Innovation and the Digital Enterprise

Lead With Bold Vision: Guest-Centered Tech with Ulta Beauty's Mike Maresca

Thu, 29 Jan 2026 06:00:00 -0500

In this episode of Innovation and the Digital Enterprise, Patrick Emmons and Shelli Nelson are joined by Mike Maresca, Chief Technology and Transformation Officer at Ulta Beauty. Mike delves into his career journey, highlighting his progression from consulting to leading a major technological transformation at Ulta. He discusses the critical components of Project SOAR, a multi-year effort that aligned teams, data, and platforms to enhance customer experiences both in-store and digitally. Mike emphasizes the importance of a strong guest-focused business-driven IT strategy, born of continuous learning and an innovation culture. He shares insights on Ulta's approach to AI, data centralization, and maintaining a customer-centric philosophy. With a focus on future growth and sustainability, Mike outlines Ulta's bold vision, which includes expanding into wellness and international markets, as well as scaling personalization and marketplace capabilities. Mike shares his advice for aspiring leaders: be bold, listen, harness the power of team, and approach challenges with passion.

(00:00) Introducing Mike Maresca, Chief Technology and Transformation Officer at Ulta Beauty
(01:22) Mike's Career Journey
(03:08) Modernizing Ulta Beauty's Platform
(04:47) Ulta Beauty's Customer-Centric Philosophy
(05:58) Project SOAR and Digital Transformation
(08:21) AI and Innovation at Ulta Beauty
(19:07) Sustaining Innovation and Future Plans
(22:16) Final Thoughts and Advice

Mike Maresca’s career spans technology and digital transformation initiatives, in the retail and consulting sectors. Currently, he is the Chief Technology and Transformation Officer at Ulta Beauty. Previously, he held roles at Walgreens Boots Alliance, serving as Global Chief Technology Officer, and Accenture, where he spent nearly 25 years in various tech leadership positions. He earned a Bachelor of Science and a Master of Science in Aerospace Engineering from Iowa State University.

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Podcast episode production by Dante32.

Make Mistakes Matter: Turning Setbacks into Growth with Michael Ehlers

Thu, 04 Dec 2025 06:00:00 -0500

In this episode of Innovation and Digital Enterprise, Patrick and Shelli talk with Michael Ehlers, the new Chief Technology Officer at PlanSource. Mike outlines his leadership philosophy and career evolution, emphasizing that professional growth is rarely linear. He shares formative experiences at Hewitt and Xerox that taught him the importance of transparency during project setbacks, the value of blameless postmortems, and how to treat failure as a chance to grow.

Those experiences inform his current leadership and hiring strategy, which prioritizes candidates with grit, curiosity, and collaborative spirit, over those with rigid technical expertise. He explains that technical skills can be acquired, but behavioral attributes are foundational to a successful dev culture.

Mike shares insights earned through his range of experience, from startups to large multinationals, stressing that at any scale, leaders need empathy to understand customer needs, agility to make change, and transparency to build trust.

(00:12) Welcome to Michael Ehlers, CTO at PlanSource
(03:35) Navigating Leadership Challenges
(10:40) The Importance of Career Growth and Culture
(23:34) Leveraging Postmortems in Software Engineering
(28:31) Cultural Shifts in Organizations
(37:32) Empathy in Innovation: Understanding Customer Needs

Michael Ehlers has had a full career leading software and engineering teams, often at SaaS companies in the HR space. Currently, he is the new Chief Technology Officer at PlanSource. Previously, he has held roles at Benefitfocus, Paylocity, Voya Financial, Aon Hewitt (Alight), and Xerox, where he served as Vice President of Front End Development for their HR Outsourcing business. He earned a Bachelor of Science in Computer Engineering from the Milwaukee School of Engineering.

If you'd like to receive new episodes as they're published, please subscribe to Innovation and the Digital Enterprise in Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. If you enjoyed this episode, please consider leaving a review in Apple Podcasts. It really helps others find the show.

Podcast episode production by Dante32.

Resonant Insights on Change and Transformation: A Compilation

Thu, 02 Oct 2025 06:00:00 -0500

In this special compilation episode of Innovation and the Digital Enterprise, Patrick Emmons highlights key insights on digital transformation from top tech leaders. Featuring perspectives from Andrei Girenkov, Christopher Paquette, Ann Yeung, Sandee Kastrul, Deepak Kaimal, Jeff Miller, Christina Garcia, Tanya Hannah, Dan Kirsche, Dom Scandinaro, Subramanian Kunchithapatham, and Gene Kim. The episode delves into leading transformative tech teams, balancing disruption and protection, the role of AI, the need to stay nimble, and the foundational significance of human connection and communication in achieving successful digital transformation.

(00:00) Welcome to Innovation and the Digital Enterprise
(02:17) Andrei Girenkov Understanding the Scope of Digital Transformation
(03:17) Christopher Paquette on Balancing Protection and Disruption
(04:00) Ann Yeung on The Role of Corporate Functions
(04:52) Sandee Kastrul on Diversity and Innovation
(05:22) Deepak Kaimal Leveraging Gen AI for Business Solutions
(07:01) Jeff Miller on Navigating Technological Change
(07:21) Christina Garcia on Empowering Teams
(07:59) Tanya Hannah on Keeping Nimble
(08:28) Dan Kirsche on Org Structure and Accountability
(09:17) Dom Scandinaro on Growth, and Agility
(10:10) Subramanian Kunchithapatham on the Challenges of Digitization
(10:53) Gene Kim on Connecting People Through Norms, Rituals, and Processes

Andrei Girenkov is Chief Technology Officer at CSC Service Works. Christopher Paquette is Chief Transformation Officer at Personify Health. Ann Yeung is VP of Engineering at GEICO. Sandee Kastrul is President and co-founder of i.c.stars. Deepak Kaimal is Chief Technology Officer at COMPLY. Jeff Miller is Chief Product Officer at Coates Group. Christina Garcia is SVP of Engineering at Echo Global Logistics. Tanya Hannah is Chief Information Officer at OneTen. Dan Kirsche is Chief Technology Officer at Chamberlain Group. Dom Scandinaro is Chief Technology Officer at Cameo. Subramanian Kunchithapatham is Vice President - BI Solutions at Morgan Stanley. Gene Kim is an author, researcher, and founder of Tripwire, Inc.

Podcast episode production by Dante32.

Balancing Speed and Stability in Digital Transformations with Adan Pope

Thu, 18 Sep 2025 06:00:00 -0500

In this episode of Innovation and Digital Enterprise, Patrick and Shelli interview Adan Pope, Senior Vice President of Engineering, Applications, and AI at The Aspen Group. Adan shares insights from his career in engineering and technology leadership, from his roles in public safety, telecommunications, and healthcare. He also discusses his books, “Respect the Weeds” and “Intentional Tensions”, which reflect on principled leadership and effective digital transformation strategies. He emphasizes the importance of humility, continuous learning, and building teams that thrive on productive tension. Adan unpacks the ways he drives innovation, and how engineering teams can balance velocity with stability, while maintaining high standards of quality.

(00:00) Welcome Adan Pope
(02:21) Early Career and Influences
(04:37) Leadership and Innovation
(07:35) Writing 'Respect the Weeds'
(11:30) Intentional Tensions in Leadership
(19:42) Building Effective Teams
(21:46) Navigating Human Dynamics in Teams
(22:22) The Importance of Positive Tension
(22:56) Lessons from Bell Labs
(24:47) Balancing Sales and Engineering Goals
(29:00) Fostering Ownership and Pride in Work
(33:18) The Power of Visual Communication

Adan Pope is a technology executive, professor, and published author and speaker, currently the Senior Vice President of Engineering Applications and AI at The Aspen Group. He also is an Adjunct Professor at the Illinois Institute of Technology teaching in the graduate Information Technology Management Department. He is the cofounder of Taraxa Labs LLC, providing workshops, consultancy practical tools, and guidebooks to help leaders navigate digital transformation. Previously he has held roles at Intrado Life & Safety, InnerWorkings, Ciena, ShopperTrak, Ericsson, Telcordia Technologies, and Bell Labs. He earned a BSEET at DeVry University and a MCS and MBA from North Central College.

Podcast episode production by Dante32.

Communication and Culture Drive Business Outcomes with Sean McCormack

Thu, 04 Sep 2025 06:00:00 -0500

In this episode of Innovation and the Digital Enterprise, Patrick Emmons and Shelli Nelson welcome Sean McCormack, Chief Innovation Officer at First Student. They discuss his career that spans military intelligence, startups, global enterprises, and now tech-focused leadership in student transportation. Sean shares his unexpected entry into technology through the development of early online language learning systems in the military which later led to diverse experiences across industries.

Today, at First Student, Sean has spearheaded digital transformation initiatives to modernize student transportation. He discusses the complexities of managing a large fleet, the challenges of tech integration, and highlights the use of AI in supporting recruiting and enhancing safety.

Sean unpacks his leadership philosophy, emphasizing the need to understand the day-to-day, improve communication, and build strong, delivery-focused teams. He shares valuable lessons on driving innovation, managing change, and leading with empathy and effectiveness.

(00:00) Introduction
(01:46) Sean McCormack’s Career Journey
(03:49) Impactful Experiences and Lessons Learned
(05:58) Innovating at Harley Davidson
(09:26) Transforming First Student with Technology
(16:11) Implementing AI at First Student
(22:40) Leadership and Communication Insights
(28:43) Advice for Future Technologists and Leaders
(32:45) Conclusion and Final Thoughts

Sean McCormack is the Chief Innovation Officer at First Student, the largest provider of student transportation services in North America. Previously, he’s held leadership positions at Grainger, Harley-Davidson and ManpowerGroup. He earned his BA at the University of Texas at Austin, and his Executive MBA at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee.

Podcast episode production by Dante32.

Building a User-Focused Personal Finance Platform with Steve Gall

Thu, 24 Jul 2025 06:00:00 -0500

In this episode of Innovation and the Digital Enterprise, Patrick and Shelli chat with Steve Gall, CTO of M1 Finance, a personal finance platform. Steve talks about his journey helping scale M1 from a few engineers to a platform managing over $10 billion in client assets. Steve shares insights about the ways that he and M1 have managed risk, navigated compliance in this highly regulated industry, and deftly adjusted technical strategies during rapid growth.

Steve highlights a commitment to centering the user, providing a safe, stable, trustworthy experience even in the midst of a shifting fintech landscape, and while his company was quickly scaling. He shares the challenges, the opportunities, and the strategies involved in growing the M1, stressing the importance of resilience, empathy, and adaptability in leadership. The conversation closes with a chat about Steve’s passion for pinball and a great list of his recommended reads for CTOs.

(00:00) Welcome Steve Gall, CTO of M1 Finance
(01:32) Steve’s Background and Role at M1 Finance
(04:26) Childhood Investment Interests
(07:23) The Concept Behind M1 Finance
(13:16) Regulatory Challenges and Growth
(16:33) Transition to Self-Clearing Broker Dealer
(20:33) Achieving Hockey Stick Growth
(23:09) Navigating Organizational Challenges
(25:24) Scaling and Downsizing
(28:03) Handling Workforce Reductions with Empathy
(31:53) Pinball, Personal Insights and Recommended Reads
(38:08) Closing Thoughts

Steve Gall is the Chief Technology Officer at M1 Finance. He serves on the board at B2 Bank and is involved with P33 Chicago. Past roles include Technical Architect at Avionos LLC, and Senior Associate at Acquity Group (part of Accenture Interactive). He started his career at Alcon Labs after earning a Bachelors in Computer Science at Purdue University.

Podcast episode production by Dante32.

Real Estate, Resilience, and Forging Partnerships with Bill Himmelstein

Thu, 10 Jul 2025 06:00:00 -0500

In this episode, Patrick and Shelli chat with Bill Himmelstein, founder and CEO of the Tenant Advisory Group, a tenant-focused commercial real estate brokerage in Chicago. Bill shares his journey from the early influence of his real estate investor father, to his accidental but fortuitous entry into the world of commercial real estate, including his initial struggles and eventual success.

Emphasizing a tenant-first philosophy, Bill discusses his commitment to always seeking the best deals for his clients, even when they are ready to accept current offers. He highlights the importance of honest relationships, exceeding client expectations, and treating other people’s money with the same respect as one's own.

Bill shares his advice for entrepreneurs, stressing the importance of valuing one’s time and building genuine, mutually beneficial relationships. Throughout the discussion, Bill demonstrates an authentic passion for helping others, and shares ways to leverage relationships to maintain a client-first approach in business.

(00:25) Introducing Bill Himmelstein
(01:57) Bill's Early Influences and Real Estate Journey
(07:17) The Importance of Sales Skills in Entrepreneurship
(11:18) Building Trust and Relationships
(16:31) Tenant-First Philosophy and Client Success Stories
(19:13) Building Long-Term Client Relationships
22:54 Current Trends in Chicago's Office and Industrial Markets
(30:24) Entrepreneurial Lessons Learned
(33:57) The Value of Making Connections

Bill Himmelstein is founder and CEO of the Tenant Advisory Group, a tenant-focused commercial real estate brokerage focused on helping tenants, buyers, and sellers get the most out of their business’ space. In the past, he’s held roles like Managing Director at Advocate Commercial Real Estate Advisors; Broker at the John Buck Company; and Senior Associate at Cushman & Wakefield. He earned a BSBA from Washington University in St. Louis.

Podcast episode production by Dante32.

Leading with Humility Through Uncertainty with Michael Pozzi

Thu, 19 Jun 2025 06:00:00 -0500

In this episode Patrick and Shelli welcome Michael Pozzi, a tech leader with an expansive career across engineering, computer science, and finance. Currently, Michael is Senior Vice President of Technology Infrastructure at Ryan Specialty. We discuss Michael's leadership style, a philosophy characterized by humility and a team-centric approach. He shares his experiences of leading through uncertain times at the Chicago Mercantile Exchange, and highlights the ways he builds teams to foster empathy and collaboration. We chat about the evolving landscape of technology infrastructure, data volume, AI automation, and the dynamics of remote teams. Michael advocates for recognizing and nurturing talent within an organization, fostering an environment where employees can thrive and grow in alignment with their org’s mission.

(00:00) Welcome Michael Pozzi
(00:25) Michael’s Career Journey
(02:26) Role at Ryan Specialty
(03:07) Early Career and Pivot to Consulting
(05:01) Joining the Chicago Mercantile Exchange
(08:50) Transition to Infrastructure and Operations
(12:51) Leadership and Team Dynamics
(21:47) Recognizing the Need for Fresh Perspectives
(24:05) The Importance of Empathy in Team Dynamics
(29:06) Career Growth and Organizational Support
(34:48) Encouraging Internal Mobility and Learning
(40:10) Final Thoughts

Michael Pozzi is Senior Vice President of Technology Infrastructure at Ryan Specialty. Previously, over nearly 20 years, he held a series of director level positions at the CME Group, like Managing Director of Infrastructure & Operations, Executive Director of Systems Engineering, and Executive Director of Software Engineering. Before that he worked at Hewitt Associates and Accenture. He earned a Bachelors degree in Mechanical Engineering from Duke and Masters in Computer Science from DePaul.

Podcast episode production by Dante32.

Leading Customer-Focused Legacy System Transformation with Jeff Miller

Thu, 05 Jun 2025 06:00:00 -0500

In this episode of Innovation and the Digital Enterprise, Patrick and Shelli talk to Jeff Miller, Vice President of Engineering at LinenMaster. Jeff discusses his journey in the tech industry and his role at LinenMaster, a leading laundry management solutions provider. He delves into his previous roles at various prominent Chicago technology companies focusing on his work to modernize platforms and streamline operations. We talk about his earlier interest in tech; he built a computer when he was a kid. Then Jeff shares insights into this hands-on approach, the challenges of transforming legacy systems, and the importance of iterative development. He discusses his leadership philosophy of roadmapping transformation with the customer in mind, and building trust through execution.

(00:00) Introducing Jeff Miller, VP of Engineering at LinenMaster
(01:14) Jeff Miller's Career Journey
(04:38) Roadmapping Strategy at LinenMaster
(06:24) Technological Transitions and Innovations
(09:36) Leadership and Decision-Making
(09:37) Jeff's Early Interest in Technology
(12:58) Rebuilding Trust and Modernizing Software
(25:02) Advice for Tech Professionals and Founders
(28:47) Conclusion and Farewell

Jeff Miller is Vice President of Engineering at LinenMaster. Previously he moved up through a variety of roles at Yello.co culminating in a position as Chief Technology Officer. Before that he was Vice President Of Engineering at Fooda and he launched his career at Enova International. He earned a Bachelors degree in Computer Science and Mathematics from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, where he was also President of the Madcity Skydiving Club.

Podcast episode production by Dante32.

Building Great Teams by Leading with Kindness with Firasat Hussain

Thu, 22 May 2025 06:00:00 -0500

In this episode Patrick and Shelli talk with Firasat Hussain, the Chief Product and Technology Officer at SnapCare. Firasat shares his 25-year journey through various technology leadership roles at companies like Ticketmaster, Orbitz, and RR Donnelley, emphasizing the significance of thoughtful leadership and iterative innovation. He describes his transition to SnapCare, where he is leading the integration of new AI tools and modern tech stacks to transform healthcare staffing. The discussion delves into Firasat’s leadership philosophies, the importance of trust and influence over demands, and his commitment to growth and learning, both personally and professionally.

(00:00) Welcome to Firasat Hussain, CPTO at SnapCare
(01:23) From Accounting to Technology: Firasat's Early Career
(04:32) Transition to Healthcare Tech: Joining SnapCare
(05:26) The Role of Technology in Healthcare Staffing
(07:11) Personal Insights: Leadership and Growth
(12:03) The Importance of Travel and Broader Perspectives
(14:41) SnapCare's Mission and Operations
(20:13) Balancing Leadership in Work and Family Life
(24:18) The Power of Trust and Kindness Over Demands
(27:07) Building Trust Through Honest Conversations
(30:05) The Importance of Active Listening
(32:23) Establishing Priorities and Reducing Cognitive Overload
(37:59) Reflecting on Personal and Professional Growth
(41:50) Final Thoughts

Firasat Hussain is the Chief Product and Technology Officer at SnapCare, a technology-driven healthcare staffing firm. His 25+ year career has spanned varied industries and organizations at a range of stages, from established global tech firms to promising startups. He was Chief Technology Officer at arrivia, VP of Software Engineering at Ticketmaster, and VP of Enterprise Architecture at RR Donnelley. He spent 10 years growing and leading at Orbitz Worldwide, with six years as Director of Hotel Product Development. He launched his early career at Cysive and Oracle.

Podcast episode production by Dante32.

Resonant Insights On Building Teams: A Compilation

Thu, 08 May 2025 06:00:00 -0500

In this compilation episode, we look back on wisdom from renowned tech executives about how to build and foster great teams. Featuring insights from Fred Lee, Dan Kirsche, Jorie Sax, Steve Caudill, Christina Garcia, and Dom Scandinaro, who share their perspectives on the importance of diverse and well-structured teams. Key topics include team composition, sharing knowledge, effective scaling, fostering interpersonal relationships, and creating rich organizational culture. These leaders emphasize the significance of nurturing talent and fostering diversity to build world-class teams capable of overcoming challenges and driving innovation.

(00:00) Introduction to Building Teams
(01:39) Fred Lee knows that great teams will naturally build great products
(02:42) Dan Kirsche on building teams with complementary skills
(03:07) Jorie Sax recommendations team-driven ideation
(03:42) Steve Caudill champions diverse teams
(04:17) Christina Garcia on owning and communicating mistakes
(05:32) Jorie Sax discusses the balance of structure and freedom
(06:57) Dom Scandinaro on scaling teams and workflows
(07:59) Dan Kirsche on coaching to a teammate’s skillset
(08:42) Jorie Sax unpacks interdepartmental communication
(10:34) Christina Garcia on having a great culture
(12:39) Fred Lee on cross-department connections
(14:04) Dan Kirsche explains how he both challenges and supports his team
(16:03) Christina Garcia reminds us to be in service of your team

Fred Lee is CTO at PartsSource. Dan Kirsche is the newly promoted CTO at Chamberlain. Jorie Sax is head of United Airlines Innovation Lab. Steve Caudill is former CTO at Rand McNally. Christina Garcia is SVP of Engineering at Echo Logistics. Dom Scandinaro is CTO at Cameo.

Podcast episode production by Dante32.

Best Of: Growth and Continuous Innovation with Chris Brown

Thu, 24 Apr 2025 06:00:00 -0500

At the start of last year, we had a really inspiring conversation with Chris Brown and are excited to reshare it this year, in our “Best Of” series. Originally published 01/25/24.

An exceptional company culture builds when steadfast employee commitment meets deep trust by customers. Chris Brown encountered this when he joined Relativity as Chief Product Officer in 2018. Chris joined the team in the early stages of their transition to SaaS and embraced the moment of disruption and opportunity—a familiar territory in his career, which included ten years at Orbitz Worldwide. From the perspective of CPO, Chris offers unique insights into the transition period from on-prem to SaaS, addressing legacy technology, embracing the customer as a co-innovator by building plentiful touchpoints, and the intricate SaaS sales process. Speaking on what SaaS can inimitably provide, Chris muses on “a continuous stream of innovation at high availability” and customer success.

In this episode, Chris looks ahead to the future to discuss how AI and LLMs will impact the law industry and finding effective uses for the technology. He shares how one of the oldest industries in the world can embrace the best of AI’s capabilities while mitigating the risks by including the law's critical element: human decision-making and validation.

With experience as a CEO and CPO, Chris shares the distinctions between the roles that stem from the needs of a particular company and offers how his arrival at Relativity reflected intentional scaling that led to further success. In discussing the Chicago startup environment and continued growth at Relativity, Chris talks about acquiring the contract review company Heretik and considering an acquisitive approach as one path of innovation and building a strong product portfolio.

(02:24) – Introducing Chris Brown
(04:56) – CPO vs. CEO
(06:30) – Sales in the SaaS world
(08:59) – Relativity
(10:58) – Building an effective SaaS company
(15:43) – Co-innovating with customers
(17:59) – AI and the law industry
(22:18) – Looking ahead
(23:59) – An acquisitive approach

Chris Brown is the Chief Product Officer at Relativity, a cloud review software that helps users “organize data, discover truth, and act on it.” Previously, he served as Senior Vice President and Chief Product Officer at Orbitz Worldwide and CEO and Board Member of Kapow! Chris earned a bachelor's degree in computer engineering from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champagne.

If you'd like to receive new episodes as they're published, please subscribe to Innovation and the Digital Enterprise in Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. If you enjoyed this episode, please consider leaving a review in Apple Podcasts. It really helps others find the show.

Podcast episode production by Dante32.

Resonant Insights On Leadership: A Compilation

Thu, 10 Apr 2025 06:00:00 -0500

In this episode, we look back on invaluable leadership insights shared by renowned executives across the technology industry. Featuring wisdom from Christine Sandman Stone, Arne Saupe, Jorie Sax, Thulasi Kethini, and Tony Newcome, the discussion delves into the distinct skill sets required for leadership, the importance of fostering a culture of innovation, and the critical need for supportive and open communication within teams. These leaders unpack practical advice for setting meaningful goals, building complementary partnerships, and maintaining resilience. We learn about the ways leadership requires courage, decisiveness, and the ability to connect deeply with team members. Their words provide a rich tapestry of experiences and strategies to inspire aspiring and current leaders.

(00:00) Introduction to Leadership Insights
(02:10) Christine Sandman Stone on Leadership vs. Development
(03:18) Arne Saupe on Leadership Culture and Talent
(04:54) Jorie Sax on Empowering Creativity and Innovation
(06:19) Thulasi Kethini on Fostering Curiosity
(08:26) Tony Newcome on Connecting and Supporting Your Team
(10:43) Christine Sandman Stone on Setting Meaningful Goals
(11:16) Arne Saupe on Vision
(11:55) Tony Newcome on Mentorship
(14:03) Christine Sandman Stone on Being a First-Time Leader
(14:45) Conclusion: Reflecting on Effective Leadership

Christine Sandman Stone is the former Global Head of Product & Engineering Operations & Strategy at Groupon. Arne Saupe is the former CTO at Farmer’s Fridge and newly appointed CTO at Wellfound Foods. Jorie Sax heads United Airlines’ Innovation Lab. Thulasi Kethini is the Executive Director and Head of Data Engineering at JPMorgan, Tony Newcome is CTO at ActiveCampaign.

Podcast episode production by Dante32.

Building Trust While Leading Change with Toner Babovac

Thu, 27 Mar 2025 06:00:00 -0500

Today, Patrick and Shelli are joined by Toner Babovac, the Technology Managing Director and Senior Location Executive at IBM. In our chat, Toner delves into his long career at IBM and how building trust has allowed him to drive innovation while coordinating a large team. He highlights the role of effective communication, in particular the importance of video calls and in-person meetings for fostering a strong team culture, especially in a hybrid work environment.

Toner also shares his approach to leadership and coaching, emphasizing the difference between mentoring and coaching, and the importance of asking thoughtful questions to help teammates arrive at their own answers. We talk about ways to simplify complex projects, and close with a discussion on the future of hybrid work.

(00:24) Introducing Toner Babovac
(03:23) Building Trust in Business Relationships
(08:31) Importance of In-Person Collaboration
(11:45) Mentoring vs. Coaching
(18:33) Simplifying Complex Problems
(23:17) The 80/20 Rule in Manufacturing
(25:34) Encouraging Introverts to Share Insights
(33:04) Navigating Hybrid Work Environments
(39:01) Final Thoughts

Toner Babovac is the Technology Managing Director and Senior Location Executive at IBM. He’s had a long career at IBM, holding VP positions, and working in software leadership and sales. Previously he was Principal Account Manager at Amazon Web Services, and Vice President at PSC Group. He earned his Bachelor’s degree at Bradley University then later did grad work at Harvard Business School and at the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania. In addition to his responsibilities at IBM, he is a musician, an active speaker, presenting “Toner Talks”, and he teaches Personal Finance at Peoria Central High School.

Podcast episode production by Dante32.

Impatience, Impact, and Exceeding Expectations with Jay Topper

Thu, 13 Mar 2025 06:00:00 -0500

In today’s episode Patrick and Shelli welcome Jay Topper, Chief Customer Officer at Fabric, to discuss his extensive career, leadership practices, and retail trends in 2025. In our wide-ranging discussion, Jay emphasizes the importance of curiosity, self-awareness, and a 'hero culture' within organizations to foster quick and effective change. As an advocate for rapid execution and overcoming complacency, he offers practical advice for leaders to push their teams, but not push them away. Jay unpacks how to strike a balance between speed and thoughtful decision-making to achieve attainable and sustainable successes.

(00:23) Welcome Jay Topper
(02:15) Jay's Role at Fabric
(03:47) Retail Industry Insights for 2025
(09:00) Navigating Technology and AI in Retail Tech
(14:30) Pushing for Speed in your Teams
(23:56) Building a Hero Culture
(26:36) Handling Crisis with Levity
(29:11) Building Trust in a New Company
(41:42) Embracing Impatience
(44:31) The Value of Being Proven Wrong
(49:02) Closing Thoughts

Jay Topper, Chief Customer Officer at Fabric, is a US Army and Coast Guard veteran, who earned a Bachelors degree at the US Coast Guard Academy, and a Masters degree at NYU Tandon School of Engineering. After a decade serving our nation, he’s had an exceptional 30 year civilian career, holding technology leadership roles like Chief Digital Officer, Chief Information Officer, Chief Technology Officer at Chico's FAS, FTD, Vitacost, and Rosetta Stone. He hosts his own podcast for Fabric exploring leadership and retail tech, called “Chiefly Digital.”

