about scaling their businesses. Hemant emphasizes the importance of integrating General Catalyst’s values in the companies he grows and looking at the long-term consequences of these investments. He also gives his perspective on social-good businesses and how artificial intelligence can be used to measure the consequences of investment decisions. Finally, we discuss how Hemant’s approach to investing has changed over the pandemic, why writing allows him to become convicted in his own thinking and other keys to his successful career.
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.
