866: The role of IT within companies is constantly evolving, driven forward by tech sector companies as they propel it into the future. In this episode of Technovation, Peter High speaks with Intel’s CIO, Motti Finkelstein, about the future of IT and his strategies for preparing the IT organization within Intel to lead this industry-wide evolution. Having transitioned into his role roughly six months ago from serving as the company’s Digital Transformation Officer, Motti elaborates on the various organizations within the broader Intel Corporation and outlines his current focal points, including cloud computing, data center innovations, the Internet of Things, and PC solutions. He shares insights into Intel’s distinctive position as both a product designer and manufacturer and delves into the complexities of his role as a tech-sector CIO. With the recent release of Intel’s IT Annual Report titled ‘The Next Evolution of IT,’ Motti highlights key points from the report, such as the significant role artificial intelligence plays in improving the company’s operational efficiency and the emphasis placed on enhancing the customer experience. The conversation also encompasses Intel’s strides in integrating sustainability into its product design and how sustainability is emerging as a critical focus for IT leaders across sectors. Finally, Motti reflects on his career journey, his motivations for joining Intel at a pivotal moment in its history, and the noteworthy trend of integrating security into software products.
Read the 2023-2024 Intel IT Annual Report:
www.intel.com/ITAnnualReport
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836: The world of technology is increasingly becoming more and more connected offering valuable data to enterprises offering such products. At Textron, this data provides critical insight into product usage and allows the company to offer true value-added services to its customers. On this episode of Technovation, Global CIO Todd Kackley explains how he has built a better-connected business and aligned the IT function that reports to him. He discusses the collaboration between the Divisional CIOs, ascending to the Global CIO post, and the North Star Strategy he follows to foster this alignment. Todd also talks about the technology he uses including the adoption of generative AI tools, the advantages of digital twins, and the necessity of connected products. Finally, Todd covers his talent strategy, succession planning, and the trends in technology that are on his radar for the future.
831: Once executives implement the much-talked-about AI and GenAI tools into their company’s operating models, the next step in their AI journey is scaling those tools. In a panel from our December Metis Strategy Digital Symposium, Yasir Anwar, CTO/CDO of Williams-Sonoma, and Cisco Sanchez, CIO of Qualcomm, join Metis Strategy Partner and West Coast Lead Chris Davis in a discussion about how they’ve scaled their respective AI-first operating models and the impact they’ve seen on AI tools on their business. Yasir talks about beginning the journey with a moonshot idea and tracking the evolution of AI within the company’s operating model. Cisco shares details about Qualcomm’s Imagine platform used to explore the art of the possible with GenAI and the impact it has had on the overall AI journey. Finally, both executives discuss challenges, risks, and future ambitions when it comes to implementing AI into more of their business models.
828: In order for the technology organization within an enterprise to function properly, there must be a deliberate focus on talent and collaboration. According to W.W. Grainger CTO Jonny LeRoy, “technology is a team sport.” In this interview, Jonny discusses how he fosters this collaboration within his technology team and how this focus on talent is a key part of the company’s overall strategy. Jonny explains the three major components of talent development, the approach he takes to in-person versus remote work environments, and what it means to make the workplace a magnet rather than a mandate. He also talks about the process of modernizing the nearly 100-year-old company, efforts to adopt automation, and the company’s overall data strategy inclusive of cybersecurity. Finally, Jonny looks ahead at the future of generative AI, identifies the methods of finding focus areas for customer interactions, and reflects on his unique career path into technology.
818: Lakshman and Shubham join us on a panel at our most recent Metis Strategy Digital Symposium to discuss the topic of talent strategy in the age of artificial intelligence. Both executives give their perspectives on the general evolution of the talent landscape, the impacts that AI is having on the skills they are hiring for, and use cases for generative AI on internal learning. Each shares his view on the financial component of talent and AI strategies, in-house solutions on cost control, and other opportunities and challenges that AI poses on a company’s talent management strategy.
814: Rajan and Sesh joined us on a panel at our most recent Metis Strategy Digital Symposium to discuss the topic of data and AI strategy as enterprise change agents. Rajan shares insights about Intuit’s AI platform, how it drives new customer experiences, and its use in running and scaling business operations within the company. Sesh describes the main components of Western Digital’s AI strategy, his perspective on the change management part of the equation, and the importance of risk management and data governance. Finally, both executives talk about how they approach the adoption of AI and the most critical elements to keep in mind throughout the implementation process.
813: Douglas Lindemann discusses his experience joining ArcBest through acquisition and how those lessons have helped him in his current role. Douglas covers the improvements he has helped facilitate in the supply chain, the new business model he has helped launch, and why launching this new business model was necessary at the legacy enterprise. He also talks about how he applies the lessons learned from his M&A experience to this new business model implementation. Finally, Douglas explains the tech trends in generative AI and sustainability that are on his radar and the keys to his career success.
811: Marcia Calleja-Matsko discusses the elements behind the remarkable growth of the company throughout her tenure. Marcia explains the way she typifies culture at OneDigital, how it’s impacted the process of integrating the technology functions of the company’s various acquisitions, and how she manages this rapid growth in a responsible and sustainable manner. She also talks about the company’s data strategy and the use cases she has identified for generative AI technology. Finally, Marcia reflects on the keys to her career success, the progress being made to bring more women into STEM professions, and the trends in technology that she has kept abreast of in recent months.
809: Lakshman Nathan joins our host Peter High in a conversation about the catalyzing factors behind the company’s cloud transformation and the strategic alignment he aims to achieve between the IT organization and the rest of the business. Laksh explains his expanded purview as he has moved into a global role within the company, the evolving team composition as a result, and the changing skillsets needed along with the process of upskilling the talent on his team. He also goes into the M&A integration process, how it has helped push forward the cloud-first adoption, and how collaboration has been impacted by the move toward a more remote workplace environment. Finally, Laksh talks about the trends in generative AI, the experimentation with the new technology on the horizon, and the secrets to his career success.
575: In this interview, Scott discusses Wyndham’s investments in the cloud and various platforms, how the company leverages them to meet the needs of various constituent groups, and how the insights his team draws from them help drive the broader business strategy. Scott also explains the technology implications behind Wyndham’s spin-off, the acquisition of La Quinta, the pandemic, and how the company managed and changed at such a rapid pace throughout these major points in his career. Finally, we discuss what the future looks like for the hospitality industry and some of the trends he sees coming out of the pandemic.