Podcast episode production by Dante32.

Piloting Transformation in Tamper Evident Solutions with Ben Rogers

Thu, 09 Jan 2025 06:00:00 -0500

In this episode of Innovation and the Digital Enterprise, Patrick Emmons and Shelli Nelson chat with Ben Rogers, the President of TydenBrooks, a global leader in the manufacture of tamper evident safety and security seals. Ben has had a notable career at Madison Industries, primarily focusing on growth and strategic acquisitions. Ben unpacks his roles, specifically discussing his customer focused approach to innovating tamper evident products. He explains the importance of providing tamper evidence in real-time through digital capabilities, addressing theft and contamination issues in the medical and transportation sectors, and leveraging customer feedback for product development.

Ben shares anecdotes from his career, emphasizing the significance of speed and rapid iteration, resource allocation, the value of trust in customer communication, and the role the Covid pandemic played in encouraging leadership growth and transformation.

(00:26) Welcome Ben Rogers
(01:34) Ben's Role at TydenBrooks
(02:43) Innovative Solutions in Tamper Evidence
(05:33) Challenges in the Supply Chain
(07:19) Career Path and Lessons Learned
(11:11) Developing Digital Products
(14:07) Customer Collaboration and Feedback
(16:39 Reflections on Innovation and Speed
(20:26) Final Thoughts

Ben Rogers has spent his entire career at Madison Industries, recently taking on the role of president at TydenBrooks. Previously Ben served as general manager of direct to consumer at Conair Industries. Ben earned his Bachelor of Science in Applied Economics and Management from Cornell University graduating cum laude with concentrations in finance and entrepreneurship. And he was also captain of the Cornell football team.

Podcast episode production by Dante32.

Driving Data-Informed Growth in Financial Services with Michael Lambert

Thu, 19 Dec 2024 06:00:00 -0500

In this episode of Innovation and Digital Enterprise, we sit down with Michael Lambert, Chief Innovation Officer at Wintrust Financial. Michael discusses his role in driving innovation and technological advancements within Wintrust, focusing on the significant growth and transformation he has witnessed during his tenure. We chat about strategies for leveraging data to make informed decisions, and about the fundamental importance of building strong relationships to fostering a supportive workplace culture.

Shelli, Patrick, and Michael discuss the role of AI and automation in the financial services sector and specifically the importance of AI oversight, governance, and human in the loop. Michael shares insights into the ways that Wintrust is able to maintain a community-focused approach while embracing forward-looking technological solutions, like AI.

(00:24) Introducing Michael Lambert, Chief Innovation Officer
(01:40) Michael's Role at Wintrust Financial
(03:14) Technological Innovations at Wintrust
(05:50) Maintaining Relationships Amidst Growth
(08:46) Leadership and Change Management
(13:46) The Role of AI and Automation
(16:59) AI Dataset Analysis
(20:25) Future of AI and Emerging Roles
(26:35) Data Security and AI Training

Michael Lambert is the Chief Innovation Officer at Wintrust Financial. Before stepping into his current role, Michael served as the Senior Vice President of IT Services and the Chief Technology Officer at Wintrust. In his early career, he served as Director of Operations at Open Solutions Group, and as Lead Data Proof Operator at Algonquin State Bank. Michael earned a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration and Management from Penn Foster Group.

Podcast episode production by Dante32.

Balancing Security, Trust, and Transformation with Deepak Kaimal

Thu, 05 Dec 2024 06:00:00 -0500

In this episode of the Innovation and the Digital Enterprise, Shelli and Patrick chat about industry advancements and leadership with Deepak Kaimal, Chief Technology Officer at COMPLY. He was previously CTO at Exostar, and held that role when this episode was recorded.

Exostar, founded in 2000 by industry leaders like Boeing, Raytheon, and Lockheed Martin, provides secure collaboration and risk management solutions to the defense and life sciences sectors. Deepak shares his journey from an engineering student in Mumbai to becoming the CTO of this pivotal player in secure technology.

We discuss Exostar's mission, the balance between secure collaboration and innovation, and trends in identity and access management. Deepak emphasizes the importance of curiosity, dealing with change, and leading teams in ways that foster a culture that balances trust, security, and innovation.

(00:25) Meet Deepak Kaimal
(02:49) Deepak's Early Education and Career Journey
(07:05) The Founding and Mission of Exostar
(10:40) Balancing Security and Innovation at Exostar
(16:11) Trends in Identity and Access Management
(18:17) Leadership and Technological
(22:35) The Excitement of New Tech Advancements
(29:13 Final Thoughts and Advice for Leaders

Deepak Kaimal is currently the Chief Technology Officer at COMPLY, a compliance solution provider for global financial services firms. Previously, at Exostar, he oversaw the design, development, operations and evolution of The Exostar Platform. Prior to Exostar, Deepak served as CTO at ArrowStream and VP of Engineering at Flexera. Earlier in his career, Deepak held roles at Cars.com, JPMorgan Chase, Rolls-Royce, Capgemini, and Intiqua International. He earned a degree in Engineering from the University of Mumbai.

Podcast episode production by Dante32.

Manage Complexity, Maintain Quality: Hospitality Tech with Jeff Miller

Thu, 31 Oct 2024 06:00:00 -0500

Today we talk with Jeff Miller, Chief Product Officer at Coates Group, about his extensive experience in retail and restaurant technology, emphasizing the role of digital transformation in enhancing customer and employee experiences across Quick Service Restaurants (QSRs). We explore the integration of digital and in-store experiences, the significance of mobile ordering and loyalty programs, along with the challenges of managing a complex partner ecosystem.

Looking forward, Patrick, Shelli, and Jeff discuss AI-driven innovations, the transition from static to dynamic digital environments, and the physical and technological trends that are reshaping the industry.

Jeff highlights the importance of scalable innovation, and goes deep on his commitment to balancing technological advancements, while maintaining essential human connections.

(00:27) Meet Jeff Miller
(01:21) Jeff's Role at Coates Group
(03:51) From Construction Engineering to Tech Consulting
(11:28) Innovations in the QSR Space
(15:28) Global Growth and Customer Connection
(15:41) Evolution of Menu Boards
(16:17) Optimizing Customer Experience
(17:54) Challenges in Restaurant Technology
(19:29) Traditional vs. New QSRs
(25:42) Future of Customer Interactions

Jeff Miller is the Chief Product Officer at Coates Group, and former Vice President of Retail Technology at Foxtrot. He has more than a decade of expertise in the retail and restaurant technology space, specializing in creating modern in-store experiences that seamlessly integrate with digital technology to enhance customer experiences. Prior to his leadership roles, Jeff earned his Bachelor of Science in Engineering from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.

Podcast episode production by Dante32.

Building Collaborative, User-Centered Product Teams with Kal Walkden

Thu, 17 Oct 2024 06:00:00 -0500

On today’s show, we chat with Kal Walkden, the Vice President of Product Engineering at Double Good. Double Good’s virtual fundraising app connects teams with their supporters to help athletes, coaches, and students raise funds through popcorn sales. Focusing on seamless ease-of-use for both the fundraisers and their supporters, Double Good turns online snack sales into “uniforms, safety pads, cleats, calculators, test tubes, travel opportunities, and brand new experiences.”

Kal's extensive expertise in product and technology leadership has been vital in advancing Double Good’s mission. He talks to Innovation and the Digital Enterprise about how Double Good's virtual platform flourished during the pandemic, a key pivot during a moment that challenged traditional in person fundraising.

Kal explains the significance of user-centered design, and the adoption of the Spotify engineering model to enhance his team’s efficiency. We talk hiring practices, core values, future growth strategies, and how Kal’s 25+ years of hands-on leadership has successfully shaped tech-driven organizations.

(00:25) Meet Kal Walkden: VP of Product Engineering at Double Good
(01:13) Double Good's Journey and Success
(06:09) The Spotify Engineering Model
(13:51) Implementing the Spotify Model at Double Good
(19:38) Challenges and Future Goals

Kal Walkden is the Vice President of Product Engineering at Double Good. His past roles include Chief Technology Officer at Paladin; Head of Engineering at HelloFresh; CTO at Lextegrity; CTO at ForeverCar. He currently serves as a mentor at Code Platoon. He holds a Bachelors in Computer Engineering and a Masters in Parallel and Distributed Computing both from Northwestern University.

Podcast episode production by Dante32.

How Local Content Creators are Reshaping Marketing with Emily Steele

Thu, 03 Oct 2024 06:00:00 -0500

“It’s marketing through people instead of at them,” says Emily Steele, CEO and Co-founder of Hummingbirds. In this episode of Innovation and the Digital Enterprise we talk with Emily about how Hummingbirds is leveraging hyperlocal content creators to drive brand awareness and sales.

Emily shares her journey from running a local marketing agency to founding Hummingbirds, emphasizing the power of word-of-mouth marketing and community-driven content. She explains Hummingbirds’ unique approach of fostering relationships between local businesses and hyperlocal content creators, who serve as community-scale advocates for the brand.

We discuss how in our oversaturated digital marketing landscape, Hummingbirds delivers meaningful, authentic, relationship-driven results. We close our conversation chatting about Emily’s future goals and plans for growth, and the challenge of scaling while maintaining that authenticity.

(01:28) Emily Steele on the beginnings of Hummingbirds
(02:36) The power of local influence
(08:12) Scaling, Community Building and Exploring new verticals
(11:51) The Hummingbirds community
(16:52) Emily's journey to entrepreneurship
(18:13) Building a successful brand and Achieving rapid growth
(20:36) Strategies for success
(24:38) Measuring impact and ROI
(27:44) Exciting opportunities ahead
(30:29) Fun facts about Hummingbirds

Emily Steele is the CEO and Co-founder of Hummingbirds, a SaaS company helping brands connect to local customers through digital word-of-mouth marketing. Before launching Hummingbirds, Emily proved a passionate advocate for local Des Moines businesses as the owner of Love Local. She has a Bachelor's in business administration, from Drake University, and studied at Richmond, the American International University in London. When she’s not championing local business, she helps organize The Water Ride, an annual bike ride that raises funds for clean water efforts in Ghana.

Podcast episode production by Dante32.

Continuous Learning and Sharing from Engineer to Executive with Ann Yeung

Thu, 19 Sep 2024 06:00:00 -0500

Wouldn’t it be great if your boss had a user guide for achieving success under their leadership? Ann Yeung’s team at GEICO, where she serves as the Vice President of Engineering, Head of Enterprise Engineering, received one. In her “user guide,” Ann shares her expectations, values, and tools for successful collaboration that go well beyond pet peeves to establish communicative, empowered teams.

In this episode, Ann discusses her transition to GEICO and the critical role of managing corporate functions during transformation. She shares her journey from individual contributor to leader and how she applies the lessons she’s learned along the way. Ann offers how her perspective has changed over time, (ex. how experience is important but unique application to any particular scenario is key) and outlines how her leadership values match her personal values: integrity, transparency, and direct communication.

As a leader, Ann ensures that her approach includes two critical elements: understanding the problem from the lens of the business stakeholders and carving out time for reflection. Ann discusses welcoming feedback and challenging her teams with growth opportunities with intentional mentorship. She discusses how, as an engineer at heart, her love of data couples with empirical evidence to guide her decision making and the importance of responsible leadership.

(2:10) – Enterprise engineering at GEICO
(4:22) – Playbook for success
(8:46) – Transition to leadership
(13:46) – “Ann Yeung User Guide”
(20:47) – Building relationships and trust
(23:34) – Opening the door to feedback
(27:52) – Recovery
(30:09) – Decision-making
(32:06) – Empowering your team

Ann Yeung is the Vice President of Engineering, Head of Enterprise Engineering at GEICO. Ann is a senior technology executive and business strategist with over twenty years of experience in various industries, including roles at Northwestern Mutual, Capital One, and US Foods. She is the Director of Women Who Code Chicago Network and serves on the Board of Directors for Chinese American Service League and STEM Forward. Ann earned a bachelor’s degree in computer science and mathematics from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.

Podcast episode production by Dante32.

Leading a Global, Multi-Year, Cloud Transformation with Megan Williams

Thu, 05 Sep 2024 06:00:00 -0500

Does the “I don’t know how we’re gonna do this?” feeling ever fade? In large-scale transformation, Megan Williams, VP of Global Technology Strategy and Transformation at TransUnion, doesn’t think so. Leading global, multi-year transformation programs continues to prompt the major questions: What is our vision? What is the approach? With over 20 years of experience, the initial intimidation remains, but Megan and her teams persist.

In this episode, Megan shares how guiding TransUnion’s transformation from on-premise data centers to the cloud has evolved over her four years from a “lift and shift” to a modernization transformation. Growing up in South Africa, Megan’s career has spanned three continents giving her an exceptional glimpse into the work cultures of different countries. Megan highlights the similarities (think: personalities) and differences (think: daily schedule) that she’s experienced and the importance of relating to teams across the globe.

Diving deeper into leadership, Megan discusses how her approach can be summed up as vulnerability and transparency. How can she make thousands feel like six people in a garage? She embraces public conversations and welcomes a challenging question. Megan offers a glimpse into her leadership style with a story of how her continued presence at a daily call had a surprising result and how adjustment is necessary when your intentions fall out of alignment with your impact. Megan shares how effective communication can lean on conversation and support from different ways of connecting.

(01:40) – Joining TransUnion
(05:05) – Journey to technology
(10:52) – A career across three continents
(15:00) – Large transformation programs
(18:57) – Vulnerability and transparency
(24:51) – “Overcommunication”

Megan Williams is the VP of Global Technology Strategy and Transformation at TransUnion. She has over 20 years of experience spanning software development to leading global, multi-year transformations and implementing large, complex program delivery in fast-paced technical industries. Megan earned a bachelor’s degree in computer science and economics from the University of Witwatersrand in South Africa.

Podcast episode production by Dante32.

AI, Analytics, and the Future of FinTech with Srikanth Geedipalli

Thu, 22 Aug 2024 07:00:00 -0500

Out of approximately 5,000 lending institutions nationwide, Srikanth Geedipalli and the team at Experian have developed relationships with 3,000 of them, and the list continues to grow. As Senior Vice President of AI Product Management and Commercialization, Srikanth is spearheading the productization and democratization of data.

In this episode, Srikanth explains how he promotes innovation at Experian, accounting for its size, role as a trusted brand, and regulated and compliance-oriented processes. He shares his career journey in three parts—banker, strategy executor, and AI and analytics executive—and how the positionalities create a full picture of the issues he’s trying to solve. Srikanth shares how Experian has embraced its rich data history in building analytic and AI ecosystems that have made these resources more affordable to clients beyond the big banks.

As a leader, Srikanth endorses the “crawl, walk, run” method on the boldest visions. He shares how to balance focusing on niche solutions and a wider vision. Srikanth discusses how he encourages his team to move as quickly as possible and how rapid innovation can continue to push boundaries and work symbiotically with approval chains and compliance.

In discussing artificial intelligence, Srikanth shares how he sees the future of AI, specifically gen AI, its rapidly approaching role in all products, an anticipated boom of gen AI agents, and how to embrace the transformative technology in your life and for the next generation.

(03:30) – Journey to Experian
(05:45) – Productizing and democratizing data
(09:26) – Innovation in a large organization
(12:58) – Engendering trust and confidence
(15:57) – Having a big vision
(17:13) – Client profile
(19:44) – Inspiration
(21:19) – Acting like a small business
(24:33) – Team incentives
(28:28) – Where is gen AI heading?
(31:30) – Gen AI agents
(33:32) – What should you do?

Srikanth Geedipalli is the Senior Vice President of AI Product Management and Commercialization at Experian. Previously, he served as Head of US Strategy at BMO Financial Group, a strategy consultant for McKinsey & Company, and an analytics leader at Capital One. Srikanth earned an MS in Biomedical Engineering from Cornell University and an MBA from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business.

Podcast episode production by Dante32.

Cross-Team Connections and Logistics Solutions with Christina Garcia

Thu, 08 Aug 2024 06:00:00 -0500

Sticky notes might be the key to successful leadership. Christina Garcia, Senior Vice President of Engineering at Echo Global Logistics, keeps a few posted nearby with essential reminders to guide her in difficult moments. When leading teams of engineers attempting to disrupt the logistics space grows challenging, having a reminder of foundational leadership tools can be the key to accurately identifying an issue and swift resolution.

In this episode, Christina discusses determining what to build and creating team-wide investment in its success. She considers the role of research and development from pie-in-the-sky projects to simpler, value-adding solutions. Christina offers her perspective on building narrative and encouraging engineers and developers to witness the value firsthand. (For example, “If your grandmother was in the store shopping, what is the experience you’d like her to have with the software?”)

Considering culture, Christina dives into a culture of accountability and being a champion of quality. She shares her thoughts on shifting left, the results she’s seen in earlier testing processes, and searching for the root cause of an issue. Alongside accountability, Christina identifies key areas of success like avoiding silos of communication and leaning on creativity in strategic planning. She offers her perspective on leading a team of passionate engineers and her approach to leading the group through transition (ex. one-on-one time with everyone). One key to her team’s success at Echo: carrying the load together. Speaking on leadership, Christina shares how to work across different strengths and mindsets, build trust, set clear expectations, embrace vulnerability, and ask for help.

(01:30) – Echo
(02:52) – Finding software
(05:15) – Building the right things
(08:52) – Narrative
(10:36) – Witnessing the value
(13:00) – Shifting left
(15:13) – Recognizing the hurdles
(16:15) – Little leadership reminders
(17:38) – Leading engineers
(19:57) – Building passionate teams
(22:57) – Setting clear expectations
(27:17) – Creative solutions and planning
(32:30) – Asking for help

Christina Garcia is a Senior Vice President of Engineering at Echo Global Logistics. Her technology and business expertise have led to career achievements in engineering, strategic technology implementation, and leadership, including positions at Capital One, SEQR, Sears Holdings Corporation, and OfficeMax. Christina earned a bachelor’s degree in computer software engineering and a master’s degree in e-commerce at DePaul University.

Podcast episode production by Dante32.

Disagreement, Trust, and Building High-Performing Teams with Dan Kirsche

Thu, 25 Jul 2024 06:00:00 -0500

Joining a new company and being tasked with adding value and building high-performing teams starts with one key question: what is the organizational structure? Experienced technology leader Dan Kirsche has recently joined Chamberlain Group as the Senior Vice President of Software Engineering after a robust career of leading software engineers. With innovation and team building on his mind, Dan shares key lessons in culture-creating behaviors, embracing disagreement, and successful leadership.

In this episode, Dan discusses the importance of properly structured autonomous teams. He reflects on how leadership on these small teams can smoothly operate and their recommended size. Dan shares how these teams are the fundamental building blocks and that creating the right culture at the team level is essential. As a leader, Dan reveals that a continued focus on quality means that he is looped in when production issues are being discussed (Leaders, join the Slack channel!) and how strong leaders must be familiar with the severity and frequency of these issues.

Beyond focusing on quality, Dan dives into additional values he seeks to find in team members growing into leadership positions. He shares how pushing into an area of discomfort is key while sharing actionable mentorship strategies for providing those challenging and meaningful growth opportunities. Acknowledging how difficult tech leadership can be, Dan discusses the role of accountability and ownership, including how leaders must demonstrate the ability to receive feedback. Dan shares how opinionated, strategically disagreeable team members add value and, alongside other qualities that make them enjoyable to work with, are key members of teams that quickly find the right answers.

(01:40) – Leading software engineering at Chamberlain Group
(04:20) – Driving better practices
(06:57) – Culture-creating behaviors
(09:52) – A focus on quality
(13:28) – Organization culture vs. team culture
(16:05) – Accountability and ownership
(19:47) – Embracing discomfort
(23:42) – Building opinionated and innovative teams
(29:14) – A willingness to disagree
(30:57) – On leadership

Dan Kirsche is an experienced technology executive and Senior Vice President of Software Engineering at Chamberlain Group. Previously, he was the Chief Technology Officer at CURO Financial Technologies Corp and lead software engineering at Enova International, project44, and Groupon. Dan earned his MBA from Northwestern University Kellogg School of Management and a bachelor’s degree in computer science from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.

Podcast episode production by Dante32.

Best Of: Accelerating Digital Transformation at Allstate with Christopher Paquette

Thu, 11 Jul 2024 06:00:00 -0500

At the start of summer last year, we had a really inspiring conversation with Christopher Paquette and are excited to reshare it this year, in our “Best Of” series. Originally published 06/29/23.

Tasked with accelerating digital transformation at Allstate, Christopher Paquette recognizes the digital potential embedded everywhere. Reflecting on his first year as Chief Digital Transformation Officer at Allstate, Christopher shares essential lessons in collaboration, creating value for the customer, and transformation strategy.

In this episode, Christopher discusses focus areas of connectivity, automation, decisioning, and pattern recognition. He gives examples of analysis indicators and the various speeds of digital transformation. Christopher dives into the idea of influence when your discipline is not siloed and discusses his passion for community building through music and music education.

(01:42) – Introducing Christopher Paquette
(03:21) – Digital transformation
(07:04) – Decisioning
(09:11) – Relationship building and collaboration
(13:34) – Influence
(18:10) – Outcomes and determining the “why”
(21:51) – Indicators: starts, containment, and satisfaction
(24:40) – Beginning a role in Q2
(26:01) – Dedication to music and The People’s Music School

Christopher Paquette is the Chief Digital Transformation Officer at Allstate. Previously, Christopher served as a Partner at McKinsey & Company for twelve years. His over two-decade career has orbited strategy, digital, and analytics. Christopher earned an MBA from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University.

Podcast episode production by Dante32.

Best Of: Engineering Your Career Progression with Deborah Spence-Cummings

Thu, 27 Jun 2024 06:00:00 -0500

We had a fascinating conversation with Deborah Spence-Cummings in late 2022 and are excited to reshare it in our “Best Of” series. Originally published 12/01/22.

Only an exceptional innovator would look at a burgeoning career in operations and pause to examine their reputation and evaluate their goals. With the help of an executive coach, Deborah Spence-Cummings did just that and now serves as the Director of AI/ML Operations at Apple.

Deborah shares how she used an engineering mindset developed at MIT and Northwestern to drive her career progression through positions in operations, planning, project management, sales, and now, artificial intelligence and machine learning. In this conversation with Pat and Shelli, Deborah also discusses her contributions to the innovative processes at Apple and NAVTEQ and how she navigated her career when obvious opportunities did not appear.

(01:27) – Machine learning and AI
(08:09) – Studying material science
(11:38) – Journey to NAVTEQ
(18:14) – Taking on different roles
(21:45) – Working with an executive coach
(26:51) – The engineering of sales
(28:33) – Approach to leadership
(30:27) – Advocates in your network

Deborah Spence-Cummings is the Director of AI/ML Operations at Apple. She has previously held executive and senior roles at HERE Technologies and NAVTEQ across operations, planning, program management, and sales. Deborah earned a bachelor's and master's degree in materials science and engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and an MBA at the Kellogg Graduate School of Management at Northwestern University.

Podcast episode production by Dante32.

Don't Pursue a Bad Idea to the End: Leadership and OKRs with Christine Sandman Stone

Thu, 13 Jun 2024 06:00:00 -0500

OKRs are easy to set up badly. Christine Sandman Stone, CEO and founder of Deliver at Scale, focuses on this key element for success based on her years leading agile transformations. Beginning with her journey, Christine shares her path to leadership and the critical lessons she’s learned—and shared—along the way.

In this episode, Christine provides a glimpse into her world guiding teams to hone in on their goals. First, she offers her perspective on setting the objective and determining the quantitative measurement of that goal. Then, Christine shares the critical element of measurement periods (90 days!) and how to maintain the right outlook on pursuing these goals.

Christine offers key lessons from her book The Parent Track: Work-Life Balance Hacks to Elevate Your Career and Raise Good Humans on how to continue advancing your career during parenthood. She offers tips (ex. the word “conflict” is your friend) and her experiences that led her to share those lessons. Christine dives into her most recent book that set out to provide tangible resources for new managers: The Modern Management Mentor: Next-Level Tools for New Managers, inspired by the questions she fielded during her own daughter’s promotion.

Later in the conversation, Christine discusses the state of leadership and management training. She endorses the advancement of individual contributors that does not necessarily require managing people and discusses a multi-track approach.

(01:38) – Introducing Christine Sandman Stone
(06:18) – OKRs
(09:35) – Narrowing in on the objective
(13:14) – 90-day measurements
(17:45) – The Parent Track
(23:20) – The Modern Management Mentor
(27:04) – Leadership development
(33:31) – Individual contributor growth opportunities

Christine Sandman Stone is the CEO and founder of Deliver at Scale and former Global Head of Product & Engineering, Operations & Strategy at Groupon. She has previously worked with Dell, McDonald’s, and Volkswagen. Christine is the author of The Parent Track and The Modern Management Mentor. She earned her bachelor’s degree in philosophy from Miami University and a master’s in management and organizational behavior from Benedictine University.

Podcast episode production by Dante32.

Pioneering Change from Code to C-Suite with Gene Kim

Thu, 30 May 2024 06:00:00 -0500

Should we look beyond technology organizations to learn essential lessons on how to innovate and run successful, complex technology organizations? Gene Kim believes so and contains unbridled curiosity for transformation across industries, as seen in his most recent book Wiring the Winning Organization. Gene Kim returns to share new lessons in change-making for leaders and companies tackling an array of challenges.

Gene Kim is a bestselling author of several books on technology innovation, DevOps, and organizational strategy. He founded and served as CTO of Tripwire for thirteen years, an enterprise security software company, and is the founder of IT Revolution. Gene offers an engineering perspective with an executive-eye view.

In this episode, Gene discusses being inspired by Toyota and his goal to lead great organizations toward the most effective, liberated problem-solving capabilities. He shares how coordination is the layer that is the difference-maker in a successful company and offers several case studies across industries. Gene highlights three key factors in a cohesive organization: 1) independence of action, 2) time (for practice and planning, and experimentation and implementation), and 3) actionable feedback that reaches the right people at the right time.

Gene offers a metaphor from his book—moving a couch—that exemplifies his experience in communication and coordination. With this simple metaphor, Gene shares how small, cross-functional teams with the right number of collaborators are a great tool for success.

Join Gene in Las Vegas from August 20 to 22, 2024, at the Enterprise Technology Leadership Summit (formerly DevOps Enterprise Summit).

(01:40) – Gene Kim returns
(04:22) – Layer three as difference-maker
(09:22) – Healthcare case studies
(11:55) – Three mechanisms for a cohesion
(15:04) – The CheckBox Project
(20:29) – “Slowification”
(26:55) – “Great in the large, great in the small”
(29:03) – Specialization of roles and coordination
(34:34) – The technology leader’s boss

Gene Kim is an author, researcher, and technology leader studying high-performing technology organizations since 1999. Gene founded and served as Chief Technology Officer of Tripwire, Inc. for thirteen years, an enterprise security software company. He is the WSJ bestselling author of Wiring the Winning Organization, The Unicorn Project, and co-author of The Phoenix Project, The DevOps Handbook, and the Shingo Publication Award-winning Accelerate. Since 2014, he has organized the Enterprise Technology Leadership Summit (formerly DevOps Enterprise Summit), studying the technology transformations of large, complex organizations.

Podcast episode production by Dante32.

Best of: Forging a New Path with David Heinemeier Hansson

Thu, 09 May 2024 06:00:00 -0500

We had a great conversation with David Heinemeier Hansson in 2023 and are excited to reshare it in our “Best Of” series.

Originally published 11/2/23.

