Technology Executives Review® - Hosted by Alex Jarett of Technology Executives Club®

Leadership Briefing: CIO Report on Gartner’s AI Symposium

Guest: Tom Irvine, Technology Executive & Board of Advisor
Host: Alex Jarett, Founder, Technology Executives Club®

In this Leadership Briefing, technology executive Tom Irvine shares key takeaways from the 2025 Gartner IT Symposium, with a focused look at Gartner’s latest guidance on AI in the Enterprise.

Drawing directly from Gartner’s research and executive sessions, Tom walks through what CIOs and CEOs are really being told about AI adoption — including why enthusiasm remains high, but readiness and execution continue to lag. Tom explains why many organizations are seeing productivity gains without clear profitability, how the true cost of AI extends far beyond initial implementation, and why governance is now a requirement rather than a constraint.

He also explores how AI is reshaping workforce models, why experienced professionals may benefit most from AI adoption, and what Gartner believes CIOs must do next to lead effectively through this transition.

Topics Covered Why CEOs are committed to AI but concerned about enterprise readiness The underestimated cost of AI: training, change management, governance, and operations Why governance becomes critical as organizations move toward agents and autonomy How AI is changing work — and what “return on employee” really means Gartner’s priorities for CIOs leading AI transformation in 2025 and beyond Learn More about Tom Irvine here:

https://www.technologyexecutivesclub.com/advisory-board-tom-irvine

This Leadership Briefing was hosted by Alex Jarett, Founder of Technology Executives Club®, the thought leadership platform for Technology Leaders, Tech Founders, and B2B Executives.

Visit www.technologyexecutivesclub.com to learn how you can be featured.

The 2025 Technology Executives Review® and 2026 AI in the Enterprise Forecast is an on-demand executive briefing on what actually happened this year in AI, what’s coming next, and what enterprise and B2B leaders need to understand now to stay competitive in 2026.

This briefing is built for Technology Leaders, Tech Founders, Fractional Executives, and B2B Executives who don’t have time for hype — but do need clarity on where AI is delivering real advantage and where organizations are falling behind.

Hosted by: Alex Jarett, Founder of Technology Executives Club®
Guest Analyst: Richard Doran, Founder & CEO, Sierra ITS

In this on-demand session, we break down 14 must-know trends from 2025 that are already shaping enterprise decisions and competitive positioning in 2026, including:

From those 14 themes, these are the seven trends Technology Leaders and executives must understand to succeed — and win the AI race — in 2026:

AI has entered the enterprise whether leaders planned for it or not. It is showing up inside everyday applications, workflows, and decision-making — often faster than governance, talent, and operating models can adapt.

The leaders who win in 2026 won’t be the ones experimenting randomly — they’ll be the ones who understand where to focus, what to avoid, and how to sequence adoption.

This briefing gives you:

If AI is now part of your role — whether you’re leading technology, advising clients, or driving business growth — this is the context you need before making your next move.

Listen to the full on-demand briefing now.

🎧 Leadership Briefing: Future Facing Engineering Leadership
Guest: John Szeder, CTO & Engineering Leader
Host: Alex Jarett, Founder, Technology Executives Club

In this Leadership Briefing, engineering leader and CTO John Szeder shares why future facing leadership is now essential for every technology executive.

Drawing from a formative experience growing up on a farm in Northern Canada, John explains how a simple annual reflection ritual shaped the way he leads engineering teams today.

John shows why leaders must move beyond traditional postmortems and instead build an ongoing practice of reflection, improvement, and accountability.

He also breaks down what every leader should prioritize for 2026 — including hands-on engagement with AI, dramatically increasing personal efficiency, and preparing to lead through accelerating organizational change.

🔑 Topics Covered How a “harvest mindset” creates continuous improvement in engineering organizations.

Why postmortems alone fall short and what leaders should do instead

How to begin a future facing leadership practice individually and as a team

Three priorities every leader should focus on for 2026
→ Hands-on AI engagement
→ Increased personal and team efficiency
→ Leading through rapid change and evolving talent needs

Why leaders who embrace AI and adapt quickly will thrive in the coming era

🎙️ “You can’t expect your organization to embrace AI if you haven’t jumped in with both hands yourself.” — John Szeder

📩 To learn more or explore engineering leadership, AI adoption, or organizational transformation, connect with John Szeder at: https://www.technologyexecutivesclub.com/advisory-board-John-Szeder

This Leadership Briefing was hosted by Alex Jarett, Founder of the Technology Executives Club, the AI Thought Leadership Platform for Technology Leaders, Tech Founders, and B2B Executives. Visit www.technologyexecutivesclub.com for details on how you can be showcased here.

Guest: Dr. Amit Shah, Founder & CEO, GNS AI
Host: Alex Jarett, Founder, Technology Executives Club

In this Spotlight Interview, Dr. Amit Shah, Founder & CEO of GNS AI, shares how artificial intelligence can transform healthcare and life sciences — when deployed responsibly and within clear operational boundaries.

