Fred Lee, Chief Technology Officer at Amount, is skeptical of “culture fit.” In leading technology teams of various sizes and goals, he has welcomed team members who approach things differently, who embrace their unique perspectives, and witnessed their added value across organizations. In his cross-industry career, a fresh perspective has often served him well.

In this episode, Fred shares insight into the shifting experience of banking and the industry’s digital innovations. He reflects on how he has approached new roles and how getting close to the customer is essential to understanding a company’s successes and failures. Fred illuminates the array of approaches to process and communication, and the importance of following through.

(1:05) – Amount
(5:00) – Adapting to fit the customer
(6:52) – Experience across industries
(8:55) – Learning through customer proximity
(11:01) – Identifying the problems
(13:47) – Bringing in talent
(17:03) – More process vs. less process
(18:52) – Buy now, pay later (BNPL)
(20:10) – Building a world-class team
(25:51) – Managing a hybrid and remote workforce

Fred Lee is an experienced engineer and technology executive, currently serving as Chief Technology Officer at Amount. Previously, he served as CTO at Cars.com, Gamut, and Belly , as well as VP of Digital Architecture at Grainger. Fred received a bachelor's degree from Purdue University and a law degree from Loyola University Chicago.

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Podcast episode production by Dante32.

Learning to be a Technologist and Executive with Fred Lee