Profound innovation has occurred across web-based communication technologies in the last decade, and truly accelerated in the years since the start of the pandemic. But David Heinemeier Hansson recognized a massively neglected arena, one we all use, every day: email. Bringing his experience as co-owner and Chief Technology Officer at 37signals (Basecamp, Ruby on Rails, and more), David launched HEY, an innovative approach to email that provides a modernized, user-first service. In this episode of Innovation and the Digital Enterprise, David articulates a dedication to forging new paths in software and entrepreneurship.

He shares important lessons in approaching remote work, including the essential pillar of embracing asynchronicity. He dives into how he structures his day for success and offers a counterpoint to the American workplace culture of bragging about busyness and 80+ hour weeks. Finally, David provides insight into the current state of cloud technology and his company’s recent—successful and swift—migration off the cloud.

(01:48) – 37signals
(03:27) – HEY
(09:54) – Advantages
(17:32) – Detecting spy pixels
(19:45) – The pandemic’s impact
(23:42) – Embracing asynchronicity for success
(29:07) – An American culture of busyness
(34:31) – Importance of sleep
(38:52) – Cloud technology
(46:55) – Bringing applications home

David Heinemeier Hansson is co-owner and Chief Technology Officer of 37signals (Basecamp & HEY), creator of Ruby on Rails, and best-selling author, including REWORK, It Doesn’t Have to be Crazy at Work, and Remote: Office Not Required. David is a Le Mans class-winning racing driver, photographer, antitrust advocate, and investor.

Podcast episode production by Dante32.

Metrics That Drive Performance with Leon Chism

Thu, 18 Apr 2024 06:00:00 -0500

Today we're sharing another insightful presentation from our most recent Innovative Executives League Summit, where Leon Chism, the Vice President of Engineering at Evolve, delivered a powerful lesson on collecting critical metrics for organization-wide success. As an experienced technologist and executive, Leon leads teams in unparalleled growth and innovation. In this presentation, Leon dives into how the collection of metrics examining speed and quality paired with human-driven evaluation and consistent reporting are the keys to success.

In this episode, Leon first dives into DORA metrics and the significance of collecting and reporting those figures of speed and quality. He overviews the additional customization of the data he collects; in one example, he looks closely at aging reports to determine where processes are sticking and gains a live perspective on getting those tasks unstuck by allocating more resources. As the last place to observe metrics, Leon offers a compelling outlook on examining team balance and individual metrics. ("You want to measure the process and not the people.") In further support of optimizing processes and not people, Leon shares his perspective on leaderboards, comparison, and other human-oriented metric frameworks of note.

In the final segment, Leon answers audience questions ranging from setting WIP limits (never too low), developer satisfaction, and key aspects of the communication around metrics to create a shared understanding and identify the value beyond the data.

(02:16) – DORA metrics
(07:39) – Aging Report
(10:15) – Balance and individual metrics
(12:22) – Metrics in the boardroom
(13:35) – SPACE Framework
(15:45) – Manual metric collection
(17:19) – Developer satisfaction
(18:48) – Gaming the metrics
(20:26) – WIP limits
(21:45) – Shared metrics and collaboration
(26:00) – Hardware, software, firmware
(27:05) – Communicating the metrics
(28:26) – Value beyond the data

Leon Chism is the Vice President of Engineering at Evolve. As an experienced technologist and executive, he has led innovation and technology at Jellyvision, DialogTech, Rewards Network, Analyte Health, PowerReviews, and ORBITZ. He earned a bachelor’s degree from the Gies College of Business at the University of Illinois Urbana-Campaign.

Podcast episode production by Dante32.

Disrupted: the Tech, the Talent and What’s Next with Tanya Hannah

Thu, 04 Apr 2024 06:00:00 -0500

Today we’re sharing another insightful presentation from our most recent Innovative Executives League Summit, where Tanya Hannah discusses the roadmap to navigate the ever-evolving tech landscape. As a seasoned transformational business executive, Tanya offers the pillars needed to survive major shifts and thrive in the opportunities presented by them.

In this episode, Tanya shares how critical a shared vision and strategy is in preparation. Teams cannot operate only with yesterday’s logic; they must look forward in anticipation of a pivot. Tanya offers how technologists can operate at the key intersection of short-term performance and long-term planning. She stresses the importance of a business perspective having a place in tech conversations and leaning into a skillset that embraces both.

As an award-winning technology leader, Tanya sees a path forward that focuses on data, talent, and vision. Tanya describes how data provides the competitive advantage businesses are looking for and how the ability to manipulate and understand the data is essential for the entire team. In focusing on the team itself, Tanya addresses how people are the key factor in remaining nimble (embracing in-house talent) and how the current shift in the labor environment points to the direction companies must anticipate. As remote and hybrid work continue, Tanya dives further into how focusing on talent is not only essential but teams and individuals must have a common understanding of the shared vision and strategy for success. While acknowledging the evolving technology and the often disruptive forces that shape the world today, Tanya Hannah offers a foundation to prepare for the future with tech and talent.

(01:17) – A room of disruptors
(02:36) – Adaptation
(04:33) – Acting with yesterday’s logic
(08:40) – Preparing to pivot
(10:35) – Driving business with tech
(13:02) – The win-win
(14:26) – Understanding data is a must
(16:10) – Focusing on people
(21:55) – How are we planning?

Tanya Hannah has held executive and senior roles at Aon, Amazon, CSC, and King County, Washington. Tanya is a three-time CIO 100 Award winner and a 2021 National CIO of the Year. She’s a graduate of the University of Maryland.

Podcast episode production by Dante32.

Innovating Through Stakeholder Centric Design with Desiree Vargas Wrigley

Thu, 21 Mar 2024 06:00:00 -0500

Today we’re sharing another insightful presentation from our most recent Innovative Executives League Summit, where Desiree Vargas Wrigley, Chief Innovation Officer of P33 Chicago and Executive Director of TechRise by P33, delivered a lesson in stakeholder-centric design. Desiree overviews the challenges Chicago’s underrepresented tech founders face and the process of developing TechRise’s initiatives. Highlighting the impact of TechRise and P33, Desiree presents a galvanizing picture of Chicago-based innovation that utilizes local money to generate a cycle of loyalty, growth, and investment that leans into Chicago’s advantages.

In this episode, Desiree asks: “Who succeeds when you succeed?” As an enthusiastic believer in Chicago’s potential as an innovation hub, Desiree is also unafraid to point out its shortcomings, such as the lack of popularity in social ventures and lack of recycled capital. Demonstrating a stakeholder-centric design process with the case study of TechRise, Desiree shows how focusing on the key question of identifying all the stakeholders and all the solutions that benefit them drives success. She discusses sifting through bias for actual data and the extensive discovery process that went into developing the initiatives of TechRise. Desiree articulates how re-imagining pitch competitions (frequency, environment, etc.) has opened doors for founders by acknowledging the obstacles that women founders and founders of color often face. Desiree shares her interest in conscious capitalism and asks, “What else is possible?”

(1:15) – P33 Chicago
(3:42) – Thinking about success
(4:53) – A foundation for providing support and resources
(6:57) – Stakeholder-centric design in four steps
(9:36) – Funding women and founders of color
(12:49) – TechRise
(15:20) – Identifying solutions
(16:35) – Weekly pitching
(19:12) – Looking at impact
(21:16) – What else is possible?

Desiree Vargas Wrigley is a serial entrepreneur with a track record of empowering women and people of color in the world of investing. Desiree is the Chief Innovation Officer of P33 Chicago and Executive Director of TechRise. She is a founding partner of The Josephine Collective and previously co-founded GiveForward. Desiree earned a bachelor’s degree in Latin American Studies from Yale University.

Podcast episode production by Dante32.

AI Overload: Cutting Through the Hype to Gain Practical Wins with Maya Mikhailov

Thu, 07 Mar 2024 06:00:00 -0500

Today we’re sharing another insightful presentation from our most recent Innovative Executives League Summit, where Maya Mikhailov, Chief Executive Officer and founder of SAVVI AI, discusses machine learning as a powerful toolkit of solutions. Comparing efficiency with and without AI, she highlights how the proper tool makes the difference and cuts through assumptions. Is Chat GPT the AI tool that makes Amazon such a success? No. It is Amazon's recommendation engine built on billions of data points. Looking beyond the hype of select functionalities of machine learning, AI applications abound.

In this episode, Maya introduces AI’s key practical uses, as she currently views the technology: decision automation, classification and prediction, large language models, and writing documentation and code. She emphasizes how natural language makes a query more accessible than programmatic language and shares example after example of increasing efficiency. Maya’s presentation sheds insight into where AI technologies are gaining traction (delinquencies) and continuing to grow in popularity (writing content).

Maya dives into the importance of guardrails, building trust, and maintaining transparency when utilizing machine learning. She shares where AI is having massive success (summarizing data) and the problems that might emerge from AI reliance (“code bloat”). Maya discusses how when AI is wrong, it is still learning. Employing the right AI tool is essential for strategy and meeting goals.

(1:40) – Machine learning
(4:45) – Examining data without AI
(5:41) – AI-executed tactics
(7:16) – Generative AI
(9:14) – Hallucinating
(10:57) – The practical realities
(12:41) – Decision automation
(15:28) – Classifications
(17:10) – Predictions
(18:15) – Large language models
(22:03) – Writing documentation and code

Maya Mikhailov is the Chief Executive Officer and founder of SAVVI AI. She co-founded GPShopper, which Synchrony acquired in 2017. At Synchrony, Maya served as SVP and General Manager of the Direct-to-Consumer group (FinTech AI). She has been a speaker at CES Money 2020 and CTIA and featured in Bloomberg, CNBC, Forbes, Business Insider, and other outlets. Maya served as an adjunct professor at New York University, lecturing on digital and mobile technology. She earned a bachelor's degree in international management at American University.

Podcast episode production by Dante32.

Funding Dynamic, Chicago-Based Innovation with Brad Henderson

Thu, 22 Feb 2024 06:00:00 -0500

Coupling a charitable mindset and a drive to solve some of the toughest intellectual and scientific problems has led to success for P33 Chicago and founding Chief Executive Officer Brad Henderson. Serving Chicago and embracing the city’s challenges and strengths, Brad envisions the city as a hub for new technologies built on collaborative and dynamic innovation, all while embracing inclusive growth.

In this episode, Brad shares the successes of P33 Chicago and TechRise’s efforts, including outlining how two million dollars invested into Black, Hispanic, and women founders led to ninety-three million in additional private financing. He discusses the lasting effects of starting a business under-capitalized and the realities of how most founders raise capital. Brad offers insight into connecting investors with opportunities where they might lack first-hand expertise or experience and the benefits of encountering and working with new people and ideas.

Brad dives into ongoing success stories in Chicago (EventNoire and more), the ripe environment for a Chicago-based battery boom, the new CZ Biohub, and the aims and recent triumphs of Innovate Illinois. He shares a key component to the city's success: the collaborative spirit of the top-caliber universities. Brad paints a picture of an innovative Chicago that utilizes the abundance of college graduates and embraces scientists and thinkers across institutions working together to create new technologies funded by bold Chicago investors and building on the city’s history of innovation.

(04:26) – Introducing Brad Henderson and P33 Chicago
(05:52) – TechRise
(07:27) – The impact of an under-capitalized start
(09:45) – Proof points and coaching founders
(12:05) – Success story: EventNoire
(14:21) – A battery boom
(18:41) – Chicago-based investors
(20:34) – The impact of exceptional, collaborative universities
(25:25) – Where is Chicago headed?
(26:17) – Leveraging a small staff
(29:38) – Chicago-based innovation and collaboration

Brad Henderson is the Founding Chief Executive Officer at P33 Chicago, the forward-thinking nonprofit organization dedicated to elevating Chicago's status as a world premier hub of technological discovery and development. Brad's leadership extends to various roles on boards and advisory committees of Interfaith Youth Core (Board Chair), the College Visiting Committee at the University of Chicago, the President’s Advisory Council at the University of Illinois, the College of Computing Advisory Board at Illinois Tech, Rush University Medical Center, Rush University (Board of Governors), Chicago Council on Global Affairs, and the Chicago History Museum. Brad earned a bachelor’s degree in economics with honors and a master's in social science from the University of Chicago. A Rhodes Scholar, Brad also earned a master’s of science in economics and social history from the University of Oxford and an MBA from Saiid Business School at the University of Oxford.

Podcast episode production by Dante32.

Large Language Models 101 with Michelangelo D'Agostino

Thu, 08 Feb 2024 06:00:00 -0500

Today we’re sharing another insightful presentation from our most recent Innovative Executives League Summit, where Michelangelo D’Agostino, VP of Machine Learning at Tegus, delivered a foundational lesson about large language models. Imagine you are Rip Van Winkle, as Michelangelo puts it, and you have woken up after a long sleep and encountered the current AI landscape. What have you missed? What do you need to know to move forward? Calling upon his data analysis and machine learning expertise, Michelangelo offers clear, concise insights to introduce audiences to the capabilities and shortcomings of large language models today.

In this presentation, Michelangelo integrates large language models to demonstrate their abilities. Defining the term and other critical ones (What does GPT mean?), he dives into the factors that have led to the exponential growth in these models since 2020 and details the training methodologies that led to major advances. Michelangelo covers how instruction tuning brought an exercise in probability to usefulness that will change industries.

Offering insight into the challenges large language models are encountering, Michelangelo walks audiences through a “hallucination,” where the LLM offers a confident answer that is incorrect—a concerning flaw--and displays how prompt engineering generates the correct result with a minor tweak. With the input and output being natural language, Michelangelo encourages people to embrace the low barrier of entry to try out the models directly (OpenAI’s ChatGPT, Anthropic’s Claude, and Google’s Bard) by writing prompts and learning its capabilities firsthand. Michelangelo shares the areas where he’s excited about the potential of large language models and their transformative power for text-heavy industries.

(00:58) – Demystifying AI
(03:37) – Large language models
(05:13) – Unpacking training
(08:43) – Why now?
(12:05) – Increased potential
(14:50) – Hallucinations
(16:26) – Prompt engineering
(18:25) – Applications of language models
(22:48) – Play around with it!

Michelangelo D’Agostino is the Vice President of Machine Learning at Tegus. Previously, he held leadership roles in data and machine learning at Cameo and ShopRunner. Michelangelo’s career as a technologist career is marked by his exploration of large language models and their applications in financial text data. He studied physics, earning a bachelor’s degree from Harvard University and a Ph.D. from the University of California, Berkeley.

Podcast episode production by Dante32.

Growth and Continuous Innovation with Chris Brown

Thu, 25 Jan 2024 06:00:00 -0500

(02:12) – Introducing Chris Brown
(04:44) – CPO vs. CEO
(06:18) – Sales in the SaaS world
(08:51) – Relativity
(10:46) – Building an effective SaaS company
(15:29) – Co-innovating with customers
(17:51) – AI and the law industry
(22:09) – Looking ahead
(23:48) – An acquisitive approach

Podcast episode production by Dante32.

The Inevitable Economics of Trust with Mark Achler

Thu, 11 Jan 2024 06:00:00 -0500

Today we’re sharing another insightful presentation from our most recent Innovative Executives League Summit, where Mark Achler, Managing Director of MATH Venture Partners, spoke about the central role of trust in a successful company—with customers, employees, and partners.

In this presentation, Mark details three experiences involving broken trust. He shares his journey remaining optimistic in the face of negativity and an array of reasons to embrace cynicism. Mark touches on several occurrences in which trust, ethics, and standards have been at the center of faltering companies and outlines why trusted companies perform better.

(01:11) – Three stories and a question
(20:34) – Optimism and cynicism
(25:22) – Economics of trust
(30:50) – Loss of trust and manipulation
(37:37) – Trust as offense and defense
(39:25) – Breaking promises

Mark Achler is the Managing Director at MATH Venture Partners, a VC fund focused on technical and digital companies. Mark is a faculty member at Northwestern University Kellogg School of Management in entrepreneurship and innovation and co-authored Exit Right with Mert Iseri. He earned a bachelor’s degree in history and economics from Purdue University.

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Podcast episode production by Dante32.

Innovation as a Process with Angel Mendez

Thu, 14 Dec 2023 06:00:00 -0500

It is essential for companies to approach transformation from many directions, and leadership that embraces that multiplicity will innovate through process. Experienced technology executive Angel Mendez knows these methods intimately from years of working alongside visionary founders and forward-thinking teams. His business and technology journey includes a decade at Cisco Systems steering the acquisition of nearly 50 companies.

In this episode, Angel, who is now Executive Chairman of the Board at LevaData, shares critical lessons from his impressive career in developing a multiprong approach to transformation. He discusses collaboration and partnerships across companies, leveraging ecosystems, and empowering all employees to be innovators. Angel dives into his experience learning the world of startups, the hard lesson of learning to move on from an idea, and witnessing the iPhone’s launch from his role at Palm.

(02:34) – Introducing Angel Mendez
(05:12) – Arriving in Silicon Valley
(08:10) – The acquisition process
(20:54) – Problems and Solutions
(29:30) – Leveraging ecosystems and partnerships
(35:07) – Characteristics of founders
(40:30) – AI

Angel Mendez has held executive leadership positions at some of the world’s most notable technology companies, including HERE Technologies, Cisco Systems, AlliedSignal, Citigroup, Gateway, Palm, and GE. Currently, he serves as the Executive Chairman of the Board at LevaData and independent director of Peloton Interactive, SleepNumber, and Kinaxis, in addition to being a committed civic and higher education leader. Angel earned a bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering from Lafayette College and an MBA from the Crummer School at Rollins College.

Podcast episode production by Dante32.

Easing Friction in Retail Technology with Subramanian Kunchithapatham

Thu, 16 Nov 2023 06:00:00 -0500

How do you create a frictionless experience for shoppers while keeping shrink under control? CTO of Sensormatic Solutions Subramanian Kunchithapatham (KS) spearheads innovative technologies to solve major retail questions and utilizes over two decades of experience to meet these challenges at the speed of retail evolution and digitization. His work explores shopper experience, inventory intelligence, loss prevention, and operational efficiency, all of which are underpinned by AI, machine learning, and video analytics technologies.

In this episode, KS shares insight into a detailed pain-point innovation methodology, including honing in on areas ripe for disruption and the consideration of cost. He discusses how shoppers are making purchase decisions (everywhere and anywhere) and how Sensormatic Solutions is providing innovative technologies for its industry customers to meet that demand.

Patrick, Shelli, and KS discuss how the pandemic reshaped retail and how those lessons have helped make for an improved customer experience now. KS also provides details on how Sensormatic Solutions is attracting and retaining talent in a highly competitive tech landscape.

(02:55) – Sensormatic Solutions
(06:37) – Accelerated digitization of retail
(13:30) – In-store experience
(18:15) – Frictionless shopping
(20:20) – Pain point innovation
(29:33) – Attracting and retaining talent

Subramanian Kunchithapatham (KS) is the Chief Technology Officer of Sensormatic Solutions, the leading global retail solutions portfolio of Johnson Controls. He previously held roles at Zebra Technologies and Motorola. Before his decades-long career in transformational leadership, he earned an MBA from the Indian Institute of Management and a PhD from the Indian Institute of Science.

Podcast episode production by Dante32.

Forging a New Path with David Heinemeier Hansson

Thu, 02 Nov 2023 06:00:00 -0500

(1:48) – 37signals
(3:27) – HEY
(9:54) – Advantages
(17:32) – Detecting spy pixels
(19:45) – The pandemic’s impact
(23:42) – Embracing asynchronicity for success
(29:07) – An American culture of busyness
(34:31) – Importance of sleep
(38:52) – Cloud technology
(46:55) – Bringing applications home

Podcast episode production by Dante32.

Building Innovative Software Technology and Teams with Dom Scandinaro

Thu, 19 Oct 2023 06:00:00 -0500

The first day on the job sets the tone, which is why Dom Scandinaro, SVP of Engineering & Data at fan connection app Cameo, encourages new hires to deploy code to production on their very first day. As an experienced software engineer and technology leader, Dom fosters day-one collaborations when bringing on a new team member. Even during growth periods with competing priorities.

In this episode, Dom discusses his journey in software engineering and his own spirit of curiosity, which was inspired by his entrepreneurial father. He talks about his work with Black Girls Code, whose mission is “to provide Black girls access to engaging computer programming education that sparks their interest in technology, unlocks their potential and leads to more equitable communities.” He shares how Black Girls Code encourages curiosity in those new to coding and stresses the value of embracing unfamiliar challenges. Dom also provides insight into hiring talent, examining processes during growth periods, and how individual contributors can develop into managers.

(02:27) – Finding software engineering
(04:46) – Black Girls Code
(08:47) – First day on the job
(11:57) – Leading and decision-making in growth periods
(17:44) – An entrepreneurial father
(20:10) – Embracing new things
(23:30) – Growing into leadership

Dom Scandinaro is the Senior Vice President of Engineering & Data at Cameo. An experienced software engineer and technology leader, Dom has held roles at Mac & Mia, Luxury Garage Sale, DialogTech, and HelloWorld. Dom earned a bachelor’s degree in computer science at Wheeling University. He is a member of the core Chicago team for Black Girls Code.

Podcast episode production by Dante32.

Resiliency and Innovation in Challenging Times with Ronald Blahnik

Thu, 05 Oct 2023 06:00:00 -0500

For retail businesses, being able to provide real-time, precise inventory is key to exceeding customer expectations. Ronald Blahnik, Chief Information Officer and Senior Vice President of Strategy, Innovation, Customer Experience, and Retail Analytics of Hibbett Sports, knows that providing customers with what they want, when they want it, has been essential to Hibbett’s growth over the last six years.

In this episode, Ronald Blahnik provides insight into Hibbett’s expansive network of relationships with customers, associates, and vendors (who are also direct-to-consumer). He shares the strategies that led to expanding business during the COVID-19 pandemic, including avoiding major supply chain issues, managing team communication, and maintaining agility.

Navigating transformation during a period that demanded change, Ronald Blahnik sheds light on his approach to problem-solving, operating within a larger ecosystem, and his expectations for AI-driven innovation.

(03:06) – Hibbett Sports
(06:00) – Delivering the last mile
(09:43) – Getting on the same page daily
(13:05) – Ten Keys of Customer Service
(15:44) – Understanding your customer
(18:58) – On the ground and in the store
(23:48) – The value of AI

Ronald Blahnik is the Chief Information Officer and Senior Vice President of Strategy, Innovation, Customer Experience, and Retail Analytics at Hibbett Sports. An experienced technology executive, he has held roles at The Home Depot, Hudson's Bay Company, and Lowe's Companies. Ron is a highly decorated Senior Warrant Officer, having served over twenty years in the U.S. Army and Army Reserve before his retirement as Chief Warrant Officer in 2004.

Podcast episode production by Dante32.

Growth-Stage Leadership with Arne Saupe

Thu, 21 Sep 2023 06:00:00 -0500

Second City is an iconic Chicago institution training comedic geniuses across generations, but developing the talents of a VP of Technology is one of its more under-the-radar accomplishments. Arne Saupe, Vice President of Technology at Farmer’s Fridge, learned more than acting and improvisation when exploring this new arena. He discovered lessons in management, failure, team building, empathy, and communication that bolstered his years of experience as a technologist and growth-stage leader.

In this episode, Arne dives into finding complementary team members, ensuring diversity in thought, and balancing the vision with guardrails. He provides clear advice for approaching feedback and determining growth opportunities, including quarterly check-ins to identify what you want to think about the least and recognizing those as areas you likely must improve.

(02:11) – Farmer’s Fridge and Trunk Club
(05:23) – CEO and CFO partnership
(09:15) – Investing your time in what you’re good at
(11:59) – Motivating the team
(14:32) – Lessons from improv and acting at Second City
(21:07) – Management training
(25:01) – Failure and mistakes

Technology leader and team builder Arne Saupe is the Vice President of Technology at Farmer’s Fridge. Previously, he served as the Director of Engineering at Trunk Club and led teams at several innovative companies during significant periods of growth. Arne earned a bachelor’s degree from Kent State University in computer science.

Podcast episode production by Dante32.

Championing Physical Technology Innovation with Haven Allen

Thu, 07 Sep 2023 06:00:00 -0500

Imagine you are a founder developing a physical product with incredible potential, but the space and resources to advance your product are out of reach and cost-prohibitive. Haven Allen witnessed this hurdle to introducing life-changing HardTech into the world and co-founded a solution: mHUB, a hyper-resourced innovation center in Chicago.

In this episode, learn from CEO Haven Allen the impact of mHUB on physical technology innovation and the current landscape for manufacturing in the US. Shining the spotlight on mHUB members and research and development culture in Chicago, Haven discusses balancing a focus on your business and customers with improving your product for ultimate success.

(02:45) – mHUB
(08:30) – Re-industrialization
(10:34) – Relocating and opportunity zones
(11:45) – CHIPS and Science Act
(15:19) – Hyperlocal to global
(19:33) – Renewed interest in hardware technology
(23:08) – Contract manufacturers
(26:10) – Spotlight on mHUB success stories

Haven Allen is Chief Executive Officer and Co-Founder of mHUB, managing partner of Product Impact Fund, and an entrepreneur and technology strategist focused on creating economic opportunity through HardTech and manufacturing entrepreneurship. Haven earned a bachelor's degree from the University of Illinois Chicago and a master's degree in public policy from the University of Michigan. He is currently earning his MBA from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business.

Podcast episode production by Dante32.

Lessons in Technology Leadership with Tony Newcome

Thu, 24 Aug 2023 06:00:00 -0500

With a growing family, Tony Newcome took a major risk in returning to his software engineering roots after years in leadership—pay cut and all. Ultimately, the risk was rewarded. During his two decades of experience in the industry, Tony has held significant roles during critical growth moments at ExactTarget and Salesforce, and he currently serves as the Chief Technology Officer at ActiveCampaign.

In this episode, Tony reflects on his journey to earning his degree and the mentorship he received from his father. He shares his approach to “integrating” your life and his mindset when people leave an organization. In looking ahead, Tony offers his perspective on utilizing AI as a tool, the challenge of deep fakes, and the trend emerging in conflict resolution skills.

(02:30) – ActiveCampaign
(09:47) – Balance vs. integration
(12:55) – Imposter syndrome
(15:59) – Motivation
(17:20) – Collaboration and building trust
(21:30) – Knowing when a leadership role fits
(28:40) – Deep fakes of the future
(31:53) – Developing skills around conflict

Tony Newcome is a growth-oriented, product-focused technologist serving as Chief Technology Officer at ActiveCampaign. With a background in software engineering, he has served as Senior Vice President, Engineering at Salesforce and significantly scaled the global platforms of ExactTarget. Tony earned a bachelor’s degree in computer technology from Purdue University.

Podcast episode production by Dante32.

Data, Patterns, and the Value of Information with Kevin Pogany

Thu, 10 Aug 2023 06:00:00 -0500

A distaste for the repetitive is a powerful motivation. Something Kevin Pogany discovered as a teenager writing code for his father’s pharmacy to automate their processes. An early experience that catalyzed a nearly thirty-year career across nine industries pushing for data-driven innovation. Most recently, he has found himself as a Chief Technology Officer within the aerial imagery industry encouraging transformation in this critical juncture of machine learning, robotics, and proprietary data assets.

In this episode, Kevin provides insight into balancing innovative, aspirational thought with structured, realistic innovation. He shares how value is almost always situated with change and how to position an organization to provide value within and across industries with data. Kevin discusses his professional journey and how vision and experience create immeasurable potential.

