The Defining Moments of CIO Legend Anil Cheriyan

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