Highlights from our recent Metis Strategy Summit are below. Check out our Youtube channel and Technovation podcast in the coming weeks for recordings of the conversations.
Organizations across industries are moving beyond initial AI experimentation, focusing on driving implementation, proving and measuring ROI, and developing the next generation of talent as they apply AI to a broader number of business challenges.
As multiple executives emphasized, strong data foundations are essential to any successful AI implementation. Marina Bellini, President of Global Business Services at Mars, noted that the hype around AI has led to more focus on ensuring those foundations are in place. “This is the dream of the CIO: that people will actually start working on data quality.”
This year has also seen increased focus on AI’s ability to deliver value. Augment CEO Scott Dietzen said 2024 “is the year where tech teams are looking for proof and return on investment,” something not always clear or easy to measure for software such as Copilot productivity tools.
Organizations are finding new and innovative ways to apply data and AI to business challenges. Royal Caribbean Group CIO Martha Poulter described how the company transformed traditional food service operations into data-driven processes. Initially, “you would order what you thought, cook what you thought, and serve what you thought. It was gut based,” she explained. By measuring proteins before and after cooking and analyzing everything from ordering to de-thawing to waste, Royal Caribbean was able to generate tens of millions in savings while improving sustainability. “You’d never think food can be an AI problem, but it is,” Poulter said.
Similarly, Avis Budget Group is using an AI-based modeling and prediction system to address asset utilization challenges and ensure cars are on the road for the greatest amount of time. Chief Digital & Innovation Officer Ravi Simhambhatla explained how the company is aiming to break through the 70% utilization ceiling for its vehicle fleet. “If you have physical assets that aren’t being utilized, it’s costing the company money,” he said. “We hit this glass ceiling and asked ourselves why can’t we go to 80% or 90%? It turns out it’s data.”
Technology leaders discussed various approaches to managing and organizing AI initiatives across their organizations. A common thread across nearly all of them was the importance of bringing together technology and business leaders to identify valuable use cases and deliver on them faster. NRG’s Chief Data and Technology Officer, Dak Liyanearachchi, talked about establishing a transformation office that bridges data, business, and technology teams. At Berkadia, an AI Council that includes both business partners and technology leaders drives deeper engagement and keeps discussions focused on value, Chief Information and Innovation Officer Damu Bashyam said.
As mentioned throughout the event, these new organizational structures place particular emphasis on modern technology stacks and data practices. Nicholas Parrotta, Chief Digital and Information Officer at HARMAN International, outlined the company’s evolution from infrastructure-as-a-service to data-as-a-service, and using that data to create more personalized experiences on wheels as the world moves toward autonomous vehicles. “We start with how we do the big stuff with architecture, then product, and now data and being able to drive those as revenue and capabilities,” he said.
Capital One CIO Rob Alexander detailed the company’s platform strategy, explaining how the organization built dedicated infrastructure for machine learning, feature engineering, and now generative AI applications. When it comes to AI, he noted that while it’s “easy to get 70% accuracy out of the box, all the work is getting from 70-75% accuracy, which involves training and fine tuning.” Being in a position to leverage AI today has been a 12-year journey for Capital One, Alexander said, one that has included transforming “everything about who we are” to become a successful technology company and a winner in the banking industry.
Leaders emphasized the need for pragmatic approaches to AI implementation. Mastercard CTO Ed McLaughlin noted three questions a review panel considers when evaluating the feasibility of a new AI initiative: “Does it work, is it worth doing, and does it align to our ethics?” If ChatGPT-style search responses are 10 times more expensive than traditional methods, for example, the question then is whether they can deliver 12 times more value or be that much more useful. McLaughlin underscored the need to assess both the right way to solve a particular problem and whether there are returns on the work being done.
Dietzen added that NPS and engineer satisfaction can also be indicative of value. “If you make engineers delighted, you’ll tend to do well in your organization,” he said.
Chris Davis, Partner and West Coast Office Lead at Metis Strategy, advises technology leaders to ensure that there is product management in every layer of the AI stack, including the application of AI to business processes, the marketplace of horizontal and reusable capabilities across use cases, and underlying foundational models and model development. Business value should be measured relative to components of the stack, especially with generative AI, Davis said.
Effective product management requires teams across the organization to sharpen their product mindset. Cigna’s Chief Digital & Analytics Officer Katya Andresen outlined three elements of that product mindset: identifying real problems for real users, validating through testing and learning, and unlocking value. She cautioned against common pitfalls like “death by a thousand pilots,” in which proofs of concept pile up and eventually become unmanageable. Organizational silos can present a challenge. “We find a lot of opportunities to streamline operations, but there has to be a really deep partnership across tech and ops,” she said. Otherwise, “tech gets upset that ops don’t use their products and ops says well what you gave us didn’t solve our problem.”
