Technovation with Peter High (CIO, CTO, CDO, CXO Interviews)
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Twice-weekly conversations with top executives and thought leaders at the intersection of business, technology, and innovation. Each episode of Technovation explores the technology trends that are transforming business, and the leaders driving digital change inside their organizations. Produced by Metis Strategy and hosted by firm President Peter High, Technovation is the premier podcast for IT and technology professionals with the largest collection of interviews with elite CIOs, CTOs, and CDOs.
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1025: What does it take to go from CIO to CEO? For Saul Van Beurden, tech leadership was the ideal proving ground.
Now CEO of Consumer, Small, and Business Banking at Wells Fargo, Saul shares how his background in IT helped him lead at enterprise scale. In this episode, he speaks with Peter High about the strategic, operational, and cultural mindset shifts that enabled his rise—and why CIOs are uniquely positioned to lead beyond technology.
1024: Where is AI actually moving the needle in industrial operations?
In this episode, Anil Bhatt, Chief Information and Digital Officer of Norfolk Southern, shares how the $12B freight rail company is turning AI into measurable value — without overhyping its potential.
Topics include:
A disciplined approach to AI deployment with measurable ROI
Norfolk Southern’s “3 As” framework for enterprise data strategy
Copilot adoption to augment associate workflows
Lessons from customer-centric redesign of freight experiences
The role of AI in enabling safety, resilience, and transformation
1023: What does it really take to scale AI responsibly across a global enterprise?
In this episode, Ramon Richards, Chief Technology Officer at T. Rowe Price, shares how his team is advancing AI capabilities with discipline and speed—balancing innovation with the need for risk controls, data readiness, and workforce enablement.
Ramon unpacks T. Rowe Price’s multi-pronged approach to artificial intelligence, from founding an AI Labs function to piloting autonomous agents, all while modernizing infrastructure and investing in talent development.
5: How can venture investors consistently identify the next breakout market?
Barry Eggers, Founding Partner at Lightspeed Venture Partners, reveals the firm’s thesis-driven approach to venture capital of using early “learning investments” to test conviction, then scaling fast into emerging markets before the crowd arrives.
In this episode, Barry shares insights from Lightspeed’s foundational bets in enterprise tech, Snap’s billion-dollar rise, and how the firm built multi-company portfolios around early themes like flash storage and analytics.
1022: What if your innovation team operated more like a venture fund than a lab?
In this episode of Technovation, Peter High speaks with Andres Vazquez, Chief Digital Intelligence Officer of América Móvil, about how he leads open innovation at scale, evaluating thousands of companies a year to drive customer value, operational efficiency, and revenue.
1021: Is your infrastructure ready to flex?
In this episode of Technovation, Manish Kumar, EVP of Digital Energy at Schneider Electric, explains how buildings can become interactive energy assets with the help of AI, real-time data, and distributed energy systems. He shares the strategy behind Schneider’s Energy Command Center model, which reduced energy use by 25 GWh across 23 buildings, and outlines how AI can be deployed both locally and enterprise-wide to drive sustainability and efficiency.
1020: What happens when the CIO responsible for powering AI also has to manage its energy demands?
Richard Donaldson, SVP & CIO of Duke Energy, joins Technovation to discuss the unique position utilities now face: supporting exponential growth in data center power needs while simultaneously using AI to optimize grid performance, customer experience, and internal operations.
In this episode, Richard and Peter explore:
The intersection of AI and national energy infrastructure
How one data center can require as much power as a nuclear reactor
Strategies for responsible AI rollout and internal enablement
Customer journey innovation in a highly regulated industry
Why the utility CIO role is now central to digital transformation
1019: What does it take to build a high-performing IT organization from scratch while navigating a carve-out, preparing for IPO, and pivoting into acquisition?
In this episode of Technovation, Kirk Ball, Chief Information Officer at Worldpay, shares his 15-month journey leading digital transformation, tech modernization, and cultural reinvention at a global payments company doing business in 135+ countries.
