This is one in a series of interviews with financial services CIOs conducted in collaboration with CIO Straight Talk magazine. Read additional articles by other technology executives at www.straighttalkonline.com.
Among other topics, Rob discusses the following issues with Metis Strategy:
Rob Alexander’s Biography
Robert has been the Chief Information Officer of Capital One since 2007. As CIO he is responsible for enterprise-wide IT strategy, IT unfractured and architecture, and central data management, information risk and business continuity. Before becoming CIO, Robert served as Capital One’s Executive Vice President for Internet and Enterprise Customer Management, where he served as the lead executive for the largest IT system replacement program in the company’s history. Prior to joining capital one in 1998, Alexander worked as Bain & Company.
Robert got his MBA at Harvard Business School, and obtained an undergraduate degree in Physics from Harvard University.
I recently caught up with Robert over the phone, and our conversation covered World Class IT Principle One, People, as we discussed how capital one facilitates collaboration; Principle Two, Infrastructure, as we discussed how Capital One integrates its systems after acquisitions; Principle Three, Project & Portfolio Management, as we discussed the IT organizations adoption of agile development, and Principle Five, External Partnerships, as we discussed how Capital One taps into various innovation ecosystems.
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Among other topics, Peter discusses the following issues with Metis Strategy:
Peter Zeihan’s Biography
Peter is a global energy, demographic and security expert whose worldview marries the realities of geography and populations to a deep understanding of how global politics impact markets and economic trends. Peter’s career has ranged from working for the U.S. State Department in Australia, to the DC think tank community, to helping develop the analytical models for Stratfor, one of the world’s premier private intelligence companies. Peter founded his own firm — Zeihan on Geopolitics — in 2012 in order to provide a select group of clients with direct, custom analytical products. Today those clients represent a vast array of sectors including energy majors, financial institutions, business associations, agricultural interests, universities and the U.S. military.
His freshman book, The Accidental Superpower, debuted in 2014. His sophomore project, Shale New World,will be released later this month.
Peter has an undergraduate degree in Political Science from Truman State University and completed post-graduate studies at the University of Otago in New Zealand and the Patterson School of Diplomacyand International Commerce.
Among other topics, Terry discusses the following issues with Metis Strategy:
Terry West’s Biography
Terry West is the Senior Vice President and Chief Information Officer for Performance Food Group (PFG), a role he has held for nearly six years. With annual revenues of $16 billion, PFG is one of the nation’s largest foodservice distributors.
Prior to joining the company, Terry was the Vice President of Information Technology for ConAgra Foods. During his ten years there, he was instrumental in leading the consolidation, centralization and standardization of the company’s information systems and services organization.
Terry also served in the U.S. Army for nearly 21 years. His military career included the prestigious role of Presidential Communications Officer at the White House, Commander of the 1110th U.S. Army Signal Battalion, and Commander of the Army Operations Center Command and Control Communications Unit in the Office of the Deputy Chief of Staff for Operations in Washington, D.C.
He earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of Nebraska and a master’s degree in systems technology from the Naval Postgraduate School.
Among other topics, Susan discusses the following issues with Metis Strategy:
Susan Swart’s Biography
Susan has been the Chief Information Officer of the International Monetary Fund since 2012. In November 2015 she was named to head the newly created Information Technology Department at the IMF. As CIO she is responsible for the provision of information technology services and leadership in the application of technology to the mission of the IMF. Prior to joining the IMF, Susan served in the U.S. State Department and was its CIO from 2008 to 2012, leading the delivery of IT services to 280 Embassies, Consulates, and offices in 185 countries.
Susan holds a graduate degree in National Security Strategy from the National War College and an undergraduate degree in Management Information Systems from Virginia Commonwealth University.
Among other topics, Scott discusses the following issues with Metis Strategy:
Scott Farquhar’s Biography
Scott Farquhar is the co-founder and co-CEO of Atlassian, a collaboration software company that helps teams organize, discuss and complete shared work. Founded in Sydney, Australia in 2002, Atlassian is well-known for its issue tracking application, Jira, as well as its team collaboration product, Confluence.
Scott was awarded the ‘Australian IT Professional of the Year’ in 2004, and in 2006 was the youngest person ever to be awarded the ‘Australian Entrepreneur of the Year’ by Ernst & Young alongside co-founder and co-CEO Mike Cannon-Brookes.
