Forging The Future with Chris Howard

In this episode, Chris Howard sits down with Tamara Shaw, former Chief Transformation Officer at C1, to discuss the evolving role of Chief Transformation Officers (CTOs) and the challenges of integrating company culture during acquisitions. Talking points include managing offshore and global initiatives, the necessity of operational technology investments, and Tamara’s advice for aspiring future Transformation Officers. 

A new generation of geothermal energy is here, and guest Cindy Taff, CEO of Sage Geosystems, is at the forefront of energy innovation. Sage Geosystems has developed proprietary geothermal technologies targeting lower surface temperatures which could reduce the cost of geothermal electricity production and increase adoption of geothermal around the world. Talking points include transitioning from a career in oil to alternative energy, working with Meta on geothermal energy storage, and notable innovations in the energy space worth keeping an eye on.  

This week’s guest has a lot of irons in the fire; meet Justin Segal, Co-Founder of Stemmons Enterprise, President at Boxer Property, and Co-Founder of Relay Human Cloud, who joins host Chris Howard to talk about workplace culture, from job hopping to AI usage. In each of his roles, Justin oversees strategy and provides important workplace solutions without compromising culture and collaboration. Talking points include empowering employees with AI instead of replacing them, retaining employees even in remote work environments, and the 10 principles that Justin uses every day. 

Forging the Future goes out of this world and into the great beyond in today’s episode, guest starring Guy de Carufel, Founder and CEO of Cognitive Space. Based in Houston, Cognitive Space brings an AI-SaaS solution for intelligent satellite automation to empower and enable the use of space. Talking points include space utilization as a national security concern, competitive pressure from China to enhance space tech, and the unique role AI automations can play in bettering space exploration. 

Embedded World 2024’s Best in Show winner, Beacon EmbeddedWorks, brings VP of Products Russ Stebner to the show this week. Beacon EmbeddedWorks is a full-service provider of embedded products for regulated markets like medical and aerospace, providing in-house manufacturing and support for innovative System on Modules (SoMs). Talking points include custom solutions for assistive technology, challenges for designing for aerospace projects, and unique innovations in wearable technology from at-home to on the front lines. 

Forging the Future goes on the road to Embedded World 2024 in Austin, Texas, to talk with 4 tech experts on key topics like advanced AI technology and intelligent product development. Chris is joined by Jason Griffin from Analog Devices, POLYN Technology CEO Aleksandr Timofeev, Weier Wan of AIZIP, and Martin Unverdorben at Tria. Talking points include integrating analog data with digital technology, understanding NASP essentials, developing small AI models, and improving efficiency in embedded computing with AI. 

Forging the Future goes on the road to Embedded World 2024 in Austin, Texas, to talk with 3 tech experts on open source, embedded systems, and safety and security. Chris is joined by Kate Stewart from the Linux Foundation, Frederic Desbiens from the Eclipse Foundation, and Gulroz Singh from NXP semiconductors. Talking points include the Zephyr project, open source community building, and the future of self-driving cars.

Forging the Future talks to Guneet Bedi, Senior VP and General Manager at Arduino, at Embedded World 2024 in Austin, Texas, in this week’s AI and electronics-focused episode. Arduino designs, manufactures, and supports electronic devices and software, allowing people around the world to easily access advanced technologies that interact with the physical world. Talking points include supporting Arduino’s 40 million global users, expanding into emerging geographical markets, and democratizing AI knowledge.

Artificial intelligence takes the mainstage at Embedded World 2024 and in this week’s episode with Pete Bernard, edge AI computing expert and Executive Director at tinyML Foundation. At tinyML, Pete helps nurture a community focused on low-power machine learning technologies at the very edge of the cloud with the most cutting-edge AI technologies, deep ties to academia, and investments in AI for Good and Responsible AI. Talking points include the rapid pace of technological change, the need for secure, responsible AI and the importance of user-friendly interfaces for AI adoption.

Forging the Future gets some legal help this week from Jeff Dodd, a Partner at Hunton Andrews Kurth (current sponsor of Forging the Future). With over 900 lawyers in the United States and around the world, Hunton Andrews Kurth LLP serves clients across a broad range of complex transactional, litigation and regulatory matters. Talking points include when startups should seek legal advice, how emerging technology like AI can add complexities to legal systems, and what protections and considerations should be on the mind of startup founders and business owners.