Tech Whisperers: Inside the Playbooks of the Best Digital Leaders

There are leaders who know how to win big results, but don’t know how to win people, and then there are leaders who know how to win people, but don’t know how to win big results. NTT DATA North America CIO Barry Shurkey is one of those great leaders who knows how to win both in business and with his people. 

For this episode, we sat down with Barry at NTT DATA’s Innovation Center in Plano, Texas, to shine the light on his career journey and open up his tech leadership playbook so you can learn from the best.

Tune in to learn about:

• Barry’s early jobs in publishing and hospitality influenced his career
• How to harness emotional intelligence as a leader
• How sharing the “ugly” news early can prevent problems and bring teams closer together
• How Barry envisions the future of the CIO position
• How Barry has mentored and advocated for new leaders, particularly underrepresented individuals 

Featuring submitted questions from:

• Lori Shisler, VP of Global People at NTT Global Sourcing
• Robert Dority, Vice President at NTT Data Services
• Tom Levesque, (ret.) VP of Information Technology at NTT Data Services
• Meredith Vance, Senior VP, Treasurer at NTT Data,
• Lourdes Gipson, Senior Executive Director at Inspire Leadership Network
• Kris Moser, Executive Assistant to the CIO at NTT DATA Data Services

There are two types of companies: Those that achieve incredible amounts of success only to crumble when they fail to keep up with the world around them, and those that achieve the same level of success but are also able to sustain it, through adaptability, forward thinking, and tenacity. The companies in this second group are the ones that consistently withstand supply chain disruptions, global health crises, economic disasters, and more.

We’ve invited two great friends of the podcast, AdaptiveION Co-Founder Ken Spangler, and former Accenture managing director Steve Davis, Co-Founder of AdaptiveION, to help us understand how these thriving companies develop adaptive people, teams, and organizations to achieve that kind of staying power.

Tune in to discover:

• The “industry proof points” that differentiate adaptive companies from the rest
• How organizational adaptability and agility differ from each other
• The five quotients of advanced adaptability for individuals and teams
• Key characteristics of companies that will be successful 10 years from now

Featuring submitted questions from:

• Robert Carter, EVP & CIO (ret), FedEx Information Services 
• Christine Knackfuss-Nikolis, Chief Technology Officer, T-Systems International

Even among the best technology leaders, there are those who stand out. These are the “CIO Legends” who have not just led their organizations successfully but who have also made an impact that extends well beyond their individual career milestones and across the entire industry. We have featured some of these CIO Legends, including Charlie Feld, Larry Quinlan, Karenann Terrell, and Diana McKenzie, in previous episodes. 

Today, we are shining the light on Anil Cheriyan, another CIO Legend who has made a mark across multiple industries. Throughout his expansive career journey, Anil has only failed at one thing that we can think of — retirement. After his first retirement, he was called on to serve the federal government. After his second retirement, he took on a different role at Cognizant. Now, in his third retirement, he is driving strategy as a board member, advisor, and investor.

In this episode, we are diving into some of Anil’s most important moments and a few of the character traits that have made him the CIO Legend we know today.

Tune in to discover:

• How career experience as both a buyer and a seller in the services industry has influenced Anil’s leadership style
• Anil’s leadership strategy that encourages people to step outside of their comfort zones
• How difficult moments have shaped Anil as a leader
• How to approach creating alignment with executive sponsors and maintaining that alignment with the teams that need to deliver
• How masterful collaboration has enabled Anil’s career journey
• The role empathy has played in Anil’s personal and professional lives
• Anil’s strategy for building and investing in a strong network of leadership peers

Featuring submitted questions from:

• Monty Hamilton, CEO at Sparq
• Kathy Kay, EVP & Chief Information Officer at Principal Financial Group
• Dan Massey, Chief Enterprise Operations & Technology Officer at Region Bank
• Amy Brady, Chief Information Officer at KeyBank
• Elise Bockman, VP of Data at Sherwin-Williams
• Scott Case, a three-time CIO

The best leaders are highly intentional about keeping themselves and their teams focused on what matters to deliver high-impact results. Collins Aerospace CIO Mona Bates, who was recently named to the Business Transformation 150™ (BT150), Constellation Research’s elite list of top global transformation executives, is an example of this kind of intentional leader. Her leadership style embraces a multi-faceted approach that is reflected in how she shows up as a business leader first and technology leader second.