Dr. Shah’s journey from neural engineering to AI leadership has given him a deep understanding of how to safely integrate AI into complex human systems. He explains how “boundary learning” — understanding where AI works and where it should defer to humans — is essential for achieving meaningful, reliable outcomes in healthcare.

He also discusses how GNS AI helps hospitals, life sciences companies, and digital health organizations use AI to drive predictable revenue, efficiency, and patient outcomes while maintaining compliance and safety.

💡 Key themes include:

Understanding variability — and how it can “break” AI if not managed correctly.

Real-world use cases for AI in hospital operations, digital health, and clinical trials.

The importance of AI Readiness and Boundary Audits to find safe, scalable use cases.

Why AI should enhance — not replace — human decision-making.

🎙️ “AI should operate within defined limits. When we understand variability and boundaries, we can safely scale innovation — without losing control.” — Dr. Amit Shah

👉 Listen now to learn how boundary learning and responsible AI adoption are shaping the future of healthcare and life sciences.

Learn more about Dr. Amit Shah here.

Watch all of Technology Executives Club videos and more here at www.technologyexecutivesclub.com.

Guest: Richard Doran, Founder & President, Sierra ITS
Host: Alex Jarett, Founder, Technology Executives Club

In this Leadership Briefing, Richard Doran shares why learning is the new loyalty — and how companies can use upskilling as a powerful retention strategy in the age of AI and digital transformation.

Richard explains how organizations that invest in their people build stronger cultures, reduce turnover, and create teams ready to adapt to constant change. From AI and data literacy programs to mentorship and culture-building, he shows how upskilling helps companies prove they value potential as much as performance.

How AI is driving the need for continuous learning across all levels — not just technical teams.

Why learning is the new loyalty — and how it builds engagement and retention.

Real-world example: how a manufacturing firm reversed turnover through internal AI upskilling.

How to embed learning, mentorship, and growth into company culture.

Frameworks that make upskilling measurable and scalable across different organizations.

🎙️ “Upskilling is how companies prove they value potential as much as performance.” — Richard Doran

This Leadership Briefing was hosted by Alex Jarett, Founder of the Technology Executives Club

📩 To learn more or explore how to start your own upskilling and retention initiative, connect with Richard Doran at Sierra ITS. 

This Leadership Briefing was hosted by Alex Jarett, Founder of the Technology Executives Club, The AI Thought Leadership Platform for Technology Leaders, Tech Founders and B2B Executives.  www.technologyexecutivesclub.com for details on how you can be showcased here.

Driving Strategy and Investment Decisions in the Age of AI
Guest: Patrick Marshall, Partner at Altman Solon
Host: Alex Jarett, Founder, Technology Executives Club

 “Everybody knows they need an AI strategy. The question is: where should you start, and how will it impact your business?” — Patrick Marshall

In this Leadership Briefing, Patrick Marshall shares how AI is reshaping strategy, investment, and valuation across technology, media, and telecommunications.

Patrick brings deep insight from advising both corporate executives and private equity investors on how to navigate the AI shift with confidence.

🔑 Topics Covered AI at the Board Level:

Why every organization needs an AI strategy — and what separates talk from action.

Investor Perspective: How AI is influencing M&A, valuations, and portfolio strategy.

From Proof of Concept to Proof of Value: Moving beyond pilots to measurable business results.

Risk vs. Reward: How investors are analyzing where AI creates or erodes value, especially in software and SaaS.

Staying Ahead: How to prioritize the right bets in a fast-changing market

📩 Connect with Patrick: [email protected]
🌐 Learn more: www.altmansolon.com

This Leadership Briefing was hosted by Alex Jarett, Founder of the Technology Executives Club. www.technologyexecutivesclub.com

Success with Engineering Leadership Promotions with John Szeder

So you’ve been working hard and focused as an engineer for many years.  All of a sudden, you get a promotion.  After the celebration ends, and you start earnestly working as a new Engineering Leader - what, exactly do you do?

That’s exactly what John Szeder discussed in his recent Leadership Briefing with Alex Jarett. John is a highly in-demand and seasoned executive engineering leader focused on high volume consumer and industry applications.  He is also an expert in helping people build and retain elite engineering teams and has agreed to help people in their journey!  Alex is founder of The Technology Executives Club.

There are different reasons for promotions of course, but John brought up a common one - “Battlefield Promotions.”  A battlefield promotion is when your immediate boss or one of your bosses leaves the company suddenly and you are quickly promoted. It's similar to what happens on the battlefield. 

So what do you do once the dust settles and you wake up to the fact that your job has changed?  Step one, according to John, that’s when you take the time to reflect and plan out how you’ll act.  And John goes on to suggest that you develop good habits.

One of the best habits is to create successful 1 on 1’s as part of your management style.  John warns that a one on one is NOT a status update.  Instead, it’s the opportunity for your direct report to talk about whatever he/she wants during that 30 minute period.  And if you do it right, over time, the two of you will develop a since of mutual trust and you’ll increase your retention.  Here’s some key tips John shared in the briefing:
.  

