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Among other topics, Mike discusses the following issues with Metis Strategy:

Mike Keller’s Biography

Mike Keller is Executive Vice President and Chief Information Officer at Nationwide, a $43 billion insurance and financial services company. He is responsible for the prioritization and delivery of Nationwide’s strategic business transformation program, technology strategy, and IT capabilities.

Prior to joining Nationwide in 2001, Mike was Chief Technology Officer for Corporate Infrastructure at Bank One and held leadership roles at IBM in a number of areas including global services and industry solutions.

Mike is on the Board of Directors for Columbus 2020, a public-private partnership designed to position Central Ohio as one of the nation’s leaders in economic development. He is Chairman of the Board for the Columbus Collaboratory, whose initiatives focus on delivering business value through advanced analytics and cyber security solutions. Mike also serves on the IBM Board of Advisors and McKinsey’s Global Insurance COO Roundtable.

Mike earned a bachelor’s degree in mathematics from the University of Michigan.

I recently caught up with Mike in his office in Columbus, OH. Our conversation covered World Class IT Principle One, People, as Mike discussed how he recruits, develops, and transitions talent in an evolving organization; Principle Four, IT &-Business Partnerships, as Mike discussed his team’s role in Nationwide’s ongoing transformation; and Principle Five, External Partnerships, as Mike described Nationwide’s relationship with its three global service providers. We also covered Mike’s long tenure as CIO of Nationwide and a variety of other topics.

Among other topics, Rick discusses the following issues with Metis Strategy:

• The role of the CIO in an information based company
• Recruiting and retaining talent
• Providing employees with opportunities for growth and advancement
• Leading with the mindset of a teacher or coach
• Veteran advice for technologists seeking a board position
• Proven techniques for increasing the presence of women in all levels of an organization
• The benefits of involving CIOS when developing strategic partnerships
• Creating symbiotic relationships with partners to drive and support growth and innovation

Rick King’s Biography

Rick is the Executive Vice President & Chief Information Officer of Thomson Reuters, an $11 billion provider of news and information for professional markets. Rick has been with Thomson Reuters since 2000, previously serving as the Chief Operating Officer of Technology and as the Chief Technology Officer of various units.

Prior to joining Thomson Reuters, Rick held executive-level positions at Ceridian Employer Services and Jostens Learning, among other companies. He began his career as a teacher and coach.

Rick is a member of the board of directors for TCF Financial Corporation, a publicly traded bank holding company, where he chairs the Technology Committee and sits on the Audit, Finance and Risk Committee. He is also heavily involved in his community, serving on the boards of trustees for Minnesota Public Radio and the Minneapolis Institute of Art. Rick was appointed by the Governor of Minnesota to the Minnesota Metropolitan Airports Commission, where he chairs the Management and Operations Committee, as well as to the Technology Advisory Committee, which he also chairs.

Recently, Rick was honored with a 2017 “Guys Who Get It Award” for his work on gender partnership.

Rick holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Vermont in Mathematics – Teacher Education as well as a master’s degree in Education Administration and Planning from the University of Vermont.

I recently caught up with Rick over the phone from his office in Eagan, Minnesota. Our conversation covered World Class IT Principle One, People, as we discussed recruiting and retaining talent, specifically Thomson Reuter’s success with increasing the number of women across all levels of the organization. We also covered World Class Principle Five, External Partnerships, as Rick described the symbiotic partnerships that he has developed that both ease and enable growth and innovation. We also discussed CIOs as strategists, his experience as a board-level CIO with advice he has for those who wish to follow in his footsteps, as well as a variety of other topics

Among other topics, Norm discusses the following issues with Metis Strategy:

Norm Fjeldheim’s Biography

Serving in the dual roles of CIO and Head of Global Facilities, Norm is advancing Illumina’s workplace evolution by merging technology and facility innovation to enhance employee collaboration, productivity, and satisfaction. In addition to leading Illumina’s digital transformation, Fjeldheim is responsible for Cyber and Product Security as well as key growth and customer engagement initiatives.

Prior to joining Illumina, Norm was the Chief Information Officer of Qualcomm.

Norm currently serves as a Board Member of the San Diego Regional Economic Development Council and is on the advisory boards for several organizations including Amazon and SAP Software Solutions.

