When does a company need its first-ever Chief Technology Officer? Shankar Kalyana takes us behind the scenes of becoming Stantec's first CTO while simultaneously leading their digital transformation and AI initiatives. 

With refreshing honesty, he shares how he balanced technical expertise with transformation leadership, shaped a role that didn't previously exist, and executed a strategic 100-day plan that started with deep listening. Shankar explains why the traditional CIO/CTO division is disappearing, offers practical advice for those stepping into newly-created technology leadership roles, and predicts where these executive positions are heading as AI transforms business. A fascinating look at technology leadership when "digital" appears countless times in your company's strategic plan!

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Connect with:

⁠⁠⁠⁠Nellie Wartoft⁠⁠⁠⁠

CEO of ⁠⁠⁠⁠Tigerhall⁠⁠⁠⁠

Chair of the ⁠⁠⁠⁠Executive Council for Leading Change (ECLC)⁠⁠⁠⁠

[email protected]

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• 00.00 - Introduction
• 01:30 - Why Stantec created their first CTO role
• 03:45 - Combining technology leadership with transformation responsibilities
• 05:15 - AI transformation as a core mandate from day one
• 07:10 - How to shape your role when you're the first person in the position
• 09:30 - Shankar's 100-day plan: Listen, build a SWOT analysis, formalize a vision
• 12:15 - Deconstructing and reconstructing understanding of digital transformation
• 14:40 - Common misconceptions about CTO responsibilities
• 17:20 - The evolution of technology leadership roles over the past 20 years
• 19:52 - How to divide responsibilities across multiple technology leadership roles
• 22:10 - Bringing transformation, digital and technology under one leader
• 24:30 - The future of technology leadership: fusion of roles vs. specialization
• 27:15 - The importance of personal leadership qualities in transformation roles

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