(01:31) – Introducing the aerial imagery industry
(10:39) – Innovative thought and structured innovation
(12:14) – Kevin’s journey
(16:23) – Examining motivation
(22:42) – Discovering the worth of data
(24:27) – Data flywheel effect
(27:37) – Moving from assumptions to facts
(30:51) – Crafting a data-driven approach
(37:46) – Putting a moat around your content
(43:30) – Recognizing patterns

Kevin Pogany is an experienced technology executive, currently serving in his ninth industry as the CTO of Commercial Group & Data Platform in a leading aerial imagery company. Kevin has emerged as a thought leader in the realm of technology and product development who specializes in leveraging unique or proprietary data assets. He earned a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering at Carnegie Mellon University.

Podcast episode production by Dante32.

Enterprise Change Management with Andrei Girenkov

Thu, 27 Jul 2023 06:00:00 -0500

“You don’t get a chance to be new twice.” Technology and business executive Andrei Girenkov embraces moments of great potential and offers essential advice for achieving success in 2023. Recent Senior Managing Director and Chief Technology Officer at Greystar, Andrei discusses speaking the CEO’s language, enterprise change management, and his journey to law school and beyond.

In this episode, Andrei encourages digital transformation with a business-before-technology mindset. He shares how a deep knowledge of the particular business and industry while staying on top of new technologies, can empower others to embrace growth when proposing transformation. Andrei discusses training AI and who currently operates with the advantage of a tailwind.

(01:42) – Early career in software development
(04:53) – Interest in law
(09:47) – Effective transitions
(12:56) – Training AI
(17:03) – The impact on fully integrated platforms
(20:45) – Advice for the remainder of 2023

Andrei Girenkov is a technology and business executive who most recently served as Senior Managing Director, Chief Technology Officer at Greystar. An expert in digital transformation technology, Andrei earned a JD from Fordham University School of Law and a master’s degree in software engineering from Carnegie Mellon University, where he continues to lecture and mentor students.

Podcast episode production by Dante32.

Enhancing the Developer Experience with TransUnion’s Deepika Duggirala

Thu, 13 Jul 2023 06:00:00 -0500

Today we're sharing another insightful presentation from our most recent Innovative Executives League Summit, where Deepika Duggirala, SVP of Global Technology Platforms at TransUnion, spoke about how focusing on your people and the developer experience leads to improved business performance.

At TransUnion, Deepika leads the technology strategy and execution of cloud-based platform transformation. With over two decades of leadership experience, she has led teams that build high-performing software across a variety of companies, ranging from startups to large global enterprises. Prior to joining TransUnion, Deepika led product development as the CTO and VP of Engineering at Yello. She also served as SVP of Engineering at SPINS and held various technology leadership roles at SAP, Nielsen, and Motorola.

Deepika holds a Master of Science in Electrical and Computer Engineering from Rutgers University and a Bachelor's in Electronic Engineering from Nagpur University in India. She serves on the Regional Advisory Board of Comp-U-Dopt, an organization that designs programs to eliminate limited computer access, increase technical literacy, and support the future of youth in communities across Chicago and northern Illinois. She is also a passionate advocate for women in technology and the importance of balance in our work and personal lives.

(02:34) - Recruiting, developing, and retaining high-performing talent
(03:29) - Background on TransUnion & Global Technology Platforms
(06:45) - Engaging development talent in the current environment
(09:06) - Software development is a creative process
(10:36) - Increased retention and productivity
(11:33) - Listening to the engineering community
(13:06) - DevX: TransUnion’s onboarding program
(14:59) - How to continuously listen, engage & support
(17:09) - Upskilling, investing in training, and future-proofing
(18:26) - The results for TransUnion

If you're unfamiliar with the Innovative Executives Leagues, it's an invite-only community of innovators, entrepreneurs, and intrapreneurs with a growth mindset and a passion for innovation. It was founded to increase the network of innovation in the Chicagoland area and also on a national scale. If you're interested in becoming a member, send us a message at LinkedIn or visit our website at www.dragonspears.com/innovative-executives-league.

Podcast episode production by Dante32.

Accelerating Digital Transformation at Allstate with Christopher Paquette

Thu, 29 Jun 2023 06:00:00 -0500

(01:42) – Introducing Christopher Paquette
(03:21) – Digital transformation
(07:04) – Decisioning
(09:11) – Relationship building and collaboration
(13:34) – Influence
(18:10) – Outcomes and determining the “why”
(21:51) – Indicators: starts, containment, and satisfaction
(24:40) – Beginning a role in Q2
(26:01) – Dedication to music and The People’s Music School

Podcast episode production by Dante32.

Creating an Effective Innovation Culture with Jack King

Thu, 15 Jun 2023 06:00:00 -0500

Today we're sharing an insightful presentation from one of our Innovative Executives League Summit speakers, Jack King. At the November summit, Jack spoke to the audience about creating an effective innovation culture and leveraging disruptive technologies through VR and AR.

Jack currently serves as the CIO for the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, AAOS. He provides vision and leadership to help develop and manage both the application, data, and service portfolios to enable AAOS to be the trusted leader in advancing muscular skeletal health. Prior to AAOS, Jack served as the Chief Technology Officer of Broward Health and the Chief Technology Officer for the state of Illinois.

(01:25) - Background of AAOS
(02:54) - Supply and demand mismatch in innovative thought
(04:09) - Innovation within an established industry
(05:22) - Introverts vs extroverts
(06:22) - Walks in the woods: earning trust
(07:57) - Making it safe to ask questions
(08:55) - Move from hierarchy to accountability
(10:22) - Alignment & autonomy
(11:49) - Flywheel of innovation
(12:47) - AAOS Digital Front Door mobile app

Podcast episode production by Dante32.

Leading the Innovation Lab at United Airlines with Jorie Sax

Thu, 01 Jun 2023 06:00:00 -0500

In an industry deeply focused on the “now”— scheduling down to the minute—and dedicated to safety above all else, how can innovation with an eye to the future and taking risks fit in? In aviation, United Airlines found a solution by tasking Jorie Sax with launching and leading its first innovation lab, Airshop.

In this episode, Jorie shares how an innovation lab can foreground collaboration and inspire peers throughout the company while maintaining safety standards and continuing to produce value. Jorie dives into how leading with play and exploration can naturally guide collaborators back to constraints and tensions without having to lead with those limitations. She discusses guiding others to find their spirit of curiosity, how “inclusion propels innovation”, and embracing a startup mentality in order to lead innovation.

(2:07) – Airshop at United Airlines
(3:42) – Leading the industry through innovation
(7:48) – “Inclusion propels innovation”
(10:07) – Encouraging an open mind
(15:40) – Accelerator and break
(18:09) – Seeing value in potential
(22:00) – Looking beyond the aviation industry
(23:56) – Collaboration in innovation
(27:35) – Producing and impact
(29:40) – Creating an innovation structure
(31:43) – Embracing a startup mentality and entrepreneurial spirit

Jorie Sax serves as the head of the first innovation lab, Airshop, at United Airlines. She has held positions in legal, marketing, corporate partnerships, innovation, and digital technology functions throughout her two-decade career at entertainment and lifestyle brands, such as MillerCoors and the Chicago White Sox.

Podcast episode production by Dante32.

Building Platforms and Patterns for Innovation with Fitch Group

Thu, 18 May 2023 06:00:00 -0500

Deploying the most critical systems to the cloud first was a bold strategy for Fitch Group. It’s an approach Derek Ferguson, Global Head of Enterprise Architecture, and Chris Lalor, Senior Director – Technology Enablement, believe was essential to the successful transformation to the cloud for the Group’s companies and is how they continue to manage complex, new technology to date.

In this episode, Derek and Chris dive into avoiding friction in the development process, enabling developers to innovate, and embracing the possibility of failure while reducing potential failure points. They also share their perspectives on service mesh, creating functionality that scales, and the exciting innovations ahead in 2023.

(01:23) – Fitch Group
(07:58) – Journey to the cloud
(11:31) – Reducing friction for developers
(15:25) – Avoiding bottlenecks
(20:19) – Reducing points of failure
(23:33) – Key innovation of service mesh
(28:14) – Expanding the tech team
(30:36) – Looking ahead in 2023

Derek Ferguson is the Global Head of Enterprise Architecture at Fitch Group, Inc. Derek is an experienced head of technology professional with previous roles at JPMorgan Chase and Bear Stearns.

Chris Lalor is the Senior Director - Technology Enablement at Fitch Group, Inc. Previously, Chris led cloud and compute architecture at Viacom MTV Networks.

Podcast episode production by Dante32.

Exploring Hybrid Cloud Solutions with VMware’s Amanda Blevins

Thu, 04 May 2023 06:00:00 -0500

How do I use cloud services intentionally? What might I build out on-prem? What might my edge architecture look like? – These are just some of the questions Amanda Blevins is hearing from technology leaders these days. Finding solutions to those challenges is a big part of her current role as Vice President and Chief Technology Officer of the Americas at VMware.

In this episode, Amanda shares her thoughts on the future of cloud technology and how to tame the "cloud chaos" by creating an intentional multi-cloud strategy that makes sense for your business. She also discusses accounting for talent availability in your infrastructure planning, leveraging existing team skillsets, and hiring appropriately. Listen in to hear this and more including Amanda’s insightful perspective on aligning personal interests with the strategic goals of your company.

(01:13) – VMware
(05:36) – Starting a career in the dot-com bubble
(09:20) – Lessons from a layoff
(11:33) – Authenticity and leadership
(13:18) – The move to Multi-Cloud
(16:08) – Avoiding “cloud chaos”
(17:57) – Setting an intentional cloud strategy
(22:03) – Factoring in talent availability

Amanda Blevins is the Vice President and Chief Technology Officer of the Americas of VMware. She joined VMware as a senior systems engineer in 2010, and a few years later, she became the company’s first female principle systems engineer. Amanda is VMware’s first and only female chief technologist. She leverages her twenty-five years of industry experience and network to drive awareness and equality for women and all underrepresented people in technology fields. Amanda earned a bachelor’s degree in computer science from American Sentinel University and attended Vanderbilt University.

Podcast episode production by Dante32.

Bringing Civic Engagement and Community Building Online with Rich Alapack

Thu, 20 Apr 2023 06:00:00 -0500

Participating in school activities and community building has been challenging for remote and hybrid students, let alone the near impossibility of "running into a friend." Rich Alapack, founder of we all live here, witnessed this experience early in the pandemic and envisioned a program in which this was all possible: SchoolTopia.

In this episode, Rich shares the mission of we all live here and their commitment to public art projects that promote inclusivity and empower students to challenge hatred in their communities. Rich discusses his experience developing an off-campus housing website in college and his current journey of bringing SchoolTopia to beta partners. He provides insight into virtual schooling and the customization available to provide an enriched experience with a focus on the social aspect of attendance, virtual safety, and integrating outside partners, like we all live here, into the software for a complete school experience.

(1:18) – we all live here
(3:05) – Simplicity vs. complexity
(9:02) – Taking action
(11:14) – SchoolTopia
(19:14) – FindAPlaceToLive.com
(23:30) – Product customization
(26:24) – Safety in virtual spaces

Rich Alapack is the founder of we all live here, an organization that uses art, community, and technology to develop experiences, programs, and activities that remind us all to get along and help each other. He is a creative team builder, collaborative leader, consistent closer, frequent speaker (including TEDx), innovative thought leader, and public advocate of diversity and inclusion. His career has orbited sales and brand strategy, and he earned a bachelor’s degree in marketing from Winona State University.

Podcast episode production by Dante32.

Managing Product Innovation with Tommy Richardson

Thu, 06 Apr 2023 06:00:00 -0500

When Tommy Richardson enlisted in the United States Army at 18, he narrowed his options to operating a tank or going into computer operations and programming. In selecting the latter, he launched a lasting career in the field, has led several major companies in C-suite positions, and recently arrived as Chief Product and Technology Officer for Litmos, leading product innovation.

In this episode, Tommy discusses balancing technology evolution to remain competitive, feature development to meet customer demand, and product innovation to keep ahead of the curve. He shares insight into establishing the right resource allocation for the various product development workstreams, including security, tech debt, enhancements, defects, and support. Tommy also dives into lessons learned from his time at startups and in private equity, as well as what’s ahead for Litmos this year.

(01:01) – Product at Litmos
(04:21) – Training in a rapidly changing world
(06:29) – Feature-richness as a differentiator
(08:23) – Individualized content
(10:10) – Technology innovation and prioritization
(18:57) – The journey and the destination
(21:13) – Learning from startups
(23:35) – The world of private equity
(24:57) – Major influences

Tommy Richardson is the Chief Product and Technology Officer at Litmos with over twenty-two years of experience across industries. He’s held executive leadership roles at FinThrive, BARBRI Global, Vector Solutions, Nextech Systems, Teradata, Siemens Healthineers, ADP, and more. Introduced to computer programming in the United States Army, Tommy studied at Auburn University in Montgomery and earned an MBA from The University of Georgia.

Podcast episode production by Dante32.

How to Sell Your Startup with Mark Achler

Thu, 23 Mar 2023 06:00:00 -0500

Between confidentiality agreements, polite manners, and ego, it can be difficult to get a real story of what selling a company is like. Breaking that taboo was the inspiration for Exit Right, a book co-authored by today’s guest Mark Achler, Managing Director at MATH Venture Partners.

In this episode, Mark shares the hard-earned lessons captured in Exit Right about key actions that lead to successful exits. He makes the case for viewing these transactions not as a moment in time but as an opportunity to build relationships and value over a long time horizon. Mark emphasizes the need to deeply understand the rationale for the transaction, the value of maintaining empathy for all stakeholders, and why trust is everything.

(01:36) – MATH Venture Partners
(04:23) – Exit Right: how to sell your startup
(10:29) – FAIR framework for successful acquisitions
(18:53) – Start early & build relationships
(21:03) – Mark’s empathy rules
(25:40) – Upcoming debt apocalypse
(28:52) – Are economic interests aligned?
(31:25) – The inevitable economics of trust
(39:00) – Widening your lens beyond a single deal

Mark Achler is the Managing Director at MATH Venture Partners, an early to growth-stage venture capital fund focusing on technical and digital companies. Mark is a faculty member at Northwestern University Kellogg School of Management in entrepreneurship and innovation and co-authored Exit Right with Mert Iseri. He earned a bachelor’s degree in history and economics from Purdue University.

Podcast episode production by Dante32.

Innovation at Scale with Justin McNally

Thu, 09 Mar 2023 06:00:00 -0500

One consequence of success for a startup is outgrowing the very strategies that made you successful. As an experienced founder, it’s a challenge Justin McNally was prepared to tackle as Chowly grew from a seedling idea to a market leader in point-of-sale integration. At each stage of growth, Justin’s role, and sometimes title, evolved to meet the changing needs of the organization.

Through the lens of his current role as Chief Innovation Officer, Justin discusses traversing the gap from startup to established company, shifting hiring emphasis from generalists to specialists, and adapting competitive strategies as a market matures. He also offers perspective on avoiding stagnation and continuing to innovate even as the risk calculations change with scale.

(01:07) - Starting Chowly
(05:16) - Growing up with entrepreneurship
(12:33) - Defining your moat
(16:55) - How risk tolerance changes with growth
(19:06) - Checking your ego at the door as a founder
(21:52) - Role of the Chief Innovation Officer
(24:35) - What’s ahead for Chowly and the industry

Currently, Justin McNally is the Chief Innovation Officer at Chowly, a direct POS integration for third-party delivery platforms. Justin is an experienced founder with a demonstrated history of working in the marketing and advertising industry. He graduated with a BLA focused on Interactive Arts & Media from Columbia College Chicago. Some of his skills include Digital Strategy, PHP, WordPress, Ruby on Rails, and Content Management Systems.

Podcast episode production by Dante32.

Innovative Executives League Summit Highlights

Thu, 23 Feb 2023 06:00:00 -0500

The Innovative Executives League recently held its second in-person summit with an amazing slate of thought leaders sharing their experiences and perspective on innovation and leadership. In this episode, Patrick and Shelli highlight a variety of insightful presentations from the event.

(01:11) - Developer Experience: Improving Business Performance by Focusing on Your People with Deepika Duggirala, SVP, Global Technology Platforms at TransUnion
(07:38) - Creating an Effective Innovation Culture with Jack T. King, CIO at AAOS
(13:56) - Bridging the Employee Experience Gap in a Digital World with Kuldip Mohanty, CIO HUB International
(19:45) - Finding Value in Machine Learning, a 5-Step Framework with Maya Mikhailov, Founder of SAVVI AI
(28:49) - Corporate Social Innovation with Adam J. Hecktman, Founder of For Good Advisory and Former Dir. of Global Workforce Ecosystems, Microsoft Philanthropy
(34:12) - The Ambidextrous Organization with Mike Kennedy, VP Technology Enablement and Strategy at CDW

Podcast episode production by Dante32.

Mentorship in Innovation with Larry Berlin

Thu, 09 Feb 2023 06:00:00 -0500

A great teacher can be the key to welcoming challenges, self-confidence, and a curious spirit. In the case of Larry Berlin, Chief Financial Officer at Freedom Fries, great teachers also inspired a lifelong commitment to mentorship, including his critical mentor role for the New Venture Challenge, an accelerator program that has launched Grubhub, Braintree/Venmo, and many more successful companies.

In this episode, Larry shares details of the development process and aims of his recent venture: search engine and news aggregator Freespoke.com. He outlines how to approach analyzing product-market fit and your company’s competitive grid. Bringing lessons from his experiences mentoring an array of startups, Larry discusses how to deal with surprises and highlights the “need-to-know” aspects of a pitch.

(01:13) – Freespoke.com
(05:21) – The challenges of managing a startup
(11:24) – Flexibility as an entrepreneur
(14:21) – Product-market fit and building your competitive grid
(21:31) – Encountering surprises
(24:12) – Testing your assumptions
(29:52) – New Venture Challenge
(34:24) - Mentorship

Larry Berlin is the CFO of Freedom Fries (Freespoke.com), a mentor at the University of Chicago Booth School of Business, and leads Blue Point Advisory Services. Previously, he worked at First Analysis for nineteen years and earned an MBA from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business.

Podcast episode production by Dante32.

Envisioning the Future of Artificial Intelligence with Michael Housman

Thu, 26 Jan 2023 06:00:00 -0500

Specific, problem-solving artificial intelligence is here, but when will the general, exponentially learning AI arrive in full force? Technologist Michael Housman, CTO of a stealth project at Doma, shares the anticipated arrival of AGI and his career contributing to machine learning and artificial intelligence.

In this episode, Michael debunks misconceptions about AI and illuminates how malicious actors have benefitted from developments in data science (and how we can use data to catch them). Beginning his impressive career with a Ph.D. in economics, Michael shares insight into matching your strengths to the right company culture and how to know when you've achieved product-market fit.

(1:08) – Economist to engineering team lead
(3:02) – Singularity University
(4:29) – Misconceptions about artificial intelligence
(12:19) – Technology to enable general AI
(14:19) – Catching bad guys with data
(21:31) – Innovation and globalization
(25:46) – Big companies acting like a VC fund
(29:34) – Product-market fit
(34:40) – Company-employee match

Michael Housman is a technologist with over ten years of experience leading engineering and data science teams and architecting artificial intelligence platforms. Michael is the CTO of a stealth project at Doma, a faculty member at Singularity University, and has held several executive roles, including at Evolv and RapportBoost.AI. He earned a Ph.D. in Applied Economics & Managerial Science at The Wharton School and a bachelor’s degree in health care policy at Harvard University.

Podcast episode production by Dante32.

Leadership Amid Growth with James Gray

Thu, 15 Dec 2022 06:00:00 -0500

Adaptability is an essential skill for anyone navigating their career in a company experiencing growth. Chief Information Officer James Gray curates his teams with this priority due to REEF’s exponential growth in recent years, especially as the neighborhood-focused company saw the desire for the proximity of goods and services increase during the COVID-19 pandemic.

In this episode, James Gray shares insight into the importance of articulating your needs as an employee, addressing company-employee value mismatch, and managing vertical and horizontal growth. James discusses REEF innovations, like “ghost kitchens,” and the opportunities for those interested in working with the mobile, modular, and smart company.

(1:31) – What is REEF?
(3:22) – Ghost kitchens
(6:20) – Growing REEF
(11:26) – An entrepreneurial company
(15:40) – Acceleration from the COVID-19 pandemic
(17:12) – Curating a team in a growth company
(20:40) – Addressing company-employee mismatch
(25:25) – The biggest surprise of the past year
(26:48) – Mitigating inflation and product capability

James Gray is the Chief Information Officer of REEF. His expertise in data, product management, artificial intelligence, IT operations, software engineering, and sales has led to high-level roles at Microsoft, Aspen Technology, and Chevron. He hosts the podcast Career Strategy Coach. James earned an MBA from the Haas School of Business at the University of California Berkeley, a master's degree in information and data science from the School of Information at UC Berkeley, and a bachelor's degree in electrical engineering from Union College.

Podcast episode production by Dante32.

Engineering Your Career Progression with Deborah Spence-Cummings

Thu, 01 Dec 2022 06:00:00 -0500

(1:27) – Machine learning and AI
(8:09) – Studying material science
(11:38) – Journey to NAVTEQ
(18:14) – Taking on different roles
(21:45) – Working with an executive coach
(26:51) – The engineering of sales
(28:33) – Approach to leadership
(30:27) – Advocates in your network

Podcast episode production by Dante32.

Care in Leadership with General James Mukoyama

Thu, 17 Nov 2022 06:00:00 -0500

With a decorated thirty-year career in the U.S. Army behind him, General James Mukoyama’s retirement is one of passionate advocacy and aid for veterans. In the organizations he leads, Military Outreach USA and Enabled Enterprises, as well as other faith-based acts of service, General Mukoyama believes in leading by example and with care while maintaining balance in your life.

In this episode, General Mukoyama highlights two critical efforts of Military Outreach USA: reducing veteran suicide rates and equipping veterans exiting homelessness with much-needed supplies. He outlines how the organization approaches its work and provides a crucial explanation of "moral injury." General Mukoyama shares advice on leadership across industries, including four essential pillars of fitness and the importance of communicating expectations.

(01:46) – Military Outreach USA
(18:14) – Growing up Japanese-American in Chicago
(25:38) – Journey to Major General
(28:00) – Surviving Agent Orange
(33:03) – Methods in leadership
(39:10) – Testifying before Congress
(43:14) – Caring for your subordinates
(44:44) – Maintaining a healthy balance
(48:29) – “Coming Home” Veterans Retreats
(50:03) – Get involved

Major General James H. Mukoyama, Jr. is the President and Executive Director of Military Outreach USA, Partner and Director at Enabled Enterprises, and served in the U.S. Army from 1964-1995. In 1989, he became the first Asian-American in the history of the United States to command an army. He earned a bachelor’s degree in English Literature and a master’s degree in the teaching of social studies at the University of Illinois.

Podcast episode production by Dante32.

Automation and Electrification with Marc Saltzman

Thu, 03 Nov 2022 06:00:00 -0500

Imagine a career sparked from the desire to play a video game that’s out of your budget. Marc Saltzman began his career as a journalist and technologist with a promise of publishing a review. With twenty-five years in the industry, Marc shares insight into automation and electrification alongside the questions these current innovations prompt in consumers and businesses alike.

In this episode, Marc highlights several moments for the industry: the misdirection of Blackberry and Motorola, Queen Elizabeth’s pioneering use of technology, and the current advances toward autonomous and electric vehicles. He provides insight into the integral role of human touch in the ever-evolving supply chain and how this growth may impact employment.

(1:17) – “Geek speak to street speak”
(4:52) – The fall of Blackberry and Motorola
(8:16) – Queen Elizabeth’s embrace of technology
(13:51) – EVs
(21:11) – Automation
(29:39) – Humans in the supply chain
(37:57) – Becoming a technologist

Marc Saltzman is a technology evangelist, journalist, television, radio, and podcast host, producer, and author with twenty-five years of industry experience. Marc is a contributor to more than twenty prominent publications, including USA Today/Gannett, AARP, MSN, and more. He has authored over a dozen books and has appeared as a technology expert and commentator on television stations around the world. Marc hosts Tech Impact on Bloomberg Television and Tech It Out via Radio America.

Podcast episode production by Dante32.

Reimagining Clinical Research with Katherine Vandebelt

Thu, 20 Oct 2022 06:00:00 -0500

A fresh spotlight is on clinical research on account of the COVID-19 pandemic. Katherine Vandebelt, Global Vice President of Innovation at Oracle, shares how she is innovating clinical research participation through inclusive, accessible, and human-centered practices.

In this episode, Katherine highlights the challenges of recruitment and retention of clinical research participants. She reflects on the stress that arrives alongside health conditions, diagnoses, and deciding a treatment path. Katherine shares her people-oriented approach to innovation and acknowledges our aversion to change.

(1:22) – Global VP of Innovation at Oracle
(3:30) – Getting to know patients
(5:28) – The impact of Bill C-22
(8:50) – Reflecting the actual population
(11:57) – Health advocates and connection
(15:04) – Communication and knowledge-building
(20:36) – Deciding focus areas of innovation
(24:32) – Thinking about “when”
(29:34) – Addressing change

Katherine Vandebelt is the Global Vice President of Innovation at Oracle. Katherine's niche is in pharmaceutical clinical development and transforming organizations to meet aggressive financial and operational goals. She is also the host of The Latest Dose podcast. Katherine earned a bachelor’s degree in pharmacology and physiology at the University of Toronto.

Podcast episode production by Dante32.

Serving our Country through Innovation with Mike Seper

Thu, 06 Oct 2022 06:00:00 -0500

Serving the United States does not have to be in uniform. Mike Seper, University Program Director of the National Security Innovation Network at Washington University in St. Louis, discusses how the problem-solving network NSIN embraces university-based innovators and entrepreneurs from all areas of study to bring their expertise into the service of our country.

In this episode, Mike reflects on the importance of an inclusive and diverse innovation process while providing a glimpse into programs available to students and university members. He highlights select focus areas—energy needs, artificial intelligence, and drone technology—and exciting partnerships with HBCUs focusing on geospatial technologies. Mike shares how NSIN and student contributions can lead to future employment and foster a generation of problem solvers.

(3:53) – National Security Innovation Network
(6:23) – Defense Innovation Unit
(8:07) – Current focus areas
(11:23) – Soldier readiness with the Missouri Army National Guard
(14:11) – Understanding the importance of the mission
(18:15) – Emerge Accelerator and engaging university research
(21:28) – Diversity and inclusion in the innovation process
(24:41) – Students serving their country
(26:20) – Innovation Entrepreneurship Center at Washington University in St. Louis
(27:29) – How to get started
(32:46) – Participation

Mike Seper is an entrepreneur and the University Program Director of the National Security Innovation Network at Washington University in St. Louis. He is a contributor for Entrepreneur Media and former site director of National Science Foundation I-Corps and lead instructor at Washington University. Mike earned a bachelor’s degree in entrepreneurial studies at the University of Hawaii at Manoa and an MBA at the University of Alaska Fairbanks.

Podcast episode production by Dante32.

Motivation and Innovative Technology with Jack King

Thu, 22 Sep 2022 06:00:00 -0500

Extended reality has Jack King animated about innovation and the future of technology. As Chief Information Officer at the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, Jack sees the countless ways that augmented and virtual realities can accelerate learning and opportunities for the 39,000 members of AAOS.

In this episode, Jack discusses motivation, connection, and encouraging employees to be participants in driving change. He speaks on company culture and his approach to communication, including daily huddles. While sharing his excitement over continuing technological innovations, such as haptic feedback, Jack reflects on lessons from his cross-industry career.