Organizations are rethinking their talent development strategies as the landscape evolves. That involves both upskilling internal talent and expanding talent pools across geographies. Land O’Lakes CTO Teddy Bekele described moving from a roughly 50-50 mix of in-house and external talent to a model in which contractors and third parties make up a more significant portion of the talent pool, taking on much of the development work while in-house employees lead the teams. The approach allows for increased flexibility in team sizes depending on shifting enterprise needs. The change was driven by three key factors: accessing expertise, maintaining flexibility to scale teams up or down, and increasing nimbleness.
Upskilling also remains a key focus. At FINRA, Chief Technology Engineering Officer Tigran Khrimian’s team is teaching developers generative AI skills and has seen demonstrable success with using natural language prompting to create “good code” for the company. “Developers with code assistant tools will replace developers who don’t use them,” he said.
Corning’s Chief Digital and Information Officer Soumya Seetharam detailed the company’s three-pronged approach to talent development: creating strategic digital and IT hubs around the world to ensure global talent access; launching a digital literacy program with dedicated “revitalization days” for learning rather than meetings; and expanding the talent pipeline through technology internship and rotational development programs globally. “In the future every person for every function will have some technology in their background,” she predicted.
Technology leadership roles are undergoing significant transformation, reflecting the strategic importance of technology in business operations. According to Katie Graham Shannon, global head of the Digital and Technology Officers Practice at Heidrick & Struggles, the traditional CIO title is becoming less common. Of 23 recent technology leader placements at Fortune 200 companies,18 did not have the CIO title, and 52% were newly created positions with expanded roles. She noted that there is also a shift in reporting structures, with more CIOs reporting to the CEO, and a greater focus on technology leaders’ ability to create and protect value and attract talent, among other responsibilities.
“If we could use the title ‘orchestrator’ it would make more sense,” Shannon added, explaining that today’s technology leaders create value and orchestrate initiatives across the entire C-suite. This expanded scope includes both customer-facing initiatives and internal operational efficiencies with “equal pressure and emphasis” in both areas.
The role is also becoming more business-oriented, particularly in relation to managing technologies like AI. “A properly formatted conversation about AI is not a tech conversation, it’s a business conversation,” observed Henry Man, Co-Founder and Managing Partner at Candela Search. This presents an opportunity for technology leaders to “have a seat at the table” when business colleagues might lean out of technical discussions.
That expanded purview extends to technology leaders on boards or seeking director positions. “There’s no market for a one-issue board member,” said Art Hopkins, who leads the Technology Officers Practice at Russell Reynolds. “You need to show business acumen and a P&L. Go to the CEO and say I’d like to be the executive sponsor of this new incubator. This is a solid step in that direction.”
We are thrilled to announce that our Metis Strategy Summit will take place live in New York City. On Oct. 29 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., we’ll hear from technology leaders, investors and entrepreneurs about the trends shaping the business and technology landscape today, from the rapid rise of generative artificial intelligence to the macroeconomic and geopolitical shifts impacting global organizations. Other topics include:
Please note, this is an invite-only event for C-level technology leaders. If you are interested in attending, click here to request an invitation. Stay tuned for a venue announcement and agenda updates coming soon. We look forward to seeing you in New York!
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Click here for highlights from our most recent Digital Symposium, and stay tuned to our YouTube channel for videos of our panel discussions.)
8:30 a.m. – 9:00 a.m.Registrant Check-in
Arrive early to check in and collect your event materials. This time allows you to settle in, familiarize yourself with the venue, and start connecting with other attendees before the day’s sessions kick off.
Additional arrival information will be distributed to ensure a smooth start to your day.
9:00 a.m. – 9:15 a.m.Welcome and Opening Remarks
Peter High, President of Metis Strategy, kicks off the event with a brief introduction of the day’s sessions and the Metis Strategy team.
9:15 a.m. – 9:45 a.m.AI-Driven Customer Experience
This discussion will explore how organizations are using AI to deliver more personalized and dynamic experiences for customers and employees, and how the digital customer experience is evolving in the era of generative AI agents and more powerful models
9:45 a.m. – 10:15 a.m.Project-to-Product’s Next Frontier
The ongoing shift to product-oriented operating models has begun to erode the traditional silos between business and IT and presented technology leaders with new opportunities and challenges. This panel will examine the future of the product model as companies become increasingly experience-centric and AI becomes a bigger part of the equation.
10:15 a.m. – 10:30 a.m.Entrepreneur Spotlight: Augment CEO Scott DietzenThe rise of generative AI sparked a wave of coding assistants promising new paradigms for software development and greater productivity. In this panel, Augment CEO Scott Dietzen will share insights on the current state of the industry and where coding assistants are headed next.
