Technovation with Peter High (CIO, CTO, CDO, CXO Interviews)

How should global leaders govern artificial intelligence responsibly without stifling innovation? In this episode, Russell Wald, Executive Director at Stanford HAI, joins Peter High to explore how universities, policymakers, and industry must collaborate to keep AI human-centered. Wald shares takeaways from the AI Index, explains how China is narrowing the performance gap, and outlines why academic institutions are vital to ethical AI leadership. Key highlights include: HAI’s concentric model of human-centered design The AI Index’s global benchmarking methodology Why China is narrowing the frontier AI performance gap The pivotal role of public investment in universities How ethics reviews are embedded in HAI’s research lifecycle

In this episode of Technovation, Peter High speaks with Mark Sherwood, Chief Information Officer at Wolters Kluwer, a €6B global professional services and software firm headquartered in the Netherlands. Mark joined as CIO in December 2024 and has helped accelerate the company’s transition from a traditional publishing business to a tech-centric organization. Mark discusses how his global team supports the company’s AI- and cloud-first strategy, the role of business relationship managers (BRMs) in bridging tech and business, and how a strong innovation culture helps Wolters Kluwer stay ahead in the digital age. With nearly half the company’s products leveraging AI and a robust multi-cloud foundation, the firm is redefining access to expert content in legal, tax, healthcare, and finance. Key topics include: Building a multi-cloud foundation for global resilience and innovation The evolution from a holding company to a unified operating mode Scaling AI across products while protecting intellectual property Driving cultural change through transparency, inclusion, and BRM alignment Balancing cutting-edge tech with ethical AI and data governance

In this episode of Technovation, Peter High speaks with Venkat Achanta, Executive Vice President and Chief Technology, Data & Analytics Officer at TransUnion, a $4.5B global information and insights company. Since joining after TransUnion’s acquisition of Neustar, Venkat has led a sweeping modernization of the company’s tech stack—culminating in the creation of OneTru, a platform powering data governance, analytics, and AI innovation at scale. Venkat shares how his 7,000-person global team built a single pane of glass to manage petabytes of sensitive data across 30+ countries and hundreds of products. He also discusses how TransUnion’s OneTru and TruIQ platforms are enabling internal teams and external clients to rapidly build, deploy, and govern real-time machine learning models. Key insights include: The architectural vision behind TransUnion’s unified platform strategy How OneTru boosts fraud detection by 50% while reducing false positives Why TransUnion is embedding agentic AI workflows across its ecosystem Lessons from merging 10+ tech stacks post-acquisition, including Neustar Tune in to learn how TransUnion is reshaping analytics and decision-making in a highly regulated, data-driven industry.

“Technology at American Express provides the foundation for everything we do at the company,” shares Ravi Radhakrishnan, EVP & CIO of American Express, as he outlines the company’s AI strategy, continuous modernization philosophy, and data-driven customer focus. In this episode, Ravi offers an inside look at how American Express is evolving its technology foundation to power trust, security, and world-class service. From AI governance to the Intuitive Servicing Portal, he breaks down key strategies shaping the company’s digital future. Key highlights: Continuous modernization through foundational technology reuse AI governance via a Generative AI Council and risk frameworks Data as a strategic asset for fraud detection and customer personalization Curating a diverse AI ecosystem with flexible enablement layers Future trends in AI, including agentic AI and quantum intersections

“AI is the New UI” at S&P Global. Swamy Kocherlakota, EVP and Chief Digital Solutions Officer, reveals how the 165-year-old market intelligence leader is scaling AI, reinventing digital ecosystems, and driving innovation with Kensho at the helm. In this episode: How S&P Global’s product operating model fuels innovation at scale Why Kensho serves as the AI speedboat for generative breakthroughs Expanding digital ecosystems to deliver essential intelligence anywhere Applying the Four Ps Framework for responsible, enterprise-wide AI adoption Empowering teams with low-code AI workflows via sFlow and Spark