Ball reflects on the leadership decisions, cloud strategies, and AI integration efforts that helped stand up a scalable, resilient tech function, even as plans shifted from IPO to M&A.
4: Former Cisco CEO John Chambers returns to discuss why AI is scaling faster than any tech wave before it, including the internet. Now the CEO of JC2 Ventures, Chambers shares lessons from advising 24 AI-native startups and offers a strategic lens on how leaders, companies, and countries can win or be left behind.
1018: How is Experian transforming from a data company into a technology-first innovator?
In this episode, Kathleen Peters, Chief Innovation Officer at Experian, joins Peter High to reveal how her team is scaling Generative AI, agentic AI, and behavioral analytics to fight fraud, streamline decisioning, and make advanced modeling accessible to everyone.
Kathleen shares how Experian’s global Innovation Labs evolved from blue-sky R&D to delivering real-world impact, from the Experian Assistant, a natural-language AI that can build models in minutes, to cutting-edge behavioral analytics that distinguish humans, bots, and AI agents in real time.
1017: As Senior Vice President for Enterprise Business & Digital Transformation and Chief Information Officer at Lockheed Martin, Maria Demaree is leading one of the world’s largest aerospace and defense companies through a sweeping digital and cultural transformation.
In this episode of Technovation with Peter High, Maria shares how Lockheed Martin’s 1LMX program is uniting more than 122,000 employees worldwide under a mission-driven approach to digital enablement, process modernization, and cultural cohesion. She explains how her dual background in business leadership and IT shapes her strategy, the power of connecting global factories through data, and the role of AI and quantum computing in accelerating delivery for national security customers.
1016: The AI workforce won’t replace humans—but it will reshape how work gets done. On this episode of Technovation with Peter High, Salesforce EVP & CDO Joe Inzerillo joins to explore the rise of agentic AI and how it’s transforming work, from org structure to customer engagement. Joe draws on lessons from Disney, SiriusXM, and now Salesforce to unpack the “Customer Zero” model, how digital labor changes work design, and why empathy is the superpower for AI leadership.
1015: "No one cares about AI if the Wi-Fi doesn't work." As CIO of the U.S. Department of State, Dr. Kelly Fletcher leads a global team delivering secure, resilient, and modern technology across 190 countries.
In this episode of Technovation with Peter High, Dr. Kelly Fletcher, Chief Information Officer of the U.S. Department of State, shares how she leads technology strategy for 100,000 users across 190 countries. Kelly discusses her dual mandate of operational excellence and cybersecurity, including the department’s rapid response to the 2023 Microsoft hack. She also explains how AI is reducing “toil” for diplomats, the rollout of StateChat and DocuChat, and the transformative potential of low-earth orbit satellite communications for global connectivity. With past leadership roles at the Department of Defense and the Navy, Kelly reflects on cultural differences across agencies, her philosophy on experimentation, and the future of cloud and cross-government collaboration.
3: Marina Levinson shares her journey from CIO to venture investor to startup advisor, revealing the skills, relationships, and mindset shifts needed to thrive across roles, how her experience as a tech buyer sharpened her investment approach, how she built bridges between enterprise executives and startups, and highlights such as how CIOs can play a bigger role in innovation ecosystems, why BGV invests in vertical AI rather than infrastructure, lessons from AiDASH, COVU, and Interactly.ai, what makes a solution “must-have” vs. “nice-to-have”, and advice for executives pursuing public or private board roles.
1014: “The speed is so incredible. I can't tell if I'm getting older and I'm slower, or if just the speed of this technology is so exponentially faster.” As CIO of Analog Devices, Nancy Avila leads digital transformation for a $9.5B semiconductor company at the forefront of AI innovation.