10:30 a.m. – 10:50 a.m.Coffee and Networking Break
Take a moment to grab a coffee and meet fellow attendees. This break offers a great chance to start conversations, share perspectives, and establish connections that will enrich the discussions throughout the day. Use this time to engage with industry leaders and peers before diving into the sessions.
10:50 a.m. – 11:20 a.m.To Innovate at Scale, You Have to Modernize. How Companies Balance Both.
To take advantage of the latest technologies, organizations need a modern tech stack. At the same time, they need to ensure necessary legacy systems don’t become a drag on progress. In this session, panelists will share how they are driving ambitious modernization roadmaps and creating the mindset for change.
11:20 a.m. – 11:50 a.m.Advancing Data Strategy and Measuring AI’s ValueAs AI experiments have flourished, technology leaders are now focused on another acronym: ROI. Panelists will share how they are measuring AI’s business value, identifying initiatives that will drive the greatest impact inside their organizations, and ensuring a strong data strategy to guide it all.
11:50 a.m. – 12:05 p.m.Fireside Chat: The Path from CIO to CEO Mike Clifton joined Alorica as CIO in 2021. This spring, he was named Co-CEO. The former technology and operations leader at Cognizant, Federal Home Loan Bank of Boston, and the Hanover Insurance Group, among others, will share lessons learned throughout his journey and offer tips for CIOs seeking to expand their purviews. He is joined by fellow Co-CEO Max Schwendner.
12:05 p.m. – 1:05 p.m. Lunch and Networking Break
Recharge and refuel while continuing the conversation with colleagues and new connections. Whether deepening discussions from the morning sessions or exploring fresh ideas, this lunch break offers the perfect setting for meaningful exchanges in a more relaxed environment.
1:05 p.m. – 1:35 p.m.Next-Gen Talent Operating ModelsIn today’s talent landscape, a mindset of continuous learning is key to success. This session will explore how companies are upskilling their teams for the future while navigating a world of work in which tech and business teams are more intertwined than ever.
1:35 p.m. – 2:05 p.m. Responsible AI: Value Proposition and Opportunities Operationalizing AI is widely believed to be a compelling and potentially game-changing value proposition but one that comes with a myriad of unique and dynamic risks. Organizations are therefore aiming to practice “responsible AI”, the development, deployment, and use of AI capabilities in a transparent, accountable, legal, and ethical manner. Panelists share their insights and approaches for developing and deploying AI responsibly for the benefit of their respective organizations and their many stakeholders.
2:05 p.m. – 2:20 p.m.Unlocking ROI: Cloud Strategies for the Next AI Wave
This session will explore the symbiotic relationship between cloud and AI, the modernization decisions CIOs can make now to prepare their companies for the next AI wave, and the workload considerations needed to ensure newfound AI efforts deliver ROI.
2:20 p.m. – 2:50 p.m.The Expanding Innovation Ecosystem
Technology leaders today understand that new ways of thinking don’t come only from inside an organization’s four walls. These leaders will share how they are leveraging external partners, peer networks, and new innovation frameworks access to new technologies becomes ever more democratized,
2:50 p.m. – 3:05 p.m.Fireside Chat: Tanium CEO Dan StreetmanAs hackers get more sophisticated and new tools proliferate, today’s cybersecurity landscape is more complex than ever. In this discussion, Tanium CEO Dan Streetman shares how technology leaders can manage through that complexity and protect their organizations from the next wave of threats.
3:05 p.m. – 3:35 p.m.The Changing Role of the Technology Leader: Executive Recruiter Perspectives
The role of today’s digital and technology leaders seems to be changing as quickly as the technology they oversee. In this panel, executive recruiters share perspectives on how the title and purview of the modern technology executive is evolving as advances in AI and other innovations reshape organizations around the world.
3:35 p.m. – 3:50 p.m. Fireside Chat: Remaining Nimble and Resilient in a Constantly Changing World With the US Presidential election just days away and the global economic outlook in flux, companies across the globe are preparing for a variety of scenarios that could impact their strategies going forward. In this fireside chat, the Co-Head of the Goldman Sachs Institute will discuss how technology leaders can put their organizations in a position of readiness and resilience as they prepare for the opportunities and challenges ahead.
3:50 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.Closing Remarks
Peter High, President of Metis Strategy, will reflect on the day’s key takeaways and the insights shared both onstage and off. As the event draws to a close, Peter will set the stage for future discussions on innovation, technology leadership, and transformation.
4:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.Reception
Enjoy light refreshments and continue the conversation in a more casual setting. The reception provides a final chance to network, solidify new relationships, and unwind with peers after a full day of learning.
(Click here for highlights from our most recent Digital Symposium, and check out our YouTube channel for videos of the panel discussions.)