(2:42) - CIO at AAOS
(4:24) - The most important lesson from the C-suite
(7:27) - Staying motivated
(9:36) - Launching a mobile application
(11:07) - Member-driven organizations
(13:00) - Daily huddles
(14:29) - "Take me out to the ball game" culture
(15:38) - Enhanced communication strategy
(19:30) - Extended reality

Jack King is Chief Information Officer at American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons. Previously in his cross-industry career, Jack served as CTO of Broward Health and Northwest Community Healthcare, in addition to numerous IS and IT leadership positions. He held the position of Principal at Impact Advisors and served as the Chief Technology Officer and Acting Secretary of Innovation & Technology for the State of Illinois. Jack earned a BS in Business, Organizational Management from Trinity Christian College and an MBA from Olivet Nazarene University.

Podcast episode production by Dante32.

Highlights from the Innovative Executives League Summit

Thu, 08 Sep 2022 06:00:00 -0500

In addition to hosting Innovation and the Digital Enterprise, Pat is also the founder of the Innovative Executives League, a group that connects visionary Chicago leaders. Earlier this year, the group held its first in-person Innovative Executives League Summit with an amazing slate of leaders sharing experiences and perspectives on innovation and leadership. Today’s episode pulls together highlights from three of the day’s presentations.

First up, Gale Wilkinson, Founder and Managing Partner of VITALIZE Venture Capital, shares insights on today's trends in angel investing and venture capital. Next, Steve Rubinow, Director of the Institute for Professional Development at DePaul University’s Jarvis College of Computing and Digital Media, speaks to the increasing criticality of continuous learning. Finally, Ateet Adhikari, Chief Operating Officer of ShopRunner, talks about how teams innovate without losing focus.

We hope you enjoy these highlights. Be sure to check out the next Summit coming up on November 3rd at the OLC Education & Conference Center in Rosemont IL. You won’t want to miss it, so get your tickets early!

If you want to learn more about the Innovative Executives League, the events we host, or any of these innovative leaders, check out our LinkedIn page or visit our website for more information!

(01:25) - Angel Investing & Venture Capital Overview with Gale Wilkinson, Founder and Managing Partner of VITALIZE Venture Capital
(17:05) - Pre-K to Gray: the Increasing Criticality of Continuous Learning with Steve Rubinow, Director of the Institute for Professional Development at DePaul University’s Jarvis College of Computing and Digital Media
(25:34) - Disruption Without Distraction: How to Innovate Without Losing Focus with Ateet Adhikari, Chief Operating Officer of ShopRunner

If you'd like to receive new episodes as they're published, please subscribe to Innovation and the Digital Enterprise in Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. If you enjoyed this episode, please consider leaving a review on Apple Podcasts. It really helps others find the show.

Podcast episode production by Dante32.

Driving Strategic Change with Patrick Dineen

Thu, 25 Aug 2022 06:00:00 -0500

Seeking professional advice to advance your career? Patrick Dineen, Chief Information Officer at Nielsen, has the answer: solve bigger problems. As a leader in strategic planning and transformational thinking within several major companies over his career, Patrick is perfectly positioned to witness the incredible value of team members who seek out challenges and take advantage of big opportunities to contribute.

In this episode, Patrick reflects on outside-in thinking and a growth mindset in the workplace. He shares insight into the value of building relationships and trust across companies. Patrick discusses his leadership style: influence over authority, a willingness to take the blame, and intentionality in seeking out ways to assist colleagues. Patrick illuminates the complex relationship of being present and planning for the future, and he expounds on the value of operating on a very familiar unit of time: one week.

(1:30) – CIO at Nielsen
(5:30) – Building relationships across an organization
(9:00) – Obsoleting your own role
(13:50) – The tyranny of growth
(15:15) – Solve bigger problems
(19:22) – Thinking weekly
(23:40) – Influence, not authority
(28:03) – Taking the blame
(33:09) – Avoiding “watermelon status”
(33:57) – Change management

Patrick Dineen is the Chief Information Officer at Nielsen. Previously, he served in leadership positions at CSG Systems, Harte Hanks, USADATA, Claritas, and Equifax. Patrick earned an MBA from NYU Stern School of Business and a B.S. in Industrial Engineering at Columbia University.

Podcast episode production by Dante32.

Championing Transparency and Collaboration with Sara Rossio

Thu, 28 Jul 2022 06:00:00 -0500

Not many people are willing to call up their competitors and dive into discussions on bettering the industry at large—choosing to see their competitors as partners. Sara Rossio, Chief Product Officer at G2, is curious about the ways transparency can build trust internally and how to embrace transparency and collaboration with customers, vendors, and across an industry.

In this episode, Sara talks about how she approaches product management at G2, including utilizing artificial intelligence and people to moderate and validate reviews and personalizing data to meet a customer’s needs. She discusses her leadership style of providing frequent, direct, and actionable feedback, as well as the importance of supplying context. Sara illuminates the key to her success in product management and how companies can remain competitive: stay curious.

(1:05) – Chief Product Officer at G2
(4:04) – Transparency
(8:19) – Inviting criticism
(11:49) – Working with competitors
(13:24) – Nokia
(16:12) – The customer of tomorrow
(17:21) – Biggest challenge: talent
(22:27) – Frequent, direct, actionable feedback
(25:33) – Tough conversations and a culture of kindness
(27:59) – Staying curious

Sara Rossio is the Chief Product Officer at G2, a digital marketplace for business software and services that boasts 1.7 million validated product reviews. Sara has worked in project management at PowerReviews, Gogo, Here (a Nokia company), NAVTEQ, and Eaton. She earned a BSBA in Marketing and International Business at Fisher College of Business at the Ohio State University.

Podcast episode production by Dante32.

Vision and Transformational Change with Mike Kennedy

Thu, 23 Jun 2022 06:00:00 -0500

It is all about the people, the process, and the technology for Mike Kennedy, VP of Technology, Enablement, and Strategy at CDW and U.S. Army veteran. Whether analyzing processes, recruiting and retaining great employees, and implementing new technologies, Mike is invested in holistic transformation.

In this episode, Mike Kennedy discusses the importance of “little i” innovation, motivating employees, and inclusion in decision-making. He shares insight into a VSOM approach and agile practices while diving into processes. Later in the episode, Mike reflects on hiring and training the right personnel, including military veterans, and connecting with talented people early in their careers.

(2:00) – People, process, and technology
(4:13) – Recruiting and retaining
(6:19) – VSOM
(8:50) – The nature of collaboration
(9:36) – SaaS solutions
(10:48) – “little i” innovation
(14:27) – Agile practices
(18:08) – Pushing down decision-making
(20:46) – Investing in early careers
(20:59) – Offering the right incentives
(26:34) – Working with veterans

Mike Kennedy is the Vice President of Technology, Enablement, and Strategy at CDW. He holds an MBA from Gies College of Business at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and has led strategic and business planning at HERE Technologies and The Marketing Store. Mike served in the U.S. Army from 2000 to 2005 after receiving a bachelors degree from the United States Military Academy at West Point.

Podcast episode production by Dante32.

Learning to be a Technologist and Executive with Fred Lee

Thu, 26 May 2022 06:00:00 -0500

Fred Lee, Chief Technology Officer at Amount, is skeptical of “culture fit.” In leading technology teams of various sizes and goals, he has welcomed team members who approach things differently, who embrace their unique perspectives, and witnessed their added value across organizations. In his cross-industry career, a fresh perspective has often served him well.

In this episode, Fred shares insight into the shifting experience of banking and the industry’s digital innovations. He reflects on how he has approached new roles and how getting close to the customer is essential to understanding a company’s successes and failures. Fred illuminates the array of approaches to process and communication, and the importance of following through.

(1:05) – Amount
(5:00) – Adapting to fit the customer
(6:52) – Experience across industries
(8:55) – Learning through customer proximity
(11:01) – Identifying the problems
(13:47) – Bringing in talent
(17:03) – More process vs. less process
(18:52) – Buy now, pay later (BNPL)
(20:10) – Building a world-class team
(25:51) – Managing a hybrid and remote workforce

Fred Lee is an experienced engineer and technology executive, currently serving as Chief Technology Officer at Amount. Previously, he served as CTO at Cars.com, Gamut, and Belly , as well as VP of Digital Architecture at Grainger. Fred received a bachelor's degree from Purdue University and a law degree from Loyola University Chicago.

Podcast episode production by Dante32.

Vulnerability in Leadership with Edward Wagoner

Thu, 12 May 2022 06:00:00 -0500

Edward Wagoner, CIO of JLL, acknowledges what many C-suite executives do not: leaders are human. In his 26 years at JLL, Edward has seen tremendous company growth—investment in data and proptech, the purchase of two AI companies, and a serious effort to recruit the highest-level data scientists—and he’s had to grow as well.

In this episode, Edward talks about innovating the ways that we work together (in digital and physical space) and building environments that suit meaningful collaboration. He shares insight into JLL’s expansion and investments, including their focus on sustainability. Reflecting on his own journey, Edward discusses the essential role vulnerability holds in personal and professional growth and the obstacles he’s overcome to lead with authenticity.

(1:25) – Looking ahead at JLL
(7:46) – Examining and improving carbon impact
(11:19) – Bringing in the best of the best
(14:58) – CIO community in Chicago
(16:29) – Acceleration from COVID-19
(18:16) – Examining the hybrid approach
(24:22) – Soliciting feedback
(29:48) – Ed’s journey
(33:52) – “Do glass-breaking change on yourself”
(37:30) – Working with difficult people
(39:13) – The power of authenticity

Edward Wagoner is the Chief Information Officer at JLL focusing on the intersection of the digital and physical workplace. He has worked in various capacities at JLL over his 26-year career in the company, and he holds a bachelor’s degree from Bob Jones University. In his personal and professional life, Edward operates under the principals of authenticity, vulnerability, and transparency.

Podcast episode production by Dante32.

Rethinking Payment Processing and Fostering Community with Dan Muller

Thu, 07 Apr 2022 06:00:00 -0500

AeroPay founder Dan Muller embraced Chicago’s supportive entrepreneurial ecosystem to build his innovative payment processing business in 2017, and he is looking to return the favor. This week’s episode offers an insightful conversation about finding the resources and community needed to materialize an idea, the often-fraught scaling period of a company, and the importance of advocating for fellow entrepreneurs.

Dan Muller is a product-first founder dedicated to rethinking the collection and distribution of payments, but he is equally committed to building community within his company and beyond. With Pat and Shelli, Dan discusses hiring philosophies at different points of company growth and getting real about how people are going to use your product and integrate it into their systems. A proponent of connecting with other founders, Dan speaks on how to embrace others’ insights and feedback while you create your own path.

(00:31) – The mission of AeroPay
(4:02) – Branding with authenticity
(5:15) – Chicago’s entrepreneurial ecosystem
(7:59) – Recruitment and hiring
(10:21) – Specialization
(13:28) – Employee endorsements for new hires
(15:12) – Growing the business is everyone’s responsibility
(16:50) – Money-movement innovation
(19:52) – The influence of athletics on leadership
(22:13) – Connecting with other founders
(24:13) – Tools for getting started
(26:00) - 1871 and support communities

Dan Muller is the founder of AeroPay, a patented payments process that enables “smart bank transfers” between business and their customers or other businesses. Prior to AeroPay, Dan held numerous positions at GPShopper, including Vice President of Product and Vice President of Software Engineering. He earned his bachelor’s degree in political science from Franklin & Marshall College.

Podcast episode production by Dante32.

Embracing Failure and Authenticity with Kayne Grau

Thu, 24 Mar 2022 06:00:00 -0500

How do we learn from our failures? Kayne Grau, CEO of Uptake, reflects on the highs and lows of his career in this week’s episode dealing with authenticity, leadership, and staying open-minded in your career path. He shares advice to his younger self about finding balance and embracing the lessons that emerge in difficult moments.

Before joining Uptake, Kayne had a long career building brands and growing companies. He’s a self-described “product guy”, who relishes opportunities to engage with the people side of business, whether that is by getting face time with customers or picking up the phone each day to connect with team members. Listen in as Kayne joins Pat and Shelli to explore cultivating employee culture in a remote world and the idea that there is no set approach to being visionary.

(1:17) Providing critical data with Uptake
(4:27) “Crash-course MBA”
(6:30) Advice to your early-career self
(8:34) Learning through failure
(11:20) Accelerated learning
(13:29) Being an authentic leader
(18:42) Leadership in remote environments
(20:30) Keeping employees engaged
(22:26) What makes a great visionary?
(28:09) No right or wrong path
(30:30) Staying open-minded
(31:34) Appreciating other roles

Kayne Grau is the Chief Executive Officer and Board Director at Uptake, the leader in industrial intelligence software-as-a-service. Before Uptake, Kayne held various senior executive positions at KAR Global, DRIVIN (co-founder and CEO, acquired by KAR Global in 2017), Music Dealers, Apartments.com, Cars.com, and Allstate. Kayne also sits on various advisory boards, mentors local startups, and invests in technology-based companies in Chicago and Dallas.

Podcast episode production by Dante32.

The Entrepreneurial Journey with Jay Rudman

Thu, 10 Mar 2022 06:00:00 -0500

Sometimes a simple desire to give back can lead to unexpected places. That’s what happened when Jay Rudman decided to help other entrepreneurs in the Chicagoland community after selling his last business. What started as a semi-formal coaching relationship with the founder of Topstep, eventually led to Jay stepping in as Chief Growth Officer and eventually CEO, a role he held until recently.

In this episode, Jay talks about his entrepreneurial journey prior to Topstep, one that started all the way back in high school running lawn care services. He also walks Patrick and Shelli through the specifics of the Topstep community and how retail traders can practice their skills in a safe environment before trading with real capital.

(01:17) - What does it look like to trade with Topstep
(06:17) - From pro-bono coaching to CEO
(09:16) - Business ownership runs in the family
(13:40) - Thinking beyond the topline price when selling a business
(16:38) - Always ask “How am I going to sell this business?”
(21:41) - Self-awareness in leadership
(25:22) - Value of humility
(29:01) - Two mistakes to avoid when it comes to feedback
(31:59) - Seek out mentors early in your career

As a serial entrepreneur, Jay Rudman has founded/co-founded three companies, each with a successful exit: two sold to publicly traded businesses and one IPO. After his last exit, he joined Topstep - first as a pro bono mentor, then CGO, and ultimately CEO, growing Topstep’s topline revenue ~5x in 5 years, creating double-digit EBITDA, all the while bootstrapping the business (zero investors). Jay has been a finalist for 1871’s “Outstanding Tech CEO Award”, an EIR at Catapult Chicago, a CEO mentor for The Junto Institute, a fractional Biz Dev executive for Jump Capital, and a mentor at Polsky. He earned a bachelor's degree in finance University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School and an MBA from The University of Chicago Booth School of Business.

Podcast episode production by Dante32.

Building Platforms that Deliver Real Value with Mohan Putcha

Thu, 24 Feb 2022 06:00:00 -0500

In his role as Vice President of Enterprise Architecture and Technology Strategy at Aon, Mohan Putcha’s job is to be ahead of the curve in spotting technology trends and understanding how they’ll impact the industry.

It is also about leveraging those trends to deliver better service for Aon’s clients and internal teams, not just in theory, but in practice. Which is why Mohan’s team has taken a different approach to building platforms – one that starts by looking at the full value stream and understanding the real pain points of the people contributing to each piece of it.

This week Mohan joins Patrick and Shelli to discuss this people-centered approach to building platforms, how to keep your team engaged while accelerating innovation, and his take on the biggest challenges of 2022.

[01:25] Mohan’s role at AON
[02:23] Aon’s five technology markers
[05:48] From request to product delivery in 3 months
[14:37] Quality database solutions that depend on machine learning
[16:39] Digital experience of the workplace
[20:52] Biggest challenges in 2022
[23:27] Ensuring the right people are at the table
[25:38] Value of curiosity and asking questions

Mohan Putcha is Vice President, Enterprise Architecture & Technology Strategy at Aon. In this role he leads efforts in enabling sustainable solutions for Aon’s clients and colleagues with a focus on Cloud, DevSecOps, Big Data Analytics, Intelligent Automation (AI/ML/RPA), Digital Workplace and Technology Strategy. Mohan comes to Aon with global experience delivering groundbreaking business results that leverage analytics, cloud, through transformational, enterprise-wide projects in the pharma, medical and risk industries to deliver cloud-based, mobile and highly scalable solutions.

Podcast episode production by Dante32.

Changing Perceptions and Teaching Transformation with Sandee Kastrul

Thu, 17 Feb 2022 06:00:00 -0500

Technology is about solving problems and building solutions. This week’s guest, Sandee Kastrul, recognized the overlap in competencies needed for both technology and community leadership when she co-founded i.c.stars. This week she talks with Pat and Shelli about teaching technology with systems thinking, a community-lens, and an orientation of ‘how can I help’ versus ‘what can I get’.

For more than two decades, i.c.stars has been developing tech talent in Chicago through a rigorous four month curriculum rooted in midwestern practicality and centered in resilience. Each cycle, a new cohort of interns is divided into teams to form their own consulting companies to compete in an RFP process for a Chicago tech company. It’s not a drill, these are real projects and the teams are building real software. It is an immersive, hands-on approach that has fueled the program's continued success with a 90% graduate placement rate.

Listen in to hear more about the transformative power of the i.c. stars community and how to take part by signing up for the next High Tea.

(01:08) - i.c.stars mission
(07:00) - Resiliency in candidates
(09:19) - Untapped talent
(14:19) - Chicago tech culture
(20:42) - High Tea
(26:56) - Program breakdown

Sandee Kastrul is president and co-founder of i.c.stars, an innovative nonprofit leadership and technology training program founded in 1999 to prepare inner-city adults for technology careers and community leadership.

Prior to i.c.stars, Sandee’s experience as an educator, diversity trainer, educational consultant and a performing artist drew her creative talents to the forefront. Her accomplishments include designing a comprehensive science and civics interactive program for GED students at Jobs for Youth, implementing a professional development program with Harold Washington College Career Center, developing experiential learning modules for over 70 schools and creating artist in residency programs as well as training artists to work in classrooms for arts organizations.

Podcast episode production by Dante32.

Building Product-Focused Engineering Teams with Steve Caudill

Thu, 20 Jan 2022 15:00:00 -0500

Rand McNally’s Chief Technology Officer, Steve Caudill joins Pat and Shelli this week to talk about building and maintaining the culture of a startup inside a well-established brand with a 165-year history. They cover a range of topics including recruiting talent in a highly competitive market, creating tight feedback loops between customers and engineers, and structuring product development for the shortest path to revenue.

(01:13) - Technical product development
(03:17) - Recruiting product makers
(05:46) - Seek out diverse perspectives
(08:35) - Pair programming during interviews
(10:19) - Addressing salary expectations
(12:38) - Making products that have impact
(17:18) - Challenging remote work trends
(19:15) - Taking ownership of what you make
(22:03) - Buy-in from the business side
(28:16) - Find the shortest path to money
(30:16) - Leveraging brand trust
(32:57) - Benefits of mentorship

Trucks, tractors, maps, connected devices, oil and gas, potato chips, silicon chips, educational devices and more have been part of a nearly 40-year career for Steve Caudill, the Chief Technology Officer at Rand McNally. Before joining Rand McNally, Steve was a director at CNH industrial, where he was responsible for delivering the farm operations and fleet management components of CNH Industrial’s connected offerings.

Steve is the author of A Hero Behind Every Tree: The Non-Technical Reasons Your IT Investments Fail. He received a BA in Computer Science from the University of Maryland and an MBA from the Naveen Jindal School of Management at University of Texas Dallas.

Podcast episode production by Dante32.

Rethinking Change Management with Allen Smith

Thu, 09 Dec 2021 06:00:00 -0500

What does change management look like in a world of constant, rapid change? Allen Smith, CIO at Baker Tilly, believes keeping up with the pace of change today requires rethinking change management as a discipline, including the rigid processes and communication protocols from traditional waterfall development.

Allen joins Patrick and Shelli to talk about the increasing overlap between our personal and professional lives. People bring the expectations they have for consumer software into their view of workplace software and tools. Whether they like it or not, businesses have to contend with any negative aspects of that trend. Why not lean into the change and capitalize on the advantages?

(01:19) - What makes Baker Tilly different?
(02:45) - Ability to change
(04:59) - Agile development
(07:44) - Part of a progression
(11:41) - Adoption rate
(16:09) - Building a long-term strategy
(22:17) - Digital nomads
(23:44) - Candor in mentorship

Allen Smith is the Chief Information Officer of Baker Tilly US, the 9th largest accounting firm with $1b in revenue. Allen has served as the firm’s CIO for nearly 20 years and leads all technology strategy and execution across the firm. Under his technology leadership, Baker Tilly has grown its revenue more than 1000 percent. During this growth, Allen has established a strong track record of results by creating and fostering a culture driven by collaboration and camaraderie among his team. This open atmosphere has created team cohesion, produced above average retention and driven results that are well known within the industry.

In addition to his executive leadership role with Baker Tilly, Allen serves in senior leadership roles for Baker Tilly International. These roles include Chair of the North America IT Committee and Co- Chair of the Global IT Committee. Allen also served for four years as a Board Member of the Information Technology Alliance (ITA), including holding the roles of Vice-Chair and Chair of the Board during his tenure. He works directly with the AICPA in a volunteer role and has spoken at numerous domestic and international industry, technology and human resources conferences. Prior to joining Baker Tilly, Allen served in senior leadership and technology roles in a variety of organizations, including technology start-ups, hyper-growth enterprises and outsource service providers. His industry experience includes accounting, legal, financial services and real estate. Allen understands the importance of unwinding. He enjoys golf, traveling and curling. A small claim to fame is that Allen was an on-ice official for the 2006 Olympic Team Trials for Curling. While he is passionate about curling, he is the first to state his officiating skills are better than his curling skills.

Podcast episode production by Dante32.

Making Trust Possible with Swati Shah

Thu, 18 Nov 2021 06:00:00 -0500

At TransUnion, creating innovative products, building talent, and delivering excellent customer experiences start with an environment where trust is possible. Swati Shah, U.S. Markets CIO, talks with Patrick and Shelli this week about what cultivating that trust looks like for the organization.

She also describes the various programs in place to support continuous learning for cross-functional teams and the importance of helping engineers understand the ‘why’ in addition to the ‘what’ for the solutions they are building.

(01:24) - Swati’s role at Transunion
(02:57) - Delivering Value to customers
(04:40) - B2B2C
(06:47) - Understanding your customer's customer
(09:14) - It’s about the people
(12:38) - Building talent
(17:23) - Trust within the organization
(20:05) - A philosophy of life-long learning
(22:33) - Resiliency & grit
(25:33) - Seeking mentorship

Swati Shah is Senior Vice President and Chief Information Officer at TransUnion for US Markets where she is responsible for all technology and delivery within the US Market. Prior to TransUnion, Swati served as Senior Vice President of Emerging Technologies at US Bank. There she was responsible for leading the enterprise API and microservices strategy, bringing business and technology together to produce API-as-a-Product. She also led the DevOps strategy to drive business agility, cloud adoption and modernization.

Swati has also held leadership positions at CapitalOne, Thomson Reuters, and Motorola. Swati holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Mathematics, a Master's of Science degree in Computer Science, and an MBA from Lake Forest School of Management in Chicago.

Podcast episode production by Dante32.

Turning Adversity into Opportunities for Innovation with Matt DiBari

Thu, 04 Nov 2021 06:00:00 -0500

Experiencing a sudden 90% revenue drop is a formidable challenge for any business. When SpotHero found themselves there at the start of the pandemic, the team took it as an opportunity to pause and rethink their business.

In this episode Matt DiBari, Chief Product Officer at SpotHero, talks with Patrick and Shelli about how creative thinking and a strong team foundation allowed SpotHero to weather the sudden downturn. He also discusses how a culture of looking around corners and reacting with wonder fuels innovation both today and for the company’s ‘horizon 3’ plans.

(04:19) - COVID’s influence on parking trends
(08:06) - Weathering a 90% revenue downturn
(13:09) - Transparency to countering uncertainty
(16:17) - Looking around corners to maintain an edge
(23:17) - Remember to react with wonder
(25:21) - Fostering cross-team learning
(28:38) - Curiosity and humility as keys to leadership

Matt DiBari (he/him/his) is Chief Product Officer at SpotHero. He joined SpotHero in 2019 as VP of Product, bringing more than 15 years of experience to the role. At SpotHero, Matt is primarily responsible for product vision and strategy, bringing together his love of product innovation and more than a decade of automotive experience.

Prior to SpotHero, Matt was the Senior Director of Product Management at Cars.com, after having honed his automotive expertise at CDK Global. Matt has a BA in computer science, math, and philosophy from Augustana College and an MS-MIS and MBA from the University of Illinois at Chicago.

Podcast episode production by Dante32.

Venture Capital Pros and Cons with Will McGivern-Smith

Thu, 21 Oct 2021 06:00:00 -0500

While eye-popping capital rounds make headlines, sometimes smaller is better when it comes to venture fundraising. Will McGivern-Smith, Chief Strategy Officer of TrueData joined Patrick and Shelli to discuss what questions to answer for your business when considering venture capital. Understanding the type of company you’re building, the problem you’re solving and the total addressable market is a good place to start.

Listen in to get Will’s take on what factors to weigh when looking for the best fundraising partner, how to nail your pitch by keeping it simple, and what motivates different types of investors

(01:13) - Will’s origins
(08:02) - TrueData’s start
(11:18) - The pros and cons of venture capital
(14:39) - Smaller versus larger funds
(19:59) - Series A, B, and C funding
(28:08) - Investor focal points
(30:14) - K.I.S.S.
(33:29) - Finding the right network of people
(36:21) - Being vulnerable with mentors

Will McGivern-Smith is the Chief Strategy Officer of TrueData and brings an emphasis on desktop and mobile activation, optimization, and analytics. Prior to joining TrueData, Will worked at Nielsen Catalina Solutions for five years, shaping and growing a diverse set of functions including Data Science, Product, Business Development and Sales. Will holds a BA in Economics from Carleton College, and an MS in Predictive Analytics/Data Science from Northwestern University.

Podcast episode production by Dante32.

Product Thought Leadership with Timothy Alvis

Thu, 23 Sep 2021 06:00:00 -0500

Timothy Alvis is the Chief Product Officer at SPINS and has over 20 years of experience marrying product, consumer needs, and business outcomes. He joined the podcast today to offer his tips for product teams and why they should focus on understanding problems rather than coming up with solutions.

Having started his career as the founder of multiple gaming companies, Tim also discusses the creativity involved with popular video games like Minecraft and Roblox. Tune in for his insights.

(01:18) - Providing shaped retail insights
(03:51) - The eras of the gaming industry
(10:07) - Practicing team dynamics
(16:47) - Bad/lucky vs. good/unlucky
(20:42) - How to get truthful feedback
(25:15) - Finding the “why” in product leadership
(30:35) - Being problem-focused
(37:00) - Driving toward your destination
(38:23) - Shifting mentors

Timothy Alvis is the EVP of Product Innovation at SPINS, a leading provider of retail, consumer insights, and analytics for the natural, organic and specialty products industry. As EVP of Product Innovation. He is responsible for the technology and product strategy and leads the data governance, engineering, product management, product design, and development operations team.

Before becoming the EVP of Product Innovation. Tim held numerous other positions at SPINS, including president of retail operations and vice-president of product. Prior to SPINS, Timothy held positions at Microsoft, Right Point, and Amazon. He launched his first software startup at the age of 20 and has co-founded another five companies.

