CIO Talk Network

Guest 1: Michael Armstrong

Title: Chief Information Officer, City of Corpus Christi, Texas

Guest 2: Gail M. Roper

Title: Chief Information Officer and Community Relations Officer, City of Raleigh, NC; member, CIO Executive Council

Mobility has the potential for more than paying for itself by increasing the amount and quality of work employees can do in the field. It can reduce government task process time from weeks to days or hours, shortening response time to customers, cutting travel time, decreasing equipment expenses, and eliminating occupancy costs. So what’s holding back some government CIOs from going full throttle? Are they not ready? Are there budget constraints? Is BYOD still an issue for Government agencies? And what about other early adopters? Have they really realized the potential after jumping on the mobility bandwagon? What is the current state of mobility in government, and what hurdles do we still need to get over?

Guest : Mamatha Chamarthi

Title : VP and Chief Information Officer, CMS Energy

Utilities already have to focus on maintaining their resilience in the face of natural disasters and other threats to the grid. But now smart grid is posing cyber security threats that could further affect a utility’s ability to recover. What sorts of new risk analysis and emergency framework policies need to be in place to prevent catastrophic damage to machinery, supply chain or the digital network?

Guest 1: Robert Steven Kaplan

Title: Martin Marshall Professor of Management Practice in Business Administration, Senior Associate Dean for External Relations, Harvard Business School

Guest 2: Keith Zecchini

Title: Global Chief Information Officer, Parsons Brinckerhoff

Any particular program or project that is coming to a close inevitably brings about a level of change that can be tumultuous. With a particularly long or popular program finally ending, any number of internal problems or opportunities for pushback can ensue. How does a good leader take everything in stride and get everything finished up appropriately? How does a leader alleviate internal stress as to what’s on the horizon?

Guest : Mark Wyatt

Title : Vice President for Grid Modernization and Distribution, Duke Energy

If we want to achieve ongoing smart grid optimization, we can’t do so without actionable intelligence. It’s needed to correct deficiencies throughout the power delivery system, not just to the customer side of the meter, but to transmission, substation and distribution systems. All the real-time data points being collected across it -- generated by millions of wireless sensors and other smart interconnected devices -- is creating one of the biggest Big Data challenges out there. So what's the plan?

Guest 1: Susan Cramm

Title: President Valuedance and Former CIO, Taco Bell Corporation

Guest 2: James H. Sills, III

Title: Cabinet Secretary and Chief Information Officer,State of Delaware

When starting any new program, there’s a sense of uncertainty that comes with any disruption. Introducing something new to an existing, well-oiled workflow could throw a wrench into your people, process, policy or pocketbook components. What should a leader do to manage a new beginning as systems and relationships break down? How can a leader encourage a change?

Guest 1: Michael Maoz

Title: VP Distinguished Analyst, Gartner,

Guest 2: Danny Saadon

Title: Vice President, EL AL Israel Airlines, North & Central America

At home, work, in the airport or in the air…an airline customer can be touched in many ways: Personalized offerings, frequent travel rewards, and last but by no means least, a pleasant in-flight experience. These are what the customer expects and their delivery directly impacts customer allegiance! Are airline carriers delivering on these things? Where are the shortfalls? To what degree can technology help by positively impacting customer loyalty?

Guest : Dr. Dirk E. Mahling, CMVP

Title : Chief Information Officer, Seattle City Light

The current trend in going green is producing clean gas, finding renewables and maintaining energy efficiency. If the government seed money allocated for smart grid is any indication, a green smart grid may be the best approach to reducing your carbon footprint. But how do we know that this isn’t just another green technology bubble like solar energy? How can IT help to capitalize on these initiatives? What can we do now to ensure we will see our investments in this technology 20 years from now?

Guest : Francesca Gino, Ph.D.

Title: Associate Professor of Business Administration, Harvard Business School

In the face of ambiguity, uncertainty, and conflicting demands, the most important thing that leaders do is make judgment calls. The decisions and judgment calls made in the people, strategy, and crisis domains have the most impact on the well-being and sustainability of an organization. How are we doing in this area? Must we rely on the innate strengths of who we hire or groom to become the leader? What can be done so our current and upcoming leaders hone this very important skill?

Guest 1: Joseph D. Sniado

Title: Senior Vice President, Chief Information Officer, Standard & Poor’s

Guest 2: Frank Wander

Title: Author, Former CIO and Founder of The IT Excellence Institute

In an organization’s attempt to cut costs and meet business demands, there’s a perceived notion that IT leaders are creating a ruthless environment in which workers are treated as cogs in a larger machine. But this culture, whether a myth or a tough reality, can ultimately undermine performance. How do we reduce the damage to our most precious human resources and still deliver profitability and shareholder value?

Guest : Ravi Pradhan

Title : Vice President of Technology, Siemens Smart Grid

The smart grid infrastructure will inevitably produce an explosion of data, and utility may need to have a comprehensive information management ability to handle it. While many organizations are still struggling to modernize their legacy infrastructure, isn't going digital too big a leap? What’s the strategy to meet smart grid challenges and reach the end goal? Do they have the internal capability to manage this disruptive transformation?