In this episode of Technovation with Peter High, Nancy Avila, Chief Information Officer of Analog Devices, shares how she returned from retirement to lead IT, data, and AI strategy at a company powering intelligent edge technologies. Nancy outlines her three-pillar strategy of operational excellence, process optimization, and innovation highlighting the company’s shift toward enterprise-wide adoption of agentic AI. She details how AI agents are boosting engineering productivity, improving anomaly detection in manufacturing, and transforming internal knowledge access. Nancy also discusses her approach to transparent decision-making in AI and cloud spend, how CIOs can shape business strategy in technical organizations, and her experience serving on public boards.
1013: Wyndham’s Scott Strickland on AI, loyalty, and how digital innovation is reshaping hospitality.
In this episode of Technovation, Wyndham Hotels & Resorts Chief Commercial Officer and longtime CIO Scott Strickland joins Peter High to share how Wyndham is redefining hospitality with digital innovation, from its owner-first philosophy and the new Wyndham Gateway loyalty initiative to the creation of a guest engagement platform that powers mobile check-in, digital tipping, and personalized upsells; Strickland also discusses Wyndham’s $350M technology modernization journey, how it prepared the company for AI adoption, the role of data and personalization in shaping future guest experiences, the impact of user-generated content and micro-influencers, and practical leadership lessons for CIOs aiming to expand into broader commercial roles, proving that in hospitality, where there’s a Wyndham, there’s a way.
1012: Sokwoo Rhee, EVP of Innovation at LG Electronics and Head of LG NOVA, reveals how LG is rethinking corporate innovation through ecosystem-led venture building. In this episode we explore LG NOVA’s venture into healthcare, energy optimization, and AI innovation, including Primefocus Health and PADO, plus how public-private partnerships (like with West Virginia) power new business creation. Learn why LG is focused on vertical AI use cases, how they identify 5-10 year opportunities, and what it takes to build cross-sector teams for impact.
1011: Build with AI. Lead with people.
In this episode of Technovation, host Peter High speaks with Jennifer Charters, Executive Vice President and Chief Information Officer of Lincoln Financial. Jennifer shares how she’s shaping the future of IT and innovation at the $18.5B insurer by investing in AI while doubling down on what makes transformation succeed: people.
She discusses Lincoln’s evolving enterprise AI strategy, why a model-agnostic approach matters, and how her team is redesigning workflows and talent models in parallel. From regulatory complexity to the rise of AI agents, Jennifer emphasizes the need to prepare rather than predict the future, and to keep human connection at the center of it.
Key topics include:
A 401(k)-style framework for IT budgeting and innovation
How Lincoln’s model-agnostic AI architecture supports agility
AI use cases in development, cybersecurity, and customer experience
Partnering with HR to future-proof skills and change readiness
2: What if every human had an army of agents working for them?
Aaref Hilaly, Partner at Bain Capital Ventures and veteran investor in AI-native startups, joins Peter High to discuss the transformative potential of agentic AI, the mindset he looks for in founders, and how legal, healthcare, and education sectors are poised for disruption.
Key highlights from the conversation:
How AI is reshaping venture investment strategy
The role of agents in redefining work and productivity
Why legal and healthcare are prime for automation
Lessons from Hilaly’s time as a founder
Emerging trends like vibe coding and invisible apps
1010: Simplify to accelerate.
In this episode of Technovation, host Peter High speaks with Richard Jardim, Executive Vice President and Chief Information Officer of the Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce (CIBC). Richard shares how his team is modernizing one of North America's leading banks by focusing on technology simplification, speed, and agility in service of building a relationship-oriented bank for a modern world.
He details CIBC’s transformation journey, from migrating core platforms to the cloud and leveraging proprietary online banking infrastructure, to developing digital talent, integrating AI, and preparing for quantum computing. Richard also reflects on the importance of curiosity, communication, and adaptive leadership in today’s fast-moving tech environment.
Key topics include:
How CIBC simplifies its 1,200+ app footprint to increase agility
The bank’s strategy for scaling internal IP and AI skills
Bridging business and technology through vertical CIO alignment
Quantum computing as both risk and opportunity in financial services
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