Norm holds a Bachelor of Science degree in business information systems from San Diego State University and completed the Wharton Executive Development Program at the University of Pennsylvania.

I recently caught up with Norm in his office in San Diego, and we covered World Class IT Principle One, People, as we discussed Illumina’s focus on employee enablement and engagement, Principle Two, Infrastructure, as we discussed Norm’s deep experience with cloud migration, Principle Four, IT & Business Partnerships, as Norm discussed his dual role as CIO and Head of Global Facilities, and how they work together, as well as a variety of other topics.

Among other topics, Eric discusses the following issues with Metis Strategy:

• Evolution of collaboration through different eras
• Differentiation in the web conferencing space
• Rationale behind deliberately controlling growth of Zoom in early days
• Importance of having a company philosophy to deliver happiness to customers
• Possibilities of Augmented Reality in the business world
• Impact of Silicon Valley on new and upcoming companies
• The need to create a culture of self-motivation for employees
• Trade-offs required to build a sustainable company
• Hybrid approach to selling to Small Businesses and Large Enterprises
• Focus on existing customers rather than only pursuing new customers
• Sequoia Capital’s impact on Zoom’s growth

Eric Yuan Biography:

Eric is the Founder and CEO of Zoom, a people-centric, cloud service solution, currently valued at $1 billion, that offers video, audio, and screen-sharing experience across multiple platforms. As CEO, Eric influences and guides his team to be single-mindedly focused on excellent call quality and prioritizes delivering happiness to customers. Prior to founding Zoom in 2011, Eric was Corporate Vice President of Engineering at Cisco, where he was responsible for Cisco’s collaboration software development. As one of the founding engineers and Vice President of Engineering at WebEx, Eric grew the WebEx team from 10 engineers to more than 800 worldwide, and contributed to revenue growth from $0 to more than $800M. Eric is a named inventor with 11 issued and 20 pending patents in real time collaboration.

Eric received an Executive MBA from Stanford University.

I recently caught up with Eric in his office in San Jose, California and our conversation covered World Class IT Principle One, People, as we discussed the importance of developing a company culture where employees are focused on end customer happiness; Principle Two, IT Infrastructure, as we discussed the importance of technology reliability to keep customers satisfied; Principle Four, IT and Business Partnerships, as we discussed the importance of innovation that stems from the partnership between the Business and IT around customer needs, Principle Five, External Partnerships, as we discussed the impact of Sequoia Capital’s funding of Zoom, along with a variety of other topics.

Among other topics, Jay discusses the following issues with Metis Strategy:

Jay Rogers’ Biography

Jay is the Chief Executive Officer of Local Motors, a cutting-edge automotive startup building the next generation automobile company and brand in the United States. As CEO and Co-founder, he is responsible for crafting the overall strategy for Local Motors and has been helping develop transformation within the automotive industry.

Prior to founding Local Motors, Jay served for seven years in the United States Marine Corps, where he was an Infantry Company Commander. Prior to service, he worked as a consultant for McKinsey & Co. and as an investment analyst at Ewing & Partners.

Jay earned a bachelor’s degree from Princeton University and his MBA from Harvard Business School.

I recently caught up with Jay over the phone from Local Motors headquarters in Phoenix, AZ, and our conversation covered World Class IT Principle Four, IT & Business Partnership, as we discussed how the Local Motors forms strategic partnerships with clients; and Principle Five, External Partnerships, as we discussed how Local Motors as created a community that drives innovation and efficiency. We also discussed how Local Motors has relied on transparency to build teams, Jay’s history in entrepreneurship, transformations in the automotive industry, as well as a variety of other topics.

Among other topics, Mark discusses the following issues with Metis Strategy:

Mark Settle’s Biography

Mark is the Chief Information Officer of Okta, a leading provider of identity and device management solutions for various cloud and mobile enterprises. As CIO, Mark leads Okta’s global enterprise IT strategy and operations and collaborates closely with the executive leadership team to align strategic technology initiatives with broader business goals.

Mark is also the author of Truth From the Trenches: A Practical Guide to the Art of IT Management, the insights from which we discuss in depth in this interview. It represents a synopsis of the practices he has used as a CIO many times over at companies like IHS, BMC Software, Oxy, Arrow Electronics, and Corporate Express.