Capital One has long been recognized as a digital-first financial services company. Now, it’s productizing its tech DNA into standalone B2B software. In this episode, Peter High speaks with Ravi Raghu, President of Capital One Software, about how internal cloud and data security capabilities led to the launch of an enterprise SaaS business—starting with offerings like Slingshot and Data Bolt. Key topics covered include: Building a software business from internal IP Data tokenization as an enabler for GenAI Slingshot and Snowflake adoption optimization Structuring cross-functional tech teams Expanding data governance into new product areas

From used-car retailer to tech-powered industry leader—CarMax is redefining automotive retail. In this episode, Peter High speaks with Shamim Mohammad, EVP and Chief Information and Technology Officer at CarMax, about the company’s bold transformation into a digital-first business. Shamim shares lessons from his 12+ years with the company, including nearly a decade as CIO and over six years as CTO. He discusses CarMax’s transition to a product operating model, its pioneering use of generative AI tools like Skye and Rhodes, and how data governance, platform agility, and agentic AI are powering customer and associate experiences. He also reflects on the company’s culture of innovation, his board service at UNFI, and the leadership values that have fueled CarMax’s continued growth. Key topics include: CarMax’s enterprise AI strategy, from GenAI to Agentic AI Building a strong digital backbone and data foundation Structuring product teams for retail, supply, and shared platforms Managing a complex partner ecosystem for sustained innovation

Generac Power Systems is no longer just a generator company — it’s becoming a full-stack energy technology platform. In this episode of Technovation, CIO Talal Butt offers a behind-the-scenes look at how he’s reshaping the $4.3B manufacturer’s technology landscape to support that evolution. Speaking directly to senior IT and digital leaders, Talal shares how he’s building a modern digital ecosystem from scratch — one that’s powered by real-time data, platform thinking, and AI-driven decisioning. From architecting Generac’s first scalable data governance program to operationalizing GenAI use cases and redefining the partner experience, this episode is a playbook for CIOs navigating transformation in legacy industries. Highlights include: Digital Ecosystem Strategy: Creating a seamless platform experience for both customers and partners across 140+ countries. AI-Enabled Operations: How Generac is moving beyond dashboards to predictive models for forecasting, cross-sell, and supply chain optimization. Operational Excellence: Leveraging ITSM and root cause analysis to scale global operations while reducing tech debt and downtime. Platform Thinking: Building product lines to serve hyperscale data centers while unifying energy generation, storage, and management.

From predicting the next flavor trend to revolutionizing procurement with AI, Guy Peri is leading a bold digital transformation at McCormick & Company. In this episode of Technovation, host Peter High speaks with Guy about how he’s bringing AI and data strategy to life at a 135-year-old flavor giant. Drawing from nearly three decades at Procter & Gamble, Guy shares how McCormick is building a modern digital backbone, using AI to forecast demand and ingredient pricing, and upskilling employees into citizen data scientists. Highlights include: McCormick’s digital transformation pillars How AI predicts procurement costs and retail trends The making of the Flavor Forecast The future of Agentic AI and human-machine collaboration Upskilling and shifting organizational culture through digital fluency

What does it take to digitally transform a global manufacturing giant? In this episode of Technovation, host Peter High speaks with Regina Salazar, Chief Digital and Information Officer at Novelis, about how the world’s largest aluminum recycler is scaling enterprise-wide innovation through technology. Regina shares how she unified IT and digital into a single operating model, launched a global business relationship framework, and enhanced Novelis’ data architecture to support AI at scale. She also discusses the company’s ambitious smart factory in Alabama, how digital twins are reshaping operations, and Novelis’ roadmap to becoming a tech-enabled, sustainable enterprise. Highlights include: Factory of the Future: Inside Novelis’ new Alabama facility powered by digital twins, automation, and a next-gen MES platform. AI in Action: Real-world examples of predictive maintenance and cycle time optimization through AI and edge computing. Generative AI Strategy: How Novelis built a secure internal GPT on Azure while leveraging Copilot and Moveworks across the enterprise. Smart Robotics: Deploying robotic “dogs” to inspect hazardous environments and reduce risk. Vision 3×30: Novelis’ company-wide transformation focused