Podcast episode production by Dante32.

Creating an Inclusive Tech Community with Desiree Vargas Wrigley

Thu, 09 Sep 2021 06:00:00 -0500

Founders looking to secure funding face a long, arduous process. Founders of color can find it almost impossible and often receive significantly less money than their white counterparts. Desiree Vargas Wrigley believes that the tech ecosystem in Chicago needs to do more to support and nurture the untapped potential of Black and Latinx founders.

Desiree is our guest this week on Innovation and the Digital Enterprise. She shares her experience as one of the two Latinx women in the last decade to have raised over a million dollars and her vision for an inclusive Chicago tech community. Listen to the episode for more from Desiree and her company, P33.

(01:05) - Making Chicago an innovation hub
(03:07) - Finding founders
(04:51) - New areas of focus
(07:57) - Network access
(09:49) - Need for speed
(14:59) - First levels of support
(17:18) - Founding Give Forward
(19:23) - Developing Chicago
(26:20) - Tech is changing
(28:34) - Inspiration and mentorship
(30:34) - Blame & credit

Desiree Vargas Wrigley is a Latina serial entrepreneur and Executive Director of TechRise by P33. Her companies include Pearachute, a company that helps parents and children drop into the best family activities in town.

Prior to launching Pearachute, Desiree co-founded GiveForward, the world’s leading crowd giving platform for people facing a major life event. Under her leadership, the company helped friends and family contribute nearly $160M to loved ones in need.

After graduating from Yale, Desiree worked at the Kauffman Foundation as a specialist in entrepreneurship and at Arabella Philanthropic Investment Advisors. She taught New Venture Discovery at Northwestern’s Kellogg School of Management. Desiree has been named Inc's 30 Under 30, Crain's 40 Under 40, one of Parents Magazine's Most Inspiring Moms, one of Forbes' Women to Watch, and has appeared on Shark Tank, closing one of the largest deals on the show to date. When not working, she enjoys spending time with her 2 young sons, stepdaughter, and crime-fighting husband.

Podcast episode production by Dante32.

The Power of Machine Learning with Alex Muller

Thu, 26 Aug 2021 06:00:00 -0500

Artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) are powerful tools that companies can leverage to create better customer experiences. However, they traditionally require millions of dollars' worth of investment. Alex Muller believes that every product team, regardless of size, should benefit from the same machine learning capabilities used at the most successful companies in the world.

Alex, the founder of SAVVI AI, is our guest this week on Innovation and the Digital Enterprise. Listen to the episode to learn more about democratizing machine learning.

(01:47) - SAVVI AI
(03:41) - Machine learning barriers
(09:02) - AI and ML for everyone
(11:04) - Target clients
(14:02) - Little AI decision maker
(17:40) - Who knows the customer best?
(19:21) - Family of entrepreneurs
(22:49) - Fintech impact
(26:44) - Military mentors
(31:29) - Chicago talent

Alex Muller is a founder of SAVVI AI, an AI company focused on helping every product team leverage AI/ML to meet their software goals without the need of data scientists, pre-existing data or expensive tools and consultants.

Prior to founding SAVVI AI, Muller served as Senior Vice President, AI Enabled Products & EIR Synchrony Ventures at Synchrony Financial. In this role, he led innovation and product development in several domains, including mobile and artificial intelligence.

Previously he was the CEO and co-founder of GPShopper, which had been acquired by Synchrony Financial in 2017. Forbes named Muller one of ten CEOs whose companies are disrupting the retail industry through technology. He is revered as an industry expert on the topics of mobile payments and security.

Inc. named Alex a person “at the top of his game” and a leader in his industry, and CIO Magazine cited him as a go-to expert in the retail and ecommerce space. Alex has served as an Adjunct Professor at NYU, lecturing on mobile application strategy and execution. Alex graduated from Tufts University with a BS in Engineering before earning his MS Engineering and his MBA (Tepper School), from Carnegie Mellon University.

Podcast episode production by Dante32.

Deep Tech in the World of Banking with Chintan Mehta

Thu, 12 Aug 2021 06:00:00 -0500

Banking has been around for hundreds of years. How do you teach an old dog new tricks? Chintan Mehta, CIO and Head of Digital Technology and Innovation at Wells Fargo, joined Patrick and Shelli to discuss the technological revolution happening right now in banking. He talks about what the next five years look like for innovations such as quantum computing and cultural shifts such as the gig worker economy. Listen in and get inspired.

(02:23) - Deep tech work in banking
(03:59) - Risks & challenges
(08:50) - Five years out
(11:02) - Quantum computing
(12:34) - Fundamental shifts in powering our lives
(15:51) - Gig worker expectations
(20:53) - Investing in culture and vision
(25:46) - Remote on-boarding
(28:06) - Mentorship
(30:06) - Commitment to improvement
(34:07) - Impostor syndrome

Chintan Mehta is the Chief Information Officer and head of Digital Technology and Innovation for Wells Fargo. He is also a member of the Wells Fargo Technology executive leadership team. Chintan has joint reporting relationships to the Head of Wells Fargo Technology as well as the CEO for Corporate Strategy, Digital Platform & Innovation business.

Chintan has a master’s degree in computer science from University of Hertfordshire in the United Kingdom. He is based in San Francisco, California with his wife and two children.

Podcast episode production by Dante32.

Innovation Summit Highlights Part 2

Thu, 29 Jul 2021 06:00:00 -0500

The Chicago Innovation Roundtable, a group that connects visionary Chicago leaders and the brainchild of IDE host Patrick Emmons, recently wrapped up their yearly Summit. For part 2 of the IDE season finale, Patrick shares some of the thought leadership from the Summit’s brightest stars.

Take a listen to the episode to hear from Dick Burke, Adam Kanouse, Thru Shivakumar, Greg Svitak, and Ari Kaplan. IDE will be back with all new episodes soon.

(00:44) - Dick Burke
(03:18) - Adam Kanouse
(12:08) - Thru Shivakumar
(16:14) - Greg Svitak
(21:09) - Ari Kaplan

Podcast episode production by Dante32.

Innovation Summit Highlights Part 1

Thu, 15 Jul 2021 06:00:00 -0500

In addition to hosting Innovation and the Digital Enterprise, Pat is also the founder of the Chicago Innovation Roundtable, a group that connects visionary Chicago leaders. Recently, the group hosted a summit where leaders could share their insights on what has helped them innovate in their respective fields.

For the IDE season finale, Pat shares some of the highlights from the Innovation Summit. In part 1, you will hear from Betsy Ziegler, Scott Prugh, Dustin Kirkland, and Catherine Clay. Tune in for the latest innovation thought leadership.

(00:43) - Betsy Ziegler
(05:07) - Scott Prugh
(11:11) - Dustin Kirkland
(17:41) - Catherine Clay

Podcast episode production by Dante32.

Investing in Digital and Renewables with Brian Case

Thu, 17 Jun 2021 06:00:00 -0500

Brian Case is the Chief Digital Officer at GE Renewable Energy. In his field, the COVID-19 pandemic put a spotlight on the importance of switching over to digitization. He is our guest this week on the podcast and chatted with Patrick and Shelli about his approach to leadership.

Tune in to the episode to learn more about the importance of a company’s motivation to adopt digital, how repeatability of a problem leads to product advancement, and how to train the ideal team player.

(01:04) - Driving the energy transition
(02:50) - Building escape velocity
(04:55) - Navigating customer needs
(06:43) - Accelerated digital transformation
(07:46) - Repeatability of the problem
(09:42) - Culture of customer obsession
(13:06) - The customer of my customer is my customer
(14:12) - Internal vs. external metrics
(16:06) - Lessons from West Point
(19:32) - Veteran talent
(22:31) - The Ideal Team Player
(23:05) - Team of Teams
(23:24) - The DevOps Handbook
(23:29) - Accelerate
(24:01) - Talent development
(26:27) - Professional support

As CDO, Digital Services, Brian leads product strategy, development, and delivery of the digital product portfolio for GE Renewable Energy Digital Services. Brian’s team is focused on transforming the renewable energy industry by delivering innovative digital solutions that help GE’s customer’s increase revenue, reduce cost, and reduce financial risk across their wind, solar, and hydro assets.

Over the last 13 years, Brian has held multiple roles across GE Renewable Energy, Current powered by GE, GE Ventures, and GE Power. Prior to joining GE Renewable Energy, Brian led the incubation of a distributed energy resource platform as Executive Director, New Energy Platform in GE Ventures. His efforts resulted in the launch of Current, powered by GE, a newly created business focused on leading in the distributed energy transition by deploying and integrating commercial and industrial energy resources with the grid. Brian also led the America’s Project Development team within the GE Power business responsible for customer partnering and energy project development & investment initiatives with a specific focus on combined cycle, wind, and utilityscale solar development assets.

Brian joined GE in 2006 through the Junior Officer Leadership Program, a two-year, cross functional, business rotational program designed for transitioning military officers. Prior to joining GE, Brian served six years as an armor officer in the United States Army’s 3rd Infantry Division. Brian holds a Bachelor of Science degree in civil engineering from the United States Military Academy and was awarded a Bronze Star with Valor device for service in Iraq. He continues to invest in the development and support of military veterans by leading the GE Renewable Energy Veterans Network.

Podcast episode production by Dante32.

The Future of Banking with Dean Haacker

Thu, 03 Jun 2021 06:00:00 -0500

With complicated technological tools and processes, companies sometimes fill too many roles with specialists. Generalists are also needed for a fresh set of eyes and to approach problems with outside the box solutions. Dean Haacker prides himself on being a generalist and this skill has served him well as he’s helped reimagine banking while working with CIBC.

Dean joined Patrick and Shelli for a wide-ranging conversation about the importance of living at the corner of strategy and innovation. Check out the episode for insights from a multiple award-winning CTO/CIO.

(02:56) - The future of banking
(06:48) - Protecting our money and information
(09:34) - Brute force code breaking
(11:36) - Success as a generalist
(15:01) - Orbie Awards
(21:32) - Highland Grove Partners
(23:23) - Innovation is hard

Dean Haacker is a global technology executive and visionary leader that delivered more than $3 billion in business value for top companies in the high tech, consumer goods, and financial services sectors. An expert strategist, catalyst, and team builder who successfully executed large-scale programs, transformations, turnarounds, mergers, and operations excellence using Agile, ITIL and Lean Six Sigma. He managed $300 million budgets, led global teams of 500 people, and negotiated strategic deals with global technology partners.

Dean serves on the board of SIM Chicago, is a founding member of the ChicagoCIO Leadership Association and a member of AITP Chicago. He won an ORBIE award in 2017 as CTO of The PrivateBank and was a finalist for the Chicago CIO of the Year Award in both 2018 and 2019. Dean is an advisor to emerging technology companies and previously served in global technology leadership roles at CIBC Bank, Nielsen, Motorola, and the Hewlett-Packard Company. Dean is a distinguished graduate of Arizona State University.

Podcast episode production by Dante32.

Innovating Cboe's Data and Access Solutions with Catherine Clay

Thu, 20 May 2021 06:00:00 -0500

Trading exchanges are highly regulated. This makes the implementation of technological changes a tricky proposition. Catherine Clay, Executive Vice President of Cboe Global Markets, has had to pivot and adapt her thinking when it comes to affecting change in a large, regulated corporation.

Catherine joined Patrick and Shelli for this week’s episode of Innovation and the Digital Enterprise. She stressed the importance of keeping a company’s end goals in mind instead of getting caught up in the immediacy of sprints. Catherine also shared how to keep up the stamina and perseverance when you are met with obstacles. Listen for an industry veteran’s tips on affecting change in your organization.

(01:38) - Accelerating prosperity
(02:53) - Catherine's path to Cboe
(17:11) - Leadership retention
(22:28) - Marathon vision
(26:04) - Batteries included
(32:28) - The secret sauce
(35:19) - Mentorship
(36:28) - Trading floor inclusivity

Catherine Clay is the Executive Vice President and Global Head of Data & Access Solutions. Cathy leads Cboe Global Markets’ strategic initiatives for its analytics, index, data, access and execution services businesses.

As the CEO of LiveVol and co-founder and CEO of Thales, Cathy pioneered software solutions for quoting, trade execution and risk management. Coupled with her previous experience trading equity and index options, Cathy continues to create high-value offerings for market participants while integrating Cboe’s client-facing solutions.

Podcast episode production by Dante32.

Purpose-Driven Decision Making with 1871's CEO Betsy Ziegler

Thu, 06 May 2021 06:00:00 -0500

As the CEO of 1871, an entrepreneurial hub of innovation, Betsy Ziegler is an expert in early-stage growth and helps businesses grow from idea to the Fortune 500. For Betsy, one of the most important metrics for success is whether a business adheres to purpose-driven decision making.

This week on Innovation and the Digital Enterprise, Betsy joins Patrick and Shelli to discuss how 1871 is supporting businesses throughout Chicago as well as what metrics she believes will help catapult businesses to higher levels of growth. Listen in for her insights.

(01:10) - The home for start-ups
(04:33) - Does it work?
(06:46) - Launch outside of gravity
(10:09) - Forty by forty
(14:23) - Purpose, ideas, and the maturity curve
(23:09) - Talking about change
(27:15) - Onboarding and mentorship
(38:48) - First dollar

Elizabeth “Betsy” Ziegler is the first female CEO of 1871, the number 1 private incubator in the world.

Previous to 1871, Betsy was the Chief Innovation Officer at the Kellogg School of Management, Northwestern University, responsible for portfolio innovation as well as integrating technology into the Kellogg educational experience. From 2011 through September 2015, she served as associate dean of degree programs and dean of students.

Prior to Kellogg, she served as a principal in McKinsey & Company’s Chicago office where she led the firm’s Life Insurance Operations and Technology practice and co-led its Financial Institutions Operations and Technology practice.

Ziegler holds an M.B.A. from Harvard Business School and received a B.A. in economics from The Ohio State University, where she graduated with distinction. She is a member of Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago, and the Museum of Science and Industry Boards of Directors and an advisor and investor in many young technology companies.

Podcast episode production by Dante32.

Developing a Culture that Supports Innovation with Eric Rempel

Thu, 29 Apr 2021 06:00:00 -0500

Democratizing innovation means that experts create tools that allow new industries to utilize technology to make their businesses stronger and more efficient. This leads to happy customers. Happy customers lead to happy employees that feel a sense of purpose and belonging at work. Creating teams that balance accountability and purpose is Eric Rempel’s vision of success.

Eric is the Chief Innovation Officer at Redwood Logistics. He joined Patrick and Shelli on this week’s episode of Innovation and the Digital Enterprise for a discussion on creating an organization that is mission-driven where employees can see the impact they are making. Tune in for his insights and to learn more about Redwood Logistics.

(02:41) - Developing culture
(04:29) - Drive
(06:32) - Vetting candidates
(09:08) - Giving it your all
(10:38) - Timing
(17:23) - The One Thing
(18:24) - Setting a vision
(26:00) - Engaging non-tech folks
(30:48) - Failures and learned lessons
(36:53) - Agile methodology

Eric Rempel is Redwood Logistics’ Chief Innovation Officer. He joined Redwood in 2004 as its chief technology officer. As CTO, he played a vital role in the creation of what would become one of Redwood’s flagship products — its proprietary transportation management system (TMS) that combines historical analytics, market data and operational best practices. Eric led the design of Redwood’s TMS offering by integrating powerful transportation automation into customer supply chains, based on a web interface that can be accessed anywhere with an internet connection. TMS remains an integral part of the way Redwood delivers value to the company’s brokerage clients.

Podcast episode production by Dante32.

Using Data Analytics to Fuel Medical Discovery with Jennifer Van Camp

Thu, 01 Apr 2021 06:00:00 -0500

Jennifer Van Camp has worked in research for major pharmaceutical companies for more than 20 years. In her experience, medical research produces extensive data but doesn’t always have processes by which to leverage this information. When she had the opportunity to go on sabbatical, she thought about this problem and came up with an entrepreneurial solution.

This week, Jennifer joined Patrick and Shelli to talk about the idea of digital exhaust in medical research and what she and her team are doing to combat it. She also discussed her philosophy of leadership as well as her belief in the power of mentorship. Take a listen to the episode for more of her insights.

(01:36) - R&D at AbbVie
(03:53) - Organic chemistry to AI
(08:22) - Getting people to believe
(11:34) - Do you miss the bench?
(13:09) - Street cred
(15:15) - Curiosity & collaboration
(18:16) - The Ideal Team Player
(19:40) - Building a team of compliments
(25:23) - Turn the Ship Around!
(27:15) - Ted Lasso
(28:32) - Nurturing your network

Jennifer Van Camp is a Senior Director in Information Research, where she leads the data science organization that supports AbbVie’s R&D efforts. Jennifer received her PhD in organic chemistry from the University of Michigan in 1997. Between 1997 and 2007, she worked as a medicinal chemist at several pharmaceutical companies, including Monsanto, Pharmacia and Pfizer. In November 2007, she joined Abbott/AbbVie Discovery as a chemistry group leader in Advanced Technology where her group was focused on target selection and validation efforts.

In 2012, she was granted the opportunity to explore a “visiting scientist” appointment in the cheminformatics department. This sabbatical resulted in the first, dedicated data science organization to support Discovery. In the past 8 years, her team has grown to 70+ employees who span the globe to serve the data needs of the entire R&D organization. In November 2019, Jennifer became the first Research Fellow to be inducted into the esteemed Volwiler Society from BTS. She holds multiple patents and was awarded two President’s Awards for outstanding innovation. Jennifer serves on the board of East Lake Academy in Lake Forest, Illinois. She is married to her husband, Jason, and mother to three active boys.

Podcast episode production by Dante32.

Breaking Down Barriers to Success with John Kett

Thu, 18 Mar 2021 06:00:00 -0500

Sometimes leadership isn’t about being a visionary. Sometimes leadership is about assembling a team of experts and breaking down the barriers to their success. This is the belief of John Kett, CEO and President of IAA.

John joined Patrick on this week’s episode of Innovation and the Digital Enterprise for a discussion about the future of the car sales industry, John’s philosophy of leadership, and why he believes reading about historical and political figures can help you become a better leader. Take a listen to the episode.

(01:47) - Driving business forward at IAA
(02:57) - Leveraging technology
(06:04) - Footprint in emerging markets
(10:27) - Specialty vehicles
(11:28) - AuctionNow
(14:31) - De-risk the transaction
(16:37) - Who are the buyers?
(18:29) - Increasing miles driven
(21:19) - Setting a vision
(22:42) - Unique data set
(25:08) - Electrification
(28:16) - The Advantage
(30:22) - American Icon

John W. Kett is CEO and president of IAA, Inc., the leading multi-channel vehicle marketplace (NYSE: IAA). John became CEO in May 2014, after serving in a variety of executive roles at IAA for nearly 20 years. In June 2019, he led IAA through the process of becoming an independent public company reaching over $1.3 billion in annual revenue and selling more than 2.5 million vehicles. IAA is a global leader in technology innovation, analytics and operational execution.

Formerly with IAA, John served as senior vice president of planning and business development, CFO and president. He sits on the national board of directors for SkillsUSA and the Northern Illinois University Board of Executive Advisors. John is also an active member of the Economic Club of Chicago, Alliance of Chief Executives, and in 2020 became a Trustee of the Committee for Economic Development (CED).

Prior to IAA, John held senior financial roles at Central Steel and Wire Co., and Safelite Glass Corporation, Newark Electronics and Deloitte LLP. He received a master’s degree from Northwestern University and a B.S. from Northern Illinois University.

Podcast episode production by Dante32.

Helping the Next Generation of Startups with Roger Liew

Thu, 04 Mar 2021 07:00:00 -0500

Roger Liew has a track record for leading cutting-edge teams. As the fifth employee of Orbitz, Roger led the team that created the original infrastructure powering orbitz.com. In the years since, he has helped lead many companies and has spent a lot of time leading the next generation of startups as a mentor and board member.

On today’s episode of Innovation and the Digital Enterprise, Roger talked about what it means to add value to a board, why a first-time board member has a hard time switching gears from operations, and why companies that need to hire from the outside haven’t done enough to develop their leaders. Take a listen to the episode for his insights.

(01:27) - Impact Engine
(03:49) - Launching Orbitz
(10:37) - ShopRunner separation
(11:54) - Disruptions are opportunities
(18:33) - Pure motives
(22:36) - Adding value on a board
(30:21) - Coaching and mentorship

Roger Liew is a partner at Impact Engine, a venture capital and private equity firm, investing in companies, driving positive impact and economic empowerment, education, environmental sustainability and health.

Roger has a long history leading technical teams at multiple startup companies based in Chicago. He most recently served as the Chief Technology Officer at ShopRunner.

He was a Senior Vice President and Chief Technology Officer for Orbitz Worldwide. Roger joined Orbitz in 2000 as a startup's Vice President of Technology as the company's fifth employee. He led the team that built the original technological infrastructure for the official launch of orbitz.com in June of 2001.

Podcast episode production by Dante32.

Enabling Citizen Data Science with Ari Kaplan

Thu, 18 Feb 2021 06:00:00 -0500

Baseball changed forever once data and statistics were added to the toolkit. Ari Kaplan, Director of Strategy at DataRobot and one of the people responsible for revolutionizing sports analytics, joined Patrick and Shelli on today’s episode of Innovation and the Digital Enterprise.

Ari took time to explain the role of AI in analytics, the importance of citizen data scientists, and how data can improve products and efficiency across industries. Take a listen to the episode for more on the up-and-coming applications of data as well as some sports team shout outs.

(01:47) - DataRobot
(04:37) - Business intelligence vs. AI
(06:36) - Citizen data science
(11:46) - The speed of data
(19:16) - Competitive advantage
(22:10) - Drafting
(24:27) - Changing the game
(27:53) - Corporate Moneyball

Ari Kaplan is a leading figure in sports analytics and one of the few long term baseball leaders with a proven track record. He is known throughout the Major Leagues for revolutionizing and modernizing player assessment, including having developed the expected ranking system currently in use.

Kaplan is the co-founder of Scoutables, a leading analyst and accounting firm. Kaplan has worked with over half of all MLB organizations and many global sports media organizations, and his baseball career spans twenty-five seasons.

He created and led the Chicago Cubs Analytics Department. Currently, Ari is the director of A.I. Evangelism and Strategy at DataRobot, a leading enterprise A.I. platform.

Podcast episode production by Dante32.

Product Manager Mindset with Dustin Kirkland

Thu, 04 Feb 2021 06:00:00 -0500

To be effective, a product manager in the SaaS space must be a visionary with an engineering degree. It takes deep knowledge of technical processes and a desire to help customers achieve the outcome they want. Dustin Kirkland, Chief Product Officer at Apex, has been in the product space for more than 20 years.

Dustin joined Patrick and Shelli for a discussion on what it takes to develop a product manager mindset, why he wishes he would have stuck with controversial ideas early in his career, and the current landscape of product design in IT. Tune in for his story and wisdom.

(01:48) - What is Apex Clearing?
(02:52) - Fractional share offerings
(06:49) - Disruptive fintech tools
(10:51) - True to the vision
(13:40) - Sphere of influence
(19:04) - Project-to-product mentality
(21:33) - Getting involved in product management
(26:58) - Leaders are learners

Dustin Kirkland is the Chief Product Officer at Apex Clearing. As CPO, Dustin is responsible for defining the vision and evolving the strategy of Apex’s product portfolio. With 20 years of experience in the software and technology industry, Dustin has worked for some of the largest technology firms—Google and IBM, along with innovative startups—Gazzang, acquired by Cloudera, and Canonical, which is the company behind Ubuntu. His team of product managers interface with Apex customers and Apex engineers on a daily basis, ensuring quality, excellence, completeness, and timely delivery of the product release cycles.

Podcast episode production by Dante32.

Continuous Learning Programs within the DOD with Nicolas Chaillan

Thu, 21 Jan 2021 06:00:00 -0500

Nicolas Chaillan is the first ever Chief Software Officer for the United States’ government at his post with the US Air Force. As an agency tasked with both innovation and national security, the Air Force has its work cut out for it.

On this week’s edition of Innovation and the Digital Enterprise, Nicolas shares his thoughts on why employers should give paid time for continuous learning to remain competitive. He explains why we need to think beyond college degrees and offer alternative pathways toward advancement. Take a listen.

(01:31) - DevSecOps adoption
(03:48) - Big picture moves
(05:27) - Multiple daily releases
(07:36) - End users
(09:38) - Team recruiting
(12:08) - Learn while fighting
(15:56) - Prioritizing people
(22:20) - Teenage entrepreneurship
(24:18) - Being the change agent
(30:54) - How can we help?

Mr. Nicolas Chaillan is appointed as the first Air Force Chief Software Officer. He is also the co-lead for the Department of Defense Enterprise DevSecOps Initiative with the Department of Defense Chief Information Officer. The Chief Software Officer is responsible for analyzing current software and cloud migration plans to avoid vendor lock-ins while allowing for rapid prototyping and a streamlined process for deployment. To keep up with the pace of technology, Mr. Chaillan evaluates and authorizes new commercially available off-the-shelf software and cloud-related technologies to help with their adoption across various Air Force programs based on their mission needs.

In addition to his public service, Mr. Chaillan is a technology entrepreneur, software developer, cyber expert and inventor. He has over 19 years of domestic and international experience with strong technical and subject matter expertise in cybersecurity, software development, product innovation, governance, risk management and compliance. Mr. Chaillan is recognized as one of France’s youngest entrepreneurs after founding, WORLDAKT at 15 years of age. He has founded 12 companies and has created and sold over 180 innovative software products to 45 Fortune 500 companies. Additionally, he is recognized as a pioneer of the computer language PHP.

Podcast episode production by Dante32.

Business Strategy Design with Matt Kelly

Thu, 07 Jan 2021 06:00:00 -0500

To innovate, a company doesn’t necessarily have to rush out and invent a new product. Innovation starts when all stakeholders are working as a cohesive unit and have identified a common mission. Matt Kelly, a partner and Business Designer at Do Tank, believes that to be successful, a company needs to take some time to do some business modeling that allows them to increase efficiency and ensure they are targeting the right customer demographics.

Matt spoke with Patrick and Shelli about business design and the concept of validating assumptions through pressure tests. If you are interested in business design and modeling, check out Do Tank’s tools and templates in their Business Design Academy.

(01:23) - What is Do Tank?
(02:43) - Getting the ball rolling
(05:56) - Navigating the internal landscape
(08:05) - Closing the feedback loop
(11:19) - Validating assumptions
(14:23) - Agility is key
(17:28) - Creating compelling pitches
(23:14) - Articulating vision
(25:40) - Craving for variety
(26:55) - Lessons learned
(29:09) - Clients all over the board

Matt Kelly is a partner and business designer with Do Tank, which helps teams create better businesses. Roughly half of Matt's work is in healthcare, and the rest of it is spread around a wide variety of industries. The focus of his work includes building new business models, strategic planning, value proposition design, upskilling folks on innovation, and designing physical & virtual events. He holds a Bachelor's degree in English Literature from the University of Chicago and an MBA from the University of Illinois at Chicago. He lives in Chicago with his wife and three year old son.

Podcast episode production by Dante32.

Creating Pipelines for Women Tech Leaders with Thulasi Kethini

Thu, 17 Dec 2020 12:00:00 -0500

To increase diversity in technology, step one is acknowledging that there is a problem. Step two is to put in greater effort to create new pipelines of applicants. Thulasi Kethini, CTO of Shiftgig, believes that there are highly qualified women ready to take on leadership in the tech space but most tech companies don’t take the time to go to the places where these women can be found.