Mark received Bachelors and Masters degrees from MIT, and a PhD from Brown University in Geological Sciences.

I recently caught up with Mark at Metis Strategy headquarters in Washington, DC, and our conversation covered World Class IT Principle One, People, as we discussed the importance of setting up talented teams with strong leaders without creating single points of failure; Principle Three, Project and Portfolio Management, as we discussed how financial management within IT helps build credibility with various business functions; Principle Four, IT and Business Partnerships, as we discussed how IT should build towards non-transactional relationships with business partners to influence collaboration; Principle Five, External Partnerships, as we spoke about how he works with his peer CIOs who are the customers of Okta, along with a variety of other topics.

Among other topics, Bill discusses the following issues with Metis Strategy:

Bill Peduto’s Biography

Mayor Peduto is the 60th Mayor of Pittsburgh, a position he has held since 2014. While in office, he has been an advocate of ride sharing transportation throughout the city, most notably being Uber’s recent pilot autonomous car program. Through his time as an elected official and a resident, Mayor Peduto has been able to see Pittsburgh transform into a city driven by technology.

Prior to being elected city executive, Mayor Peduto served as a member of the Pittsburgh City Council where he chaired the Committee on General Services, Technology and the Arts. He also oversaw the City Information Systems department, the Cable Bureau and the Art Commission on Council during his time on the City Council.

Mayor Peduto earned a bachelor’s degree in political science from Penn State University and a master’s degree in public policy and management from the University of Pittsburgh.

I recently caught up with Mayor Peduto over the phone from City Hall in Pittsburgh, and our conversation covered World Class IT Principle Four, IT & Business Partnership, as we discussed how the City of Pittsburgh forms strategic partnerships with technology leaders; and Principle Five, External Partnerships, as we discussed how partnerships between municipal, educational, and private organizations facilitate innovation and growth moving forward. We also discussed how Pittsburgh has used technology to correct an economic downturn over the last few decades, as well as a variety of other topics.

Among other topics, Rob discusses the following issues with Metis Strategy:
Rob Nail’s Biography
Rob is the Chief Executive Officer and Associate founder ofSingularity University. Since assuming that role in 2011, Rob has overseen the growth of theorganization’s individual and organization-focused programs, its conference series, and itsglobal community, as well as championed SU Labs, a creative space that is part startupaccelerator, part corporate innovation lab, and part think tank.Prior to leading at Singularity University, Rob co-founded Velocity11, a robotics company forcancer research and drug discovery, which he led until its acquisition by Agilent Technologies.After its acquisition, Rob worked as a General Manager at Agilent. He is a Director at Harmanand Light & Motion, and co-founder and Director at Alite Design. He is also an active angelinvestor and advisor.

Rob holds a bachelor of science degree in Mechanical & Materials Sciences from the University of California, Davis and a master’s degree inManufacturing Systems from Stanford University. I recently caught up with Rob over the phone from his office in Silicon Valley, and ourconversation covered World Class IT Principle One, People, as we discussed the role of intrapreneurs and the importance of creative and forward thinkers in developing innovativecompanies and products, Principle Four, IT & Business Partnerships, as we discussedinnovation processes and strategy setting, Principle Five, External Partnerships, as wediscussed the challenges and rewards of partnering with startups and of developing innovationecosystems, as well as a variety of other topics.

Among other topics, Baljit discusses the following issues with Metis Strategy:

Baljit Dail’s Biography

Baljit is the Chairman and CEO of JDA Software, a software and consultancy company providing supply chain management, manufacturing planning, retail planning, store operations and collaborative category management solutions. Prior to leading JDA he was an operating partner at New Mountain Capital, a private equity firm based in New York. From 2005 to 2012 Baljit served in several executive roles at Aon Corporation including CEO of Aon Hewitt and Aon Consulting, COO of Aon Benfield, and CIO of Aon Corporation.

Baljit also serves on the boards of Midwest ISO (where he also chairs the Information Technology Committee), Alexander Mann Solutions, AmWins, and Western Dental.

Baljit holds a Bachelor of Science in Computer Science from the University of Warwick in England.

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.