As you can see, this was a great discussion, but that’s not all we discussed.  John stressed he was a big fan of “Socratic Leadership, “ and he also stressed the importance of using empathy.  

“Don’t tell people things.  Ask people things.” John says. 

In the video, John explains how to do this using both the Socratic method and empathy.

The result is over time, you’ll develop trust and a relationship that will lead to higher job satisfaction, performance and retention.

Finally - his last, and most important piece of advice?  Make sure YOU get a mentor.  Seek out a mentor that you feel comfortable sharing your journey with and can help you along the way.   Need help on this front?  Reach out to John!
Learn more about John HERE

This Leadership Briefing was hosted by Alex Jarett, Founder of Technology Executives Club.

“The shift to agentic AI is -- you’re asking AI to write an API Call.”

Here’s a short video that will help you understand real life applications of “Agentic AI.”

In this short preview interview, Joe Rose, who is the President of JBS Dev and an expert in AI, Agentic AI, Machine Learning and Development, explained it to me. 

As he describes it:
*️⃣ First the core value of AI has been established: summarization, content generation, search, and a lot of plug-ins are already available.  So the big question is what’s next.  Enter API Calls. Think of the LLM as a machine that can make API Calls.

*️⃣ The LLM is a good decision maker, as Joe explains.

*️⃣ If an LLM can write a term paper - it can write an API Call.  So AI can evaluate data, make decisions about the data then make API Calls.

*️⃣So as an example, the trick for use cases is to find those places in the organization where faster analysis and decision making can reduce a pain point and/or create more opportunities. 

Want some use cases?  Then you’ll want to see Joe speak directly on this topic, where he has promised to be doing just that - a full presentation of use cases. 

Joe will be speaking at our upcoming AI in the Enterprise Summit this coming November 13.

In that presentation, he’ll be sharing many, many examples of how AI and Agentic AI can be used, with lots of examples of use cases.

And that’s exactly what Technology Leaders need today - examples of use cases and frameworks to move forward for your own company.  

Thanks to Joe for this preview interview and be sure to join us at our AI in the Enterprise AI Summit on 11/13 in Schaumburg, Illinois.  Here’s the link to the microsite and registration:

https://technologyexecutivesclub.zohobackstage.com/AIandtheEnterprise-Summit

Join us for a Spotlight Interview with Tim Walter.

Tim is the award winning CIO of Edward Don & Company, a major restaurant equipment and supply company based in the Chicago area.

Tim really dedicates the awards to his teams, which are the ones who make the projects work.  Recent awards include the 2025 Orbie CIO of the Year Award, The CIO 100 Magazine award for 2025, to name a few.

One of the reasons for the most recent awards was the success of Tim and this team integrating AI into their RFP process. First - they identified the RIGHT problem from the business that needed help.  The business explained they were only able to respond to about 50 RFPs a year, even thought they were getting asked to respond to over 200. 

As Tim explains it, creating an RFP for a restaurant or chain is a very time-consuming process, and lent it self to getting the help from AI.  As an example, from table to glassware, most restaurant chains want their unique look and spec.  

So they found a provider that had already had done work in this area, and shaped it to work with Don.  An RFP that would previously take 4-6 weeks would now take under 30 minutes for the first version!  Now they just have to check for errors!  

They are looking at over a 400% increase in their ability to respond!

Now this is where another benefit comes in - the Sales Team is working directly with the system, which, in effect is teaching the system better choices as they go forward.  

Prior to Edward Don, while at Randa, Tim and that team did a significant optimization of their supply chain system.  Being able to know from conception to delivery, where is the product in the cycle.  Where are the parts and the products on the supply chain system.  They were early on the use of RFID and they also built an full Digital Twin System.  They reduced communication, got on top of their order and optimized their process.

Great interview with Tim and happy to have him involved on our Board of Advisors community!

 Learn more about Tim here. 

Happy to announce Tim Walter, CIO of Edward Don & Company, who will provide the keynote presentation at our upcoming AI in the Enterprise Summit 11/13 on ROI of AI and Use Cases.

 You’ll love learning how Edward Don & Company had a hugely successful AI project in the area of accelerating their RFP and Quote process.

With the failure rate of AI projects very high - Tim and his team looked for the key problem or opportunity process to improve first.

They discovered that their RFP’s process is really complicated because every customer has unique needs.  As a result their RFP group consistently had a backlog of potentially successful bids - they were out of capacity.

Enter AI - by using AI as a team member to help with the identification of and presentation of unique parts, and then helping the team respond to the full RFP, they were able to significantly increase the throughput - of the team, and this resulted in a significant and growing ROI.  (You’ll learn more about this at the actual Summit.)

In addition to the increased sales increase, they are continuing to train the AI by integrating the sales team directly with the AI.  So the process is continuing to get better and better.

Be sure to join Tim and the rest of our community at the upcoming AI in the Enterprise Summit - focused on ROI & Use cases (Like Tim’s!). 

Here’s the link to go to our event area - and then to the microsite - to register.

https://www.technologyexecutivesclub.com/events