In this episode, we’re exploring how that approach goes beyond the traditional “I” in CIO, with a focus on seven critical roles embodied by Mona’s leadership: Chief Instigation Officer, Chief Influence Officer, Chief Integrity Officer, Chief Innovation Officer, Chief Insights Officer, Chief Impact Officer, and Chief Inspiration Officer.

Tune in to discover:

• How each of the 7 I’s impact leadership effectiveness and impact 
• How Mona has introduced and executed new digital transformation
• How to lead in complex organizations with a diversified customer base
• A behind-the-curtain look at Collins Aerospace’s digital transformation journey
• How Mona leverages data and analytics as part of her overall strategy

Featuring submitted questions from:

• Rebecca Rhoads, Retired President, Global Business Services at Raytheon
• Mike Britton, Retired Executive

The most effective digital leaders today have a clear vision and a laser-like focus that allows them to focus on delivering what really matters. They’re also able to connect the dots for their organization in a way that elevates their team members and accomplishes their goals. It requires both the willingness to look where others aren’t looking and the empathy to understand how new initiatives will impact everyone involved.

Brian Abrahamson is a great example of one of these top digital leaders. As the Chief Digital Officer and Associate Laboratory Director for Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL), Brian is responsible for leading PNNL’s digital transformation strategy and technology innovation to maintain its position as a globally recognized research institution.

Tune in to discover:

• How Brian manages communication for internal stakeholders and end users alike
• Brian’s method for shaping the narrative around computing at PNNL
• How Brian balances his purpose and goals (the “why” and the “what”) with execution (the “how”)
• The value of simplification and how to achieve it
• How PNNL is approaching the disruption caused by AI
• New technologies PNNL is implementing to accelerate its work

Featuring submitted questions from:

• Jerry Cochran, Division Director for Cybersecurity and Digital Operations at PNNL
• Mary-Lynne Giordano, Executive Assistant at PNNL
• Brian Vladimiroff, Enterprise Solutions Architect at PNNL
• Kirby Amacker, Change Management Architect at PNNL

It’s not every day you get to record an episode with a superstar guest at a superstar location, so when we had the opportunity to interview a legendary CIO on location at the historic Fenway Park, we couldn’t resist!

In this episode, recorded inside NESN’s onsite studio at Fenway, we are shining the light on the career journey, leadership philosophies and super powers of Boston Red Sox & Fenway Sports Management SVP & CTO Brian Shield. With his success at renowned companies like FTD, the Weather Channel, and now, the Boston Red Sox, Brian has earned his reputation as an industry innovator whose wide breadth of experience has helped him lead each organization through digital transformation with confidence.

Tune in to learn:

• How Brian has found success solving business challenges through building and maintaining a trusted network
• How leading with empathy has enabled Brian to lead his teams to breakthrough outcomes
• Why newer leaders should answer the call when given “stretch opportunities”
• The biggest benefits Brian has received from working in a variety of industries
• How Brian crafts a winning data strategy
• How to cut through the hype of AI to determine its real, tangible business value for your organization

Featuring submitted questions from:

• Jamie Head, Chief Digital & Technology Leader, Founder at JRH Advisory
• Bill Phelan, Chief Product Officer at Brillion
• Robert Strickland, Chief Executive Officer & Founder at M37 Ventures
• Kathy Kountze, Global Chief Information Officer at Bose Corporation
• Anne Margulies, Former Vice President & University Chief Information Officer at Harvard University

Bhavani Amirthalingam’s career spans more than 25 years of experience in key technology and executive leadership roles across a multitude of industries and geographies. She currently serves as EVP, Chief Customer and Technology Officer at a Fortune 500 company. She initially joined the company as Chief Digital and Information Officer before also taking on customer experience and operations after five years in that role. Along the way, she has also answered the call to join a public board.