Scott holds a Bachelor of Science in business information technology from the University of New South Wales, Australia.
Among other topics, Stewart discusses the following issues with Metis Strategy:
Stewart Butterfield’s Biography
Stewart is the founder and CEO of Slack, the fastest growing business app ever. It is a messaging and file sharing application heralded as the “Email Killer” of the workplace with over $100 million in annual revenue. As CEO, Stewart is responsible for all operations throughout the company as well as defining the future vision for Slack.
Prior to Slack, Stewart co-founded the picture sharing site Flickr, which was acquired by Yahoo! in 2005. He continued as the General Manager of Flickr at Yahoo! until mid-2008.
Stewart received his Bachelor of Philosophy degree from the University of Victoria and went on to earn a Master of Philosophy degree from the University of Cambridge.
This is one in a series of interviews with financial services CIOs conducted in collaboration with CIO Straight Talk magazine. Read an article on David Thompson, along with articles by other technology executives, at www.straighttalkonline.com.
Among other topics, David discusses the following issues with Metis Strategy:
David Thompson’s Biography
David is the Executive Vice President of Global Operations and Technology and the Chief Information Officer at The Western Union Company, a $5.5 billion revenue financial services and communications company that provides transactions services around the world. In his role, David oversees Western Union’s IT infrastructure that supports the company’s payment products and services in over 200 countries and territories. David is also the Independent Director of CoreSite, a leading data center provider. Prior to joining Western Union, David served as CIO in several companies, including Symantec Corporation, Oracle, and PeopleSoft, in addition to other roles.
David studied Computer Science at American University and Management and Operations at Marymount University.
Among other topics, Nuria discusses the following issues with Metis Strategy:
Nuria Simo’s Biography
Nuria is the Chief Information Officer of the Inter-American Development Bank, or IDB, the largest source of development financing for Latin America and the Caribbean. The organization aims to reduce poverty and inequality across 26 countries. As CIO, Nuria is responsible for information technology at IDB, including strategy, architecture, application development, infrastructure, risk management, and information security.
Nuria has more than 30 years of experience in multiple industries and geographies, particularly with complex organizations undergoing transformational IT processes. She is the former CIO at Campofrío Food Group in Madrid, Spain, and she has held CIO positions at several global operations such as FrieslandCampina in the Netherlands, EADS in Germany. She has also been an IT executive at Cargill in Spain, the United States, and the United Kingdom.
This is one in a series of interviews with financial services CIOs conducted in collaboration with CIO Straight Talk magazine. Read an article by Stephanie von Friedeburg, along with articles by other technology executives, at www.strighttalkonline.com.”
Among other topics, Stephanie discusses the following issues with Metis Strategy:
Stephanie von Friedeburg’s Biography
Stephanie von Friedeburg is the CIO and VP for Information Technology Solutions at the World Bank Group, a role she has held since 2012. Among other responsibilities, Stephanie is in charge of driving IT strategy and bridging the gap between business and technology at the World Bank Group. Stephanie began her career at the World Bank in 1992, serving in a variety of roles, including CIO for the International Finance Corporation, Manager for IFC General Manufacturing Investments in Russia and the former Soviet republics, and Manager for IFC’s Global Telecommunications Portfolio, among other roles.
Stephanie holds a bachelor’s degree from the Walsh School of Foreign Service at Georgetown University. She received her Master of Arts from the Lauder Institute at the University of Pennsylvania, and an MBA from the Wharton School of Business, also at the University of Pennsylvania.
Among other topics, Michael discusses the following issues with Metis Strategy:
Michael Baresich’s Biography
Michael is the Chief Information Officer for Ally Financial, a leading digital financial services company offering financial products for consumers, businesses, automotive dealers and corporate clients with annual revenues of $4.9 billion. As CIO, Michael is responsible for information technology at Ally, including strategy, architecture, application development, infrastructure, risk management, and information security.
Prior to Ally, Michael worked at CIT Group, where he served as Executive Vice President and Chief Information Officer for six years.
Michael received a bachelor’s degree from Harpur College at Binghamton University and master’s degrees from the University of Florida and an MBA from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.