On this week’s edition of Innovation and the Digital Enterprise, Patrick and Shelli talk to Thulasi about how companies can create pipelines that encourage diversity as well as ways to encourage more women to enter the tech space. Listen to the episode for more of Thulasi’s ideas.

(01:39) - Shiftgig
(02:50) - Women in tech
(05:42) - Hiring for diversity
(10:30) - Creating kismet
(17:22) - Technical vs. business awareness
(23:12) - Research & duplicate
(26:28) - Unlearning
(30:03) - Batteries included
(34:13) - The Motive

Thulasi Kethini is a Chief Technology Officer at Shiftgig, a workforce technology company focusing on empowering people to find local employment opportunities that fit their lifestyles, schedules and career objectives. Thulasi is responsible for the company's technology, infrastructure, web and mobile applications, security, product engineering and software architecture.

Thulasi has an impressive track record of designing and implementing large scale enterprise SAAS as well as B2C products, leveraging modern, agile development practices and building high performing engineering teams. She joined Shiftgig to drive their engineering strategy and help the company continue to grow as a technology organization.

Thulasi brings 16 years of technology experience and previously served as director of technology at Morningstar. She holds an MBA from Central Michigan University and is very close to finishing her MBA at Northwestern University. She also spends time volunteering for Green House scholars.

Podcast episode production by Dante32.

Product Driven Leadership with Michael Senftleber

Thu, 03 Dec 2020 12:00:00 -0500

Arrive Logistics is one of the fastest-growing freight brokerages. Logistics, perhaps more so than many other industries, is seeing a big shift toward technology beyond traditional IT. Michael Senftleber, CTO at Arrive Logistics, is one of the people leading this charge.

Unlike many professionals in the logistics industry, Michael came from a product background. On this week’s edition of Innovation and the Digital Enterprise, Michael discussed why product driven leadership is so beneficial to hiring. Listen to the episode for Michael’s thoughts on diversity of background and its impact on problem solving.

(01:24) - Arrive Logistics
(04:45) - Customer connection
(08:06) - Design tools
(12:18) - Multiple domains
(15:19) - Efficiency/productivity arc
(17:40) - Cloud first
(19:16) - Accelerating adoption
(27:24) - Building the core

Innovation and the Digital Enterprise is hosted by Patrick Emmons of DragonSpears, and Shelli Nelson of Madison Industries. Throughout Patrick's career, he has helped highly-regulated enterprises with measurable transformation, through the adoption of Enterprise DevOps, Cloud Native Computing and Data Platforms. DragonSpears partners with their clients to build an innovation engine by working with their engineering teams to deliver software faster and more efficiently. Shelli is currently the Managing Director of Madison Industries. Previously, she led HR teams at Spot Trading, Ibbotson, and Legacy Marketing Partners, consistently achieving organizational transformation by identifying the best talent to build a culture of engagement, agility, and innovation.

Podcast episode production by Dante32.

Drawing Top Talent in with a Global Mentality with Dick Burke

Thu, 19 Nov 2020 12:00:00 -0500

Over the course of the last 48 months, the H-1B visa program has been greatly diminished, largely by executive order. This program allows foreign students who study in the United States a path to a green card. Dick Burke is the CEO of Envoy Global, a tech leader specializing in immigration services. He is our guest this week on Innovation and the Digital Enterprise.

Dick believes that America needs to change its perception on immigration if we are going to continue attracting top talent. To avoid employment issues such as Japan is facing due to an aging population, the United States needs to recommit to immigration so that the country doesn’t lose out on top talent to immigration friendly countries like Canada.

Listen to the episode for ideas on how US businesses can encourage immigration that is distributed across the country and not just in coastal cities.

(01:20) - Navigating the immigration landscape
(02:15) - H-1B stability
(05:35) - Consequences of change
(09:39) - Both and
(13:10) - The talent cluster
(16:23) - Global mobility
(21:14) - Will America catch up?
(28:50) - The common thread
(31:31) - Recommended reading

Podcast episode production by Dante32.

Collaborative Design & Software First Organizations with Scott Prugh

Thu, 15 Oct 2020 11:00:00 -0500

Changing the culture of an organization is not something that happens overnight. Collaborative design and cross-functional teams can take years to get right. So how do you make the changes necessary to get everyone on the same page? According to Scott Prugh, Chief Architect and SVP of Software Engineering at CSG, using mistakes and miscommunications as a learning tool is key.

Today on Innovation and the Digital Enterprise, Scott discusses how to create software-first companies, why incident reports are important for growth, and heritage versus legacy companies. Scott also shares Shook’s Model of Cultural Change to illustrate his thinking. Listen for more!

(01:38) - CSG International
(03:46) - Bill payments
(05:50) - Be heritage, not legacy
(12:50) - Value stream alignment
(14:52) - Cultural evolution
(19:15) - Unplanned investment
(22:36) - Beyond the symptom
(30:16) - Getting the ball rolling

Scott Prugh is the Chief Architect and Senior Vice President of Software Development for CSG International. He leads development and delivery teams for CSG’s North American billing and customer care platform.

As a 20-year technology industry veteran, Scott has broad experience across development and operations functions for companies ranging from small startups to large enterprises. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Computer Engineering from Bucknell University.

Podcast episode production by Dante32.

Innovation in Slow Moving Industries with Andrew Watts

Thu, 24 Sep 2020 11:00:00 -0500

The law is as old as civilization. But the legal industry has been very slow to adapt to digitalization. Relativity, a SaaS eDiscovery platform, is looking to change that. Andrew Watts is the CIO of Relativity and joined Patrick and Shelli this week for a discussion on the digitization of law documents and tools.

Andrew talked about how the industry is adapting, why it’s so important for lawyers and firms to get on the cloud, and what Relativity is doing to be employee focused in an age where everyone is working remote. Tune in for his insights.

(01:25) - What is Relativity?
(05:29) - The legal industry of the future
(10:49) - New-hire integration
(15:35) - Seeing value in technology
(19:11) - The complex world of e-discovery
(21:50) - Cloud-enabled growth
(26:56) - Critical visionary elements
(33:07) - Keeping everybody on the same page
(36:05) - Talent first
(40:11) - Urban hiking

Andrew Watts is an experienced IT leader and currently serves as the Chief Information Officer at Relativity. As CIO, Andrew provides leadership in building and supporting Relativity’s information technology along with governance and compliance processes.

Andrew has more than 20 years of experience in IT. Prior to joining Relativity in 2016, he served as the director of IT at Morningstar, an investment research and management firm. At Morningstar, he oversaw a 200-person IT department, lead the information technology aspects of 30 acquisitions and two divestitures, and implemented both major system enhancements and significant technology and security improvements.

Before moving to Chicago, Andrew held several IT positions in Australia, his home country. Andrew holds a computer science degree from the University of Technology Sydney.

Podcast episode production by Dante32.

Finding Flow in Software Development with Mik Kersten

Thu, 10 Sep 2020 11:00:00 -0500

Burnout can cripple any organization and for many technology firms, it’s the standard by which business is conducted. Dr. Mik Kersten believes that the key to happy software engineers (and the executives that manage them) is to create flow using a framework.

Mik joins Patrick and Shelli for a discussion on flow diagnostics, how teams respond to being measured, and why it’s important to understand people’s energies. Listen for his thoughts on flow framework and pick up his book Project to Product: How to Survive and Thrive in the Age of Digital Disruption with the Flow Framework, to learn more.

(01:47) - Tasktop in a nutshell
(04:00) - Measuring the flow of value
(09:10) - Team measurement
(16:29) - Elastic capacity of human ability
(22:59) - Happiness and trust metrics
(25:32) - Hand-offs and dependencies
(28:10) - Making the case with data
(31:40) - Heightened uncertainty
(35:51) - Project to Product

Dr. Mik Kersten is the CEO of Tasktop Technologies, creator and leader of the Eclipse Mylyn open source project, and inventor of the task-focused interface. As a research scientist at Xerox PARC, Mik implemented the first aspect-oriented programming tools for AspectJ. In 2018, Mik launched his book, Project to Product: How to Survive and Thrive in the Age of Digital Disruption with the Flow Framework, with concepts to help drive software at the pace of an organization's business.

Mik has been an Eclipse committer since 2002, is an elected member of the Eclipse Board of Directors and serves on the Eclipse Architecture and Planning councils. Mik's thought leadership on task-focused collaboration makes him a popular speaker at software conferences, and he was voted a JavaOne Rock Star speaker in 2008 and 2009. Mik enjoys building tools that offload our brains and make it easier to get creative work done.

Podcast episode production by Dante32.

Making an In-person Customer Experience Digital with Nag Vaidyanathan

Thu, 27 Aug 2020 11:00:00 -0500

Nag Vaidyanathan is the EVP and CTO for OneMain Financial. Nag’s organization is over a century old, but when the pandemic hit, the company had to accelerate the pace of its digital offerings. One challenge that Nag has been seeing good results with is creating a user experience that mirrors in-person branch services.

This week on Innovation and the Digital Enterprise, Patrick and Shelli talk to Nag about the rapid pace of digitization at OneMain Financial as well as Nag’s experience working in business settings across the globe. Nag shares some of the cultural lessons he’s had to learn (and unlearn) and offers some tips for leaders who skew toward introversion. Take a listen for more of Nag’s insights.

(01:44) - OneMain Financial
(06:49) - Accelerating through the pandemic
(09:08) - Codebase complexity
(11:23) - Physical and digital coexistence
(14:12) - Diverse global experience
(19:17) - Entering a new cultural environment
(23:55) - Strategies for introverts

Nag Vaidyanathan is the Executive Vice President and Chief Technology Officer at OneMain Financial. At OneMain, Nag is responsible for building the technology capabilities to support and drive business value for OneMain’s customers across channels, as well as ensuring collaborative and end user capabilities for its employees. His expertise includes application delivery and operations, global development, digital transformation, IT security, and data.

Before joining OneMain early last year, he worked as Danske Bank’s Chief Information Officer, Digital Banking and Analytics and as Chief Information Officer, Personal Banking. He also spent more than 10 years as a senior director on the legacy application modernization, digital and building global development teams at Allstate.

Podcast episode production by Dante32.

Creating a Mission-Driven Culture with Thomas South

Thu, 13 Aug 2020 11:00:00 -0500

When it comes to attracting talent, Thomas South believes it’s not necessarily about being specialized or competing based on benefits packages alone. Rather, he believes that creating a mission-driven culture is key to recruiting employees that will thrive in your organization.

As EVP of Northern Trust, Thomas oversees teams of wealth managers with extensive knowledge of the financial industry. While technology is integral to the company’s path forward, Thomas has found that human touch is needed to complement an expanding suite of digital tools.

He joined Patrick and Shelli to discuss why mission-driven values are important to any business as well as how to balance human knowledge and experience with increasingly remote, online environments.

(01:02) - Northern Trust
(04:16) - Competitive edge
(07:29) - High-touch service
(11:20) - The war on talent
(15:23) - Remote-only employees
(22:06) - Agents of change
(27:04) - Cross-training
(32:57) - Human-centered design

Thomas A. South is an Executive Vice President at The Northern Trust Company and currently serves as Chief Information Officer for the Firm. Tom was appointed Executive Vice President as head of Enterprise Business Architecture in February 2016, responsible for business unit technology strategy development, operations change management, and location strategy to support a scalable global operating model.

Prior to joining Northern Trust, Tom served in technology leadership roles at both Automated Concepts Inc. and Ace Hardware Corporation. Tom is active in volunteering and fundraising in various United Way and Make-a-Wish related activities and is seeking opportunities to provide greater support for gender diversity in the STEM fields.

Podcast episode production by Dante32.

How Chicago Became a Hub for Entrepreneurs with Scott Kitun

Thu, 30 Jul 2020 11:00:00 -0500

Scott Kitun is a rock star in the Chicago startup and investment world. His company, Technori, is Chicago’s largest media platform for entrepreneurs and has seen billions invested in its first decade. He is our guest this week on Innovation and the Digital Enterprise and joins Shelli and Patrick to talk about the current state of Chicago’s investment landscape.

Listen as Scott shares his thoughts on team building, why money and equity aren’t necessarily good motivators, and why you shouldn’t hire your friends. He also makes the case that founders and athletes like Michael Jordan share the same trait of competing to win.

(03:04) - The evolution of Technori
(08:49) - Evaluating companies
(14:48) - Missing the mark
(23:17) - Giving out equity
(28:00) - How to get more involved
(32:04) - Hot startups in Chicago

Scott Kitun is a Chicago-based media entrepreneur, investor and Technori CEO. As CEO of Technori, he has played a small role in shaping Chicago into one of the largest and most inclusive tech ecosystems in the world — where we've helped hundreds of founders raise more than $1 billion in venture funding, with 25+ exits and over $20 billion in collective ARR.

As an operator, he has successfully built and sold two media companies, and created the first-ever radio show enabling startups to fundraise directly from a live audience; resulting in more than $50 million invested via equity crowdfunding.

Podcast episode production by Dante32.

Achieving Predictable Success for Your Company with Les McKeown

Thu, 16 Jul 2020 11:00:00 -0500

For a new company, success can seem so difficult to attain. But there is a pattern to success that can help you navigate the growing pains of a fledgling business. Les McKeown is the bestselling author of Predictable Success: Getting Your Organization on the Growth Track - and Keeping It There, and has started more than 40 businesses in his own right.

Les joined Patrick and Shelli to discuss the lifecycle of success. He outlines the stages of growth, the stages of decline, and offers advice on what companies should do every step of the way. Listen for his advice and his thoughts on where innovation fits into the picture.

[00:24] - This week: Les McKeown
[01:18] - Predictable success
[03:25] - Seven stages of growth in organizations
[10:28] - The danger of losing innovation
[19:17] - Pivoting in the Big Rut
[24:33] - Friends of the boss
[31:49] - The difference between entrepreneurs and intrapreneurs
[32:58] - Synergist quiz

Les McKeown is the President & CEO of Predictable Success, the leading advisor on accelerated business growth. He has started over 40 companies in his own right and was the founding partner of an incubation consulting company that advised on the creation and growth of hundreds of more organizations worldwide.

Les is the author of the WSJ and USA Today Best-seller, "Predictable Success: Getting Your Organization On the Growth Track - and Keeping It There" and three other best-sellers.

Podcast episode production by Dante32.

Bringing a Startup Mindset to the Education Industry with Jason Dole

Thu, 02 Jul 2020 11:00:00 -0500

The education industry has long been ruled by gatekeepers which have prevented any meaningful innovation in the digital space. Jason Dole, CTO of World Book, wants to change this.

Jason has spent his career working in the startup space and it’s that spirit of innovation that he believes will help drive meaningful change at such an established brand. He joined Patrick for a discussion that touched upon points such as putting people on teams based on mindset and influencing people in key positions to help with company buy-in. Listen to Jason’s advice.

*Please note this interview was recorded in late 2019 prior to the COVID-19 outbreak.

[00:25] - This week: Jason Dole
[01:01] - Combining startup innovation with enterprise
[03:08] - Creating a fertile ground for innovation at World Book
[06:07] - How a CTO becomes the instigator of change
[07:07] - Small wins in the window of digital transformation
[09:13] - Creating urgency
[13:23] - Taking advantage of the new wave of disruption
[20:07] - Gamification
[24:05] - Will colleges remain relevant?
[29:54] - Hiring the right people for the right role
[35:57] - How to learn fast
[38:02] - Zero to One

Jason Dole is the CTO of World Book Inc. Prior to joining the team, he worked for various companies in the startup space.

This podcast episode was produced by Dante32.

How Machine Learning Improves Supply Chains with Vivek Vaid

Thu, 11 Jun 2020 11:00:00 -0500

When it comes to the logistics of delivering goods across the globe, there are hundreds of touchpoints. FourKites is a supply chain management platform enhanced by machine learning that aims to make this process easier. Vivek Vaid is FourKites’ Chief Technology Officer and our guest today on Innovation and the Digital Enterprise.

Vivek talked to Patrick and Shelli about how when it comes to technology versus product development, his approach is to do the work that is in service to customers. He also discussed why organizations need to make decisions that take into account the point of view of everyone from the customer to the tech and sales teams.

Stay tuned for Vivek’s closing advice during this time of global crisis: embrace life and do what you enjoy doing.

*Please note this interview was recorded in early March prior to the COVID-19 outbreak.

[00:24] - This week: Vivek Vaid
[01:34] - FourKites
[08:32] - Historic lack of competition
[11:15] - The difference between technical and product investment
[15:53] - Throttling up
[22:07] - Building a great team
[28:34] - CTO aspirations
[35:00] - Empathy and apathy
[37:19] - Learning from loss

Vivek Vaid serves as the Chief Technology Officer for FourKites where he leads the development of industry-leading visibility and machine learning platform for the supply chain industry. Prior to FourKites, Vivek served as the Chief Data Officer for Uptake, a leader in predictive analytics for Industrial IOT (IIOT) space. As the head of technology for Morningstar’s Institutional business, Platform and Mobile technologies, he led a global team of 500+ across 13 countries. In addition, Vivek spent a decade in consulting, retail, airline and financial verticals building cutting edge products, speaking and crafting motivated teams.

This podcast episode was produced by Dante32.

Unleashing the Power of Mobile Marketing with Brian Garofola

Thu, 28 May 2020 11:00:21 -0500

Let’s say it’s almost lunchtime and suddenly you receive a text from your favorite local restaurant with a coupon. You read the text and think, “That does sound pretty good.” You head there for lunch, show your coupon, and get your discount. In a nutshell, this is what Vibes, a platform that helps marketers drive experiences and meaningful customer connections, is all about.

Today, Pat and Shelli spoke to Vibes’ CTO Brian Garofola about the underutilized power of mobile when it comes to driving customer experience. Brian discusses why text marketing and mobile wallet can bridge the digital and physical divide thus increasing transactions.

Brian also mused on the power of mentorship and explained why he believes that leadership is not a destination but an ongoing journey. He shared why he keeps the work in perspective and does his best to model a positive outlook for his employees. Listen to the episode for his insights.

*Please note this interview was recorded in early February prior to the COVID-19 outbreak.

[00:24] - This week: Brian Garofola
[01:42] - Mobile marketing with Vibes
[04:26] - The innovator's dilemma
[06:14] - Gary Vaynerchuk
[08:35] - Text message recruiting
[11:07] - Helping brands explode
[20:18] - Leadership with optimism
[23:57] - Evolving through mentors
[29:32] - Unlocking Leadership Mindtraps
[32:49 - Building trust and goodwill

Brian Garofola is the CTO at Vibes in Chicago. At Vibes, Brian is focused on connecting people with the brands they love through the power of mobile. Vibes delivers over a billion mobile experiences per month for some of the world's leading brands like Home Depot, Chipotle, and PetSmart. Brian is responsible for the Product & Technology organization, including Engineering, Product Experience, Data & Analytics, Cloud, IT, and Security. He also served as the Vice President of platform engineering at CDK Global, a global provider of information technology and digital marketing solutions to the automotive retail industry.

This podcast episode was produced by Dante32.

How Trust Builds Passion with Ann Madea

Thu, 14 May 2020 11:00:06 -0500

Ann Madea has spent her career managing and motivating her teams as a CIO of global firms. She has also dedicated herself to the advancement of women and girls in the fields of STEM. She joined us on Innovation and the Digital Enterprise to discuss how she builds trust to ensure all members of her team feel comfortable speaking up and how to successfully stay the course when managing large-scale projects.

As a high-profile woman in business, especially in the tech sector, Patrick and Shelli also talked with Ann about the people that inspired her to chase her ambitions. Listen to the episode for insights and tips from an industry veteran.

*Please note this interview was recorded in early February prior to the COVID-19 outbreak.

[00:24] - This week: Ann Madea
[01:41] - Transformation at HSBC and Household International
[10:26] - Building trust
[22:33] - Deep dives
[24:19] - The role of a leader
[31:07] - Women & girls in technology
[39:32] - Reach out and network

Ann Madea is an accomplished senior technology executive with over 20 years of experience, who most recently served as the Executive Vice President and US Chief Information officer for HSBC, one of the largest banking and financial services organizations in the world. She has held US, Global and America’s leadership positions while driving digital transformation, cloud, data and cyber strategies and most important, consistently exceeding all goals to keep systems up and running for the business, customers and employees.

Ann is passionate about women and girls in technology, and was recently the Executive Sponsor for the first HSBC Summer Immersion Program for ‘Girls Who Code,' a nonprofit organization which aims to increase the number of women in computer science. Connect with Ann on LinkedIn.

This podcast episode was produced by Dante32.

Making Risk a Revenue Driver with Matt Kunkel

Thu, 30 Apr 2020 11:00:08 -0500

Risk management has never been viewed as sexy. It’s a necessary component of every organization, but not necessarily something that CEOs are excited to work on. Matt Kunkel of LogicGate has a novel approach however: make risk a revenue driver.

Matt joined Patrick on Innovation and the Digital Enterprise to talk shop about risk and how privacy issues have made it more interesting and necessary than ever. Matt also discusses why it’s important to have clear company values and how to get everyone from the CEO to the employee on board. Finally, Matt explains why he never says no to a coffee date. Tune in for his insights.

*Please note this interview was recorded in early January prior to the COVID-19 outbreak.

[00:23] - This week: Matt Kunkel
[01:21] - Risk intelligence with LogicGate
[04:47] - Risk as a revenue driver
[07:00] - Flexibility & ease of use
[08:53] - Automated audits
[12:57] - Democratizing application development
[14:16] - Driving value
[17:00] - Retaining talent in Chicago
[27:02] - Reinforcing core values and culture
[32:33] - Advisory board assembly

Matt Kunkel is Co-Founder and CEO of LogicGate, a Chicago-based company that enables organizations to operationalize their governance, risk, and compliance (GRC) programs using an agile technology platform. Prior to LogicGate, he spent over a decade in the management consulting space building technology solutions and GRC programs for Fortune 500 companies. At the end of 2019, he led LogicGate through its Series B financing round, raising $24.75 million in new funding. Matt is recognized as a thought leader in the governance, risk, and compliance space and regularly speaks and consults on risk and compliance topics.

This podcast episode was produced by Dante32.

How Digital Intimacy Can Increase Sales and Satisfaction with Matt Coughlin

Thu, 16 Apr 2020 11:00:07 -0500

Over the last few decades, as things have increasingly gone digital, we’ve lost the human interaction behind satisfying sales experiences. Matt Coughlin of XSELL Technologies is passionate about the science of sales. After working with Disney and other big brands, he realized that customers were hungry for digital intimacy.

This week on Innovation and the Digital Enterprise, Matt is talking to Pat about how brands can bridge the divide between offering an array of products and personalization. He discusses how machine learning can help with that dilemma and also talks about his philosophy of “Open for Business.” This motto is all about being open to change and learning. Tune in for a discussion on the future of sales.

*Please note this interview was recorded in early January prior to the COVID-19 outbreak.

[00:23] - This week: Matt Coughlin
[01:18] - The origin for XSELL
[04:59] - Building digital intimacy
[10:17] - Access to expertise
[17:32] - Building durable relationships
[22:42] - The bottom of the funnel
[24:59] - Content, context, and sentiment
[30:32] - Robert Cialdini
[35:46] - Creating an environment of constant learning
[41:18] - The best kept secret in the world

Matt Coughlin is the Founder and CEO of XSELL Technologies - a Chicago based artificial intelligence company that's focused on enhancing online customer engagement and driving results across industries.

Prior to starting XSELL Technologies, Matt worked with the world's most successful brands including Disney, Apple, Carnival, AT&T, GE, Walgreens and many others helping them bring their customer experience to life. It was through this experience that Matt developed a passion for great customer engagement and an appreciation for the economic impact it can drive when done well.

As a passionate entrepreneur Matt has built successful businesses and takes great joy in working with the smart and talented team at XSELL to create something special. Matt attended Illinois State University where he studied Pre Med graduating with a B.S. before being swept up in the technology revolution.

This podcast episode was produced by Dante32.

Why Discretionary Effort is a Sign of a Healthy Organization with Ryan Jeffery

Thu, 26 Mar 2020 11:00:05 -0500

According to Ryan Jeffery, Founder and Co-CEO of Ignite, the difference between a leader and a manager is that a leader doesn’t need a title. When people switch jobs due to dissatisfaction, most of the time it’s not about the work itself but conflict with the manager. But when you create a culture that is inclusive and inherently motivational, you hit that magic spot of work satisfaction.

Ryan joined Pat and Shelli to talk about the concept of discretionary effort and action and what they say about an organization. He also took some time to discuss why organizations that are able to see people on a human level will empower employees and achieve better outcomes.

*Please note this interview was recorded in late 2019 prior to the COVID-19 outbreak.

[00:24] - This week: Ryan Jeffery
[00:56] - Leadership development at Ignite
[07:18] - Manager vs. leader
[08:59] - Empowering individuals
[13:45] - Common vision
[19:40] - Taking action
[25:28] - Accepting failure
[30:00] - Life begins at the end of your comfort zone
[32:51] - Skiing behind the cart

Ryan Jeffery is the Founder and Co-CEO at Ignite, a learning community committed to helping today's managers become the purpose-driven leaders of tomorrow. Through weekly in-person training experiences and a network of inspiring peers, Ignite cultivates the character and competence to lead in today's changing world.

This podcast episode was produced by Dante32.

How Optimism and Grit Go Hand in Hand with Kristi Zuhlke

Thu, 19 Mar 2020 11:00:00 -0500

Many believe that to succeed in business, you must be a pessimist and always anticipate the worst. But according to Kristi Zuhlke, the CEO of Knowledgehound, grit and being optimistic are not mutually exclusive concepts.

Kristi joins Shelli and Pat and gives a window into the life of a serial entrepreneur. She explains why entrepreneurs are passionate about solving problems, how she stays confident in her ability to solve problems, why optimism is underrated in business, and how she thoughtfully adds new members to her team.

*Please note this interview was recorded in late 2019 prior to the COVID-19 outbreak.

[00:24] - This week: Kristi Zuhlke
[00:47] - The idea behind KnowledgeHound
[03:38] - Entrepreneurial mentorship in the corporate world
[08:53] - Idea notebook
[10:57] - Passion for creating something new
[14:54] - Retraining optimism & pessimism
[19:56] - The difference between founders and managers
[22:19] - The Stockdale Paradox
[27:31] - Hiring into a value-driven system
[31:45] - Team first & bias to action
[34:18] - Retaining scrappiness
[39:17] - Transferring culture as a business evolves
[44:33] - Resources for women in the Chicago tech scene

An entrepreneur at heart, Kristi Zuhlke started her first business while in college. After earning degrees in Marketing and Entrepreneurship from Xavier University, she joined Procter & Gamble, working on billion-dollar brands, like Gillette, and Always. During those six years, she learned invaluable leadership, marketing, and organizational skills, but couldn’t resist the urge to jump into the tech space.

Following the launch and quick sale of a smartphone app technology, in 2013, Zuhlke launched KnowledgeHound, her third and current business. Since 2013, she has been addressing a need she knows first hand and a pain point from her corporate days - the need to find answers with survey data without needing to know a coding language. As CEO of Knowledgehound, which has raised over $6 million in funding with numerous Fortune 1000 companies as clients, Zuhlke looks forward to continuing her success in the technology start-up world.

If you'd like to receive new episodes as they're published, please subscribe to Innovation and the Digital Enterprise in Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts. If you enjoyed this episode, please consider leaving a review in Apple Podcasts. It really helps others find the show.

This podcast episode was produced by Dante32.