What are the differentiators that have made Bhavani so successful in her role as a CDIO and also set her up to take on broader business accountabilities? On the latest episode of the Tech Whisperers, Bhavani is sharing her journey and highlighting the leadership philosophies and differentiators that have been instrumental to her success, with insights you can apply to your own career journey.

Tune in to learn:

• Why CIOs can also make great Chief Customer Officers
• How to leverage both the CIO and CCO roles to enable and enhance the customer experience
• Bhavani’s approach to energizing and inspiring her team
• The value of board experience in improving operational skills as an executive leader
• A situational leadership approach to influencing decisions
• How to ensure the right leaders are in the right place at the right time
• Why leaders must build the “DNA of change” in themselves and their teams

Featuring submitted questions from:

• Linda Jojo, EVP & Chief Customer Officer at United Airlines
• Jennifer Wischnowsky, Senior Director of Data, Analytics, & Transformation at Ameren
• Lisa Nichols, Chief Executive Officer at Technology Partners
• Bonnie Timms Hagemann, Chief Executive Officer at EDA, Inc.

Ally Financial is the nation’s largest all-digital bank, serving 11 million customers with a full suite of online banking services, investment advisory, and securities brokerage. In this episode, we are going to give you an inside look at why Ally has been able to achieve so much success.

Host Dan Roberts sat down with Ally’s Chief Information, Data, & Digital Officer (CIDDO) Sathish Muthukrishnan and Ally’s Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) Donna Hart to discuss their successful partnership and unpack their individual and collective leadership superpowers.

Tune in to learn:

• The benefits of a strong CIO/CISO partnership
• How Ally earned the CSO50 award and gained executive support
• Balancing a direct communication style with open approachability
• The current state of Ally’s AI and data journey
• How to be in the right place at the right time

Featuring submitted questions from:

• Dan Lemont, Divisional CIO for Tech Strategy & Enterprise Tech at Ally Financial
• Neal Sample, Chief Information Officer at Walgreens Boots Alliance
• Raj Kalahasthi, Chief Digital & Information Officer at Baldwin Risk Partners
• Lawrence Belton, Director, Cyber Security Engineering at Ally Financial

This week is a special one for Tech Whisperers, because not only do we have an incredible guest, but an incredible guest host, as well!

In this episode, a longtime friend and colleague, Brian Watson, talks with Xerox CEO Steve Bandrowczak. One of the nine powerhouse leaders featured in Confessions of a Successful CIO, Steve is known as being a fixer–someone who will answer the call when their company needs it most and who knows what it’s like to start from humble beginnings to build something great.

Brian will shine the light on Steve’s origin story, how he arrived at Xerox, and so much more.

You will learn:

• How to “prepare” for the CEO role
• Steve’s philosophy on running toward greatness
• The reality of loneliness as you rise in leadership roles
• How to tailor communication to different business leaders' languages and attention spans
• Why it’s important to preserve a company’s legacy

Featuring a submitted question from:

Vicki Hildebrand, CIO & SVP at Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts

No matter where you are in your career journey, there is always a need to plan for “The Great Pivot,” that moment when you hang up your day job and move into retirement. But many leaders struggle to adequately prepare for the transition as they approach retirement because they’re so heads-down balancing their work, family, and other responsibilities life throws at them.

We’ve invited two incredible leaders, Diana McKenzie, a former CIO for Amgen and Workday, and Karenann Terrell, a former CIO at Wal-Mart and CD&TO at GSK, to share their own experiences and lessons learned when it comes to making a successful transition into the next phase of your professional journey. They sat down with Dan Roberts to discuss how they prepared for the pivot, how they’re spending their time in “Chapter 2,” and what you can do to make the most of your time now to plan for a great pivot of your own.

Tune in to learn about:

• When it’s time to start considering how and when you will retire
• What retiring successfully looks like
• Preparing for retirement while still working full time
• Leaning on your digital leadership expertise to help boards make informed digital decisions

Featuring submitted questions from:

• Sal Companieh
• Kirk Ball
• Chris Nardecchia
• Sue-Jean Lin