Building, Then Reinventing, Your Personal Brand with Alison Vorsatz

Thu, 12 Mar 2020 11:00:00 -0500

After being the only woman in the room for years at her corporate job, a string of tragedies made Alison Vorsatz reconsider her purpose. This led her on a transformational journey to Africa and ended with her finding a job at Fairygodboss where she gets to realize her dream of empowering women.

Alison joins Pat and Shelli to talk about her journey and shares insights on what it means to work on your personal brand and how that brand can open career connections.

[00:25] - This week: Alison Vorsatz
[01:14] - Helping women reach the success they deserve
[05:59] - Making a more inclusive workforce with Fairygodboss
[08:06] - Taking a chance on New York
[19:55] - Building your brand
[23:13] - Creating an authentic narrative of who you want to be
[25:09] - Starting the healing process by helping others
[32:43] - Finding a sense of purpose volunteering in Africa
[38:53] - Australian rules football

Alison Vorsatz is the Senior Enterprise Director of Sales at Fairygodboss. She set up a female empowerment program in Africa and is an Australian football player.

If you'd like to receive new episodes as they're published, please subscribe to Innovation and the Digital Enterprise in Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts. If you enjoyed this episode, please consider leaving a review in Apple Podcasts. It really helps others find the show.

This podcast episode was produced by Dante32.

Rituals to Cultivate a Fearless Culture with Gene Kim

Wed, 26 Feb 2020 12:00:00 -0500

The seeds of innovation cannot germinate in a culture in which people feel they need to ask permission. The ability to fail — and share that failure — is one of the most important tenets of any company that has a chance to improve according to today’s guest, Gene Kim.

Gene has been studying high-performing technology companies since 1999 and has authored several books on the topic. On this week’s episode of Innovation and the Digital Enterprise, Gene discusses the five central prerequisites of company innovation as well as the role that ritual can play in de-stigmatizing failure.

Check out this episode for practical tips on how your company can achieve substantial results simply by changing up habits.

[00:25] - This week: Gene Kim
[01:40] - The Unicorn Project
[07:11] - Celebrating bad news
[09:53] - Processes and bureaucracies
[12:49] - The Five Ideals
[22:04] - Habits and rewards
[27:30] - New modes of management and production
[32:15] - Fostering innovation at the edges
[36:35] - Diversity in teams
[39:41] - Humble expertise

Gene Kim is a multiple award-winning CTO, researcher and author, and has been studying high performing technology organizations since 1999. He was founder and CTO of Tripwire for 13 years. He has written six books, including The Unicorn Project (2019), The Phoenix Project (2013), The DevOps Handbook (2016), the Shingo Publication Award-winning Accelerate (2018), and The Visible Ops Handbook (2004-2006) series. Since 2014, he has been the founder and organizer of the DevOps Enterprise Summit, studying the technology transformations of large, complex organizations.

If you'd like to receive new episodes as they're published, please subscribe to Innovation and the Digital Enterprise in Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts. If you enjoyed this episode, please consider leaving a review in Apple Podcasts. It really helps others find the show.

This podcast episode was produced by Dante32.

Thinking Beyond the Immediate in Business with David Hoag

Wed, 29 Jan 2020 12:00:00 -0500

In a corporate environment, a leader’s main task is to keep their team running efficiently and productively. However, in the startup world, a leader needs to jump in and help out at every level. It was this kind of environment and mindset that best informed the leadership style of our guest today, David Hoag.

David is the Senior Vice President and Chief Information Officer for OCC, the world’s largest equity derivatives clearing organization. His time working at a startup taught him lessons that he’s carried over to his teams throughout the years. David talks to Patrick and Shelli about why it’s so important to look beyond immediate problems, why egos keep business stuck, and why it’s better for managers to lead through inquiry and questions as opposed to dictates and direction.

Tune in for a masterclass in effective leadership.

[00:25] - This week: David Hoag
[01:12] - The Options Clearing Corporation
[02:54] - From CME to startup to OCC
[06:34] - The challenge of adding customer value
[08:40] - Incremental wins for transformational change
[12:53] - Creating a culture of empowerment
[17:37] - Acknowledging mistakes
[24:52] - Debugging your company
[26:51] - Establishing a healthy leadership style through mentorship
[36:03] - The innovation leash
[39:49] - The Advantage
[40:46] - Identifying the perfect candidate

In his role as SVP and CIO, David Hoag leads the entire OCC Information Technology team, ensuring that OCC has the technology infrastructure to provide OCC’s approximately 100 clearing members with cost-effective risk management solutions while also meeting the heightened expectations of global regulators.

Hoag is a technology executive with nearly 25 years of information systems and development experience. He previously served as Chief Technology Officer at Halo Investing, Inc., which offers a pre-defined market return trading platform for investors. Before joining Halo, Hoag was Chief Technology Officer for NextTier Education, a web and mobile-based post-secondary readiness platform that delivers critical information on every two and four-year college in the U.S. Prior to NextTier, he spent 11 years with CME Group, most recently serving as the Managing Director of Post Trade Technology leading the exchange’s information technology development teams responsible for all its clearing and settlement activities.

If you'd like to receive new episodes as they're published, please subscribe to Innovation and the Digital Enterprise Insider in Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts. If you enjoyed this episode, please consider leaving a review in Apple Podcasts. It really helps others find the show.

This podcast episode was produced by Dante32.

Balancing Innovation and the Bottom Line with Reza Rooholamini

Wed, 08 Jan 2020 12:00:00 -0500

The problem of trying to work on the next big thing in software without bankrupting the company on research and development can be a tricky balancing act. To successfully manage such operations, leaders need to think tactically.

Reza Rooholamini is the Vice President of Enterprise Architecture and Technology at CCC Information Services Inc. One way that CCC has managed this issue is by creating an innovation lab that is like its own startup within a company. On this week’s episode of Innovation and the Digital Enterprise, Reza discusses the pragmatic approach that CCC takes toward innovation.

Listen in for Reza’s four-pronged approach to successful innovation and his criteria for success.

[00:24] - This week: Reza Rooholamini
[00:54] - Gaining experience dealing with inflection points
[03:28] - Leveraging technology at CCC Information Services
[14:17] - Striking a balance with the innovation lab
[19:06] - Qualifying opportunities
[22:25] - A solution within solutions
[25:39] - Start-up inside a big business
[27:55] - Innovation theater
[32:25] - Center of excellence
[36:22] - For the sake of service

Dr. Reza Rooholamini is responsible for the architecture, development operations, new technologies, Innovation Foundry, Data Sciences, Artificial Intelligence, and advanced product development at CCC, AI and tech leader for the automotive, insurance, and collision repair industries. Since joining CCC in 2013, Dr. Rooholamini’s responsibilities have included the full end-to-end architecture and technologies associated with the SaaS operation of CCC suite of service offerings.

Before CCC, Dr. Rooholamini was responsible for the operating systems and complex computer solutions at Dell Inc. These solutions included database, messaging, super computers and data centers. He also worked as the engineering manager and architect at NCR and AT&T and as the professor of computer sciences at University of Wisconsin. His current research interests are SaaS, cloud computing, DevOps, mobile computing, artificial intelligence, data analytics and hyper scale data, and application platform design and implementation.

Rooholamini earned a BS in electrical engineering from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, an MS in electrical engineering and an MS in computer science from the University of Wisconsin. He also earned his Ph.D. in computer science/engineering from the University of Minnesota.

If you'd like to receive new episodes as they're published, please subscribe to Innovation and the Digital Enterprise Insider in Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts. If you enjoyed this episode, please consider leaving a review in Apple Podcasts. It really helps others find the show.

This podcast episode was produced by Dante32.

Bringing Innovation from the Private Sector to Government with Sean T. O'Kelly

Wed, 04 Dec 2019 13:00:00 -0500

Private sector companies spend a lot of time innovating to create the best possible user experience for potential customers. Government agencies by contrast, tend to work with outdated, analog tools. Why aren’t government agencies following suit?

Sean T. O’Kelly spent more than twenty years in the tech private sector. When he was appointed CIO for Financial and Professional Regulation at the State of Illinois, he jumped at the opportunity to help create a more positive user experience for everyday citizens. Sean talks to Patrick and Shelli about innovation as a public good and why he believes all people should strive to serve in a government capacity at some point in their careers.

Tune in for a lively discussion on innovation at the intersection of public and private sectors.

[00:25] - This week: Sean T. O'Kelly
[00:55] - Sean's role with the State of Illinois
[04:31] - The citizen experience
[11:42] - Improving security
[19:23] - Pushing for innovation
[22:52] - From tech to the state
[25:59] - Participating in government
[27:04] - Blockchain, containers, and AI

Sean T. O’Kelly is the former CIO for Financial and Professional Regulation at the State of Illinois, which governs community banks, financial institutions, real estate, cannabis, and professional licensing. The Department is one of the largest licensing bodies in Illinois and regulates the largest number of state-chartered community banks and credit unions in the country. In this role, he was responsible for supporting revenue in B2B and B2C channels, driving technology strategy and investment, managing a portfolio of applications, delivering new service offerings, improving security and operations, and exploring innovation opportunities with emerging technologies.

Prior to joining the State a little more than two years ago, Sean spent 20 years in the private sector in several technology consulting and operations roles, largely within the financial services and insurances industries. Sean is currently an advisor to start-ups other CIO’s.

If you'd like to receive new episodes as they're published, please subscribe to Innovation and the Digital Enterprise Insider in Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts. If you enjoyed this episode, please consider leaving a review in Apple Podcasts. It really helps others find the show

This podcast episode was produced by Dante32.

How Optimizing Technology Can Help Businesses Scale with Karen Fedyszyn

Wed, 13 Nov 2019 12:00:00 -0500

Gone are the days when a company’s IT teams just babysat servers. Today, individual services and outside vendors dominate the industry. With this fast pace of recent technological leaps brings new opportunities to harness technology that can help businesses find creative ways to scale.

Karen Fedyszyn, an award-winning Information Technology Executive, sat down with Pat and Shelli for a wide-ranging conversation about her experiences managing teams for brands such as Cooper’s Hawk Winery & Restaurants, Ace Hardware, and HSBC. Karen shares why she believes shadow IT should be treated as an innovation pipeline, the challenges of moving from problem focused to solution focused IT, and her tips for creating productive IT teams that allow members to both learn and work on things they are passionate about.

Tune in for practical advice from an IT industry pro.

[00:25] – Introducing Karen Fedyszyn, IT Executive
[01:05] – Embracing being a mid-sized company at Cooper’s Hawk
[04:57] – Keeping your employees current
[09:18] – Karen’s ORBIE 2019 finalist award
[13:44] – Problem solving from within
[17:08] – How going global changes the game
[19:36] – Wartime CEO mentality
[23:45] – Practicing meditation
[27:41] – Having a personal mission statement
[29:49] – How an evolving industry creates new problems
[35:31] – Keeping your employees interested
[38:09] – Proliferation of software as a service

Karen Fedyszyn is an accomplished information technology executive, CIO Advisor, consultant, and Non-Executive Director board member. She is sought after for her work in information and technology, establishing vision, devising strategy, as well as executing digital transformation, acquisition integration, program execution, cyber security and innovation supporting both local and global companies. She has worked with brands including Cooper’s Hawk Winery & Restaurants, Ace Hardware, and HSBC.

If you'd like to receive new episodes as they're published, please subscribe to Innovation and the Digital Enterprise Insider in Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts. If you enjoyed this episode, please consider leaving a review in Apple Podcasts. It really helps others find the show.

This podcast episode was produced by Dante32.

Conflict, Failures and Transparency as Business Assets with Sean Brown

Wed, 09 Oct 2019 11:00:00 -0500

Failure isn’t always a bad thing. In fact, Sean Brown, CEO of YCharts, wants to hire failures – they are, after all, risk-takers that aren’t afraid to try something new. On this week’s episode, Sean joins Pat for a wide-ranging conversation about the lessons Sean has learned in his 25+ years starting, selling, buying, and running various companies.

Sean talks to us about why he believes the KISS (keep it simple, stupid) philosophy works so well in business and shares his four-part playbook for developing successful companies. Listen in to find out how to best get to know your customers, how to attract top talent, and why you need full transparency at every level of your business.

[00:53] – Introducing Sean Brown, CEO of YCharts
[03:20] – Sean discusses his personal background and how he’s learned from failure
[05:44] – Conflict is an inevitable part of business; how do you move on from it?
[07:02] – Why the KISS (keep it simple stupid) philosophy works so well in business
[10:22] – Why listening is the best way to get to know your customers
[13:24] – The qualities of a good product manager
[17:13] – Sean’s playbook for successful companies
[20:07] – Working backward can help your team find innovative strategies for success
[24:47] – Why transparency with employees is so critical
[30:04] – Designing your recruiting process to attract “A players”
[36:48] – Why athletes are ideal hiring candidates
[46:15] – Why Sean loves to hire “failures”

Sean Brown is the President and CEO at YCharts, a cloud based investment research "Swiss Army Knife" tailor made for wealth advisers and asset managers. Sean has a 25+ year track record of guiding significant growth of public companies, private equity backed firms, and startups. He has a proven process-oriented approach to achieving results, with significant experience aligning vision, product, go-to-market, culture and operational plans to achieve commercial objectives. Immediately prior to joining YCharts, he successfully led Interactive Data - 7Ticks to an acquisition by Intercontinental Exchange. Previously he held senior positions at CSG, Computer Science Corporation, and Telution. He began his career as a software developer at Accenture. He lives in the northern suburbs of Chicago with his wife, 2 children, and dog.

If you'd like to receive new episodes as they're published, please subscribe to Innovation and the Digital Enterprise Insider in Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts. If you enjoyed this episode, please consider leaving a review in Apple Podcasts. It really helps others find the show

This podcast episode was produced by Dante32.

Open Communication and Frameworks for High Performing Teams with Eric Foster

Wed, 25 Sep 2019 11:00:00 -0500

Open communication and high performing teams don’t just appear out of nowhere. In order to have a team that gels, you need to put in the work to create a space in which all team members know the vision of your company, have clear expectations, and know how to course-correct when things go awry.

Eric Foster, a CIO with experience spanning multiple technology firms sat down to speak with Pat and Shelli on his three-part framework for creating high performing teams. Eric also explains why it is so important that you spend time thinking about the culture you want and how to go about creating it. Listen in for tips and book recommendations so you have the tools you need to create an unstoppable team.

[00:23] - This week: Eric Foster
[01:25] - Individual all-stars or a high performance team: Reflecting on the 2004 US Olympic Basketball team
[03:06] - 3-part framework for improving team effectiveness:
- [04:26] - Clarity
- [06:00] - Accountability
- [07:08] - Course correction
[09:34] - Integrating external resources
[15:16] - Building high-trust environments
[21:00] - Creating a strong culture
[27:38] - Building trust as a leader
[28:32] - Retaining great people
[29:32] - The Leadership Cube for aspiring leaders
[32:15] - Serving the organization

Eric Foster has been a technology executive in a variety of industries, including Distribution, BioPharmaceuticals, Medical Products, Advertising and Financial Services. He has been CIO for two Fortune 500 companies, Univar and Baxalta, and has served in IT leadership positions at Baxter International and Heller Financial, as well as CTO for Publicis Groupe. He started his career in consulting at Andersen Consulting (now Accenture). He has a bachelor’s degree in Aeronautical and Astronautical Engineering from the University of Illinois.

If you'd like to receive new episodes as they're published, please subscribe to Innovation and the Digital Enterprise Insider in Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts. If you enjoyed this episode, please consider leaving a review in Apple Podcasts. It really helps others find the show.

This podcast episode was produced by Dante32.

Building Better, More Diverse Workplaces for Mothers with Allison Robinson

Wed, 14 Aug 2019 11:00:00 -0500

It seems like every entrepreneur’s background story starts with the same idea: scratching their own itch. For today’s guest, Allison Robinson, the problem wasn’t how to use some new technology or improve an existing product. It was how to return to the workforce as a mother.

Finding herself looking for the resources she needed and coming up empty, Allison founded the Mom Project to help one of the most underserved parts of the population: mothers. Pat and Shelli talk to Allison about her work expanding opportunities for mothers, the rise of the gig economy, and how the Mom Project matches experienced mothers with companies desperately looking to hire.

[00:50] - Allison’s background and an intro the Mom Project
[03:11] - Job opportunities offered by the Mom Project
[04:58] - The gig economy in the workforce
[05:56] - How the Mom Project is breaking into new job arenas
[06:38] - How can companies stand out with the Mom Project
[09:47] - Expanding to other cities
[10:14] - Who does the Mom Project engage with
[11:45] - The current recruitment space
[13:21] - How companies employ the Mom Project workers
[14:45] - The effects of the low unemployment rate
[16:06] - Allison’s favorite books and recent reads
[17:35] - Pat asks Allison what the biggest lesson she's learned
[19:47] - The Mom Project's growth
[20:28] - Dads within the Mom Project
[21:20] - Advice to founders
[22:05] - Suggestions for people scared to return to the workforce

After having her son Asher in 2015, Allison identified how universally challenging it can be for American mothers to juggle the demands of motherhood with a full-time career and decided to tackle the issue on a national scale. Prior to founding The Mom Project, Allison spent 8 years at Procter and Gamble working on go to market strategies for leading household brands with a special focus on moms during her tenure on the Pampers brand. As CEO, Allison is responsible for delivering on the company's mission of building a better workplace for women while supporting our customers through innovative talent solutions that help them attract and retain a diversity of backgrounds and perspectives they need to propel their businesses forward.

If you'd like to receive new episodes as they're published, please subscribe to Innovation and the Digital Enterprise Insider in Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts. If you enjoyed this episode, please consider leaving a review in Apple Podcasts. It really helps others find the show

This podcast episode was produced by Dante32.

From HR to Hip-Hop: Unlocking Insights Through Analytics with Zack Johnson

Wed, 17 Jul 2019 11:00:00 -0500

What’s it like to sell your company and something you’ve poured your heart into for over 7 years? On the latest episode of the Innovation and the Digital Enterprise podcast, Shelli and Pat are joined by Zack Johnson, VP of Business Development at Visier. Prior to Visier, Zack started and ran Syndio, an analytics provider based in Chicago, for over 7 years. Zack takes us through his incredible background, from founder to lecturer to advisor to pop & hip-hop artists, and breaks down how analytics are being used in a wide variety of industries.

[00:25] - Introduction to Zack Johnson
[01:10] - The personality traits necessary for entrepreneurship and intrapreneurship - patience, persistence and motivation
[02:58] - Zack’s experience founding Syndio
[06:51] - The difficulties involved transitioning a services business into a product company
[10:23] - How Shelli and Zack met through the HR tech community
[11:25] - Lessons learned transitioning from entrepreneurship into working for Visier
[17:13] - The value of mentorship and coaching for entrepreneurs
[20:47] - Grappling with the gravity of the decisions you make as a leader
[23:48] - What should employers consider when hiring former entrepreneurs
- [26:49] - Should the type of exit they had play into the hiring decision?
[29:08] - The relative impact of product/market fit vs having a ‘smart team’
[31:39] - Zack’s specific experience transitioning from Syndio to Visier

Zack Johnson is currently the Vice President of Business Development at Visier Inc. At Visier, he builds strategic partnerships with organizations who believe that data unlocks critical, untapped value for their customers. Prior to Visier, Zack was the co-founder and CEO of Syndio, a people analytics software provider based in Chicago. Outside of Visier, Zack enjoys guest lecturing about applied network analysis, people analytics and entrepreneurship at a number of institutions including the Kellogg School of Management, Yale, MIT, and the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth, as well as for companies such as Exelon, Nielsen, and Mars. He also advises pop and hip-hop artists how to use analytics to rapidly grow their fan base.

If you'd like to receive new episodes as they're published, please subscribe to Innovation and the Digital Enterprise Insider in Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts. If you enjoyed this episode, please consider leaving a review in Apple Podcasts. It really helps others find the show
This podcast episode was produced by Dante32.

Two Decades in Chicago's Finance & Fintech Ecosystem with Randy Rivera

Wed, 12 Jun 2019 11:00:00 -0500

In this episode of the Innovation and the Digital Enterprise podcast, Randy Rivera stops by to chat with Pat & Shelli. Randy is a long time financial executive, entrepreneur and innovator in the emerging Fintech ecosystem. Randy gives his insights into the Chicago ecosystem, first as an executive then as an entrepreneur with quointec, the company he founded in 2018.

[00:33] - Who is Randy Rivera?
[06:50] - The Chicago business ecosystem
[13:05] - What makes a founder?
[17:52] - The first five
[20:05] - Developing and growing a company
[27:48] - The growing fintech space
[33:41] - Today’s Entrepreneurs
[38:59] - What it takes to make it
[43:43] - Tigers can’t change their stripes
[45:25] - Give and take people
[50:43] - Failure and tools to succeed

Randy Rivera is a former financial services exec turned entrepreneur. He spent almost two decades in banking, building businesses in commercial lending and private banking. Inspired by the entrepreneurial spirit of the executives, founders, and owners that his businesses served, Randy founded Keen Advisors and co-founded quointec. Randy lives in Chicago with his wife and three children. A proud Georgetown and University of Chicago Booth alumni, he remains connected to his alma maters’ entrepreneurial communities.

If you'd like to receive new episodes as they're published, please subscribe to Innovation and the Digital Enterprise Insider in Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts. If you enjoyed this episode, please consider leaving a review in Apple Podcasts. It really helps others find the show

This podcast episode produced by Dante32.

Combining Cutting Edge Technology & Civic Innovation with Adam Hecktman

Wed, 22 May 2019 11:00:00 -0500

Hosts Shelli Nelson and Patrick Emmons are joined today by Adam Hecktman, long time civic technology executive at Microsoft. Adam shares how the role of technology in communities has evolved throughout the years. We discuss the social impact of technology, efficient government and the challenge of keeping talent in Chicago.

[03:00] - 27 years and 10,000 great days at Microsoft
[03:50] - The challenge of keeping talent in Chicago
[05:35] - Chicago driving the transportation logistics industry forward
[08:30] - Hiring for skills not diplomas
[09:45] - Mentoring upcoming entrepreneurs in the social impact space
[11:50] - Experiences with demands for efficient government
[13:30] - Chicago mayoral campaigns with someone not named Daley
[15:45] - 1871, Governor Pritzker and Illinois economic development
[20:00] - The State of Illinois opportunity to provide equity in education
[25:56] - The opportunity to live, work and grow in Chicago
[29:00] - The call to action for business owners in Chicago when hiring candidates
[34:15] - Lesson in encouraging lifelong learning & Microsoft Partner Program
[38:30] - Creating a culture of learning starts at the top of an organization
[40:00] - The gig economy, micro-internships and new models of employment
[42:00] - Adam's one word

Adam J. Hecktman is Microsoft’s Director of Technology and Civic Innovation for Chicago. In this capacity, Adam helps the cities' civic leaders – and the communities they serve – use cutting-edge ideas around technology to solve the city’s biggest social challenges. He provides guidance on the key issues and opportunities facing neighborhoods and communities today and in the future. Prior to this role, Adam was the Director of the Microsoft Technology Center – Chicago, helping organizations ensure long-term success when facing their toughest business challenges and opportunities. He has been with Microsoft in Chicago since 1991. Prior to Microsoft, Adam was a consultant at Accenture. Adam received a Bachelor of Science in Commerce and Business Administration from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and is pursuing his Master of Data Science with a concentration on Computational Methods at DePaul University. Adam has served his community in various capacities and appointments at non-profit, civic, and professional organizations including: Founder of the Chicago City Data Users Group, Advisory Board of IT Knowledge Abilities Network, Leadership Council of THRIVE Chicago, along with many others. Adam can be found on Twitter and at the Microsoft Chicago homepage.

Episode produced by Dante32.

Trust, Teams and Giving Back with Christian Anschuetz, UL's Chief Digital Officer

Fri, 05 Apr 2019 18:00:00 -0500

In this second installment of “Innovation and the Digital Enterprise” Shelli Nelson and Patrick Emmons welcome Christian Anschuetz to talk about his role as UL’s Chief Digital Officer, having courage in the face of uncertainty and the criticality of trust in all relationships.
As CDO at UL, Christian is responsible for embedding innovative technology and digital trends in operations to accelerate growth and enhance clients’ ability to predict and address regulatory and safety considerations in their value chains. He is passionate about the value trust brings to modern supply chains and the role data plays in delivering that trust.
Christian is also a proud veteran of the United States Marine Corps and the founder of the innovative nonprofit, Project RELO.
Episode Highlights:

[01:25] Christian on how being an American citizen shaped his life and experience
[02:53] The winding path: “No plan survives its first contact with the enemy”
[05:29] Having faith, confidence, and courage when you don’t know how things are going to turn out
[06:10] Transitioning from marine officer to entrepreneur to corporate executive
[10:31] Employing veterans as an entrepreneur and at UL
[13:26] How being a mission-based person led Christian to UL, the kind of company seeking to make a difference in the world
[16:37] UL’s history of moving with innovation
[18:37] Challenges in transitioning from CIO role to Chief Digital Officer
[21:39] Hiring based on the substance of a person’s character
[24:31] Trust as the most essential ingredient for any relationship, including between companies and their customers
[27:12] Trust vs Loyalty
[29:06] Specific challenges, risk, and opportunities at UL
[33:37] Considering mentors outside the typical conception of mentorship
[37:03] Starting Project RELO
[45:20 ] The “Plastics Question” - Christian’s one word is trust

If you enjoyed the show, please subscribe and leave a much-appreciated review in iTunes, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts!

Episode produced by Dante32.

Roman Dumiak: Collaboration & How it Evolves with Technology

Wed, 27 Feb 2019 17:00:00 -0500

On DragonSpears first installment of “Innovation and the Digital Enterprise” Shelli Nelson and Patrick Emmons welcome Roman Dumiak to talk about how technology affects collaborative efforts in anything from programming to E-sports to smart speakers.

Roman Dumiak, who currently works at a small private equity firm giving technical advice on potential clients, previously worked at Allstate Insurance for over 40 years, wearing many hats including software developer, infrastructure handler in database/network, chief architect, and held the position of Director of Technology Innovation for 6 years.

Episode Highlights:

[00:51] Introduction to Roman Dumiak
[04:20] Scrum vs. Extreme Programming
[06:06] Empathy in the recruitment process
[10:09] Where the Allstate Innovation Team began and how it grew
[16:19] Paired Programming as a valuable asset instead of a waste of resources
[19:41] Shift in Programming as isolated work to collaboration
[23:23] The approach of an Egalitarian work environment
[27:55] Introduction of product managers to Allstate
[33:38] Innovation Lab and the Car Sharing Startup
[38:10] Alexa and other developments that toe the line of success/failure
[43:12] E-Sports and Group Gaming
[48:52] Collaboration evolving with technology
[50:46] Innovation and Rebuilding

If you enjoyed the show, please subscribe and leave a much-appreciated review in iTunes, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts!

Editing & Post-Production by Dante32.

Introducing the Innovation and the Digital Enterprise Podcast

Wed, 06 Feb 2019 21:00:00 -0500

Welcome to the Innovation and the Digital Enterprise podcast, hosted by Patrick Emmons and Shelli Nelson.

Join us as we interview successful visionaries and leaders, giving you an insight into how they drive and support innovation within their organizations.

Each episode we'll focus on a different aspect of leveraging the digital revolution like…

building a culture of innovation
overcoming a fear of failure
finding time to focus on innovative product ideas
teaching and recruiting innovators

So join us as we learn the secrets that successful entrepreneurs and leaders use to spark innovation amongst their teams and organizations.

Subscribe by visiting our website at dragonspears.com/podcast or find us at iTunes, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts.

This episode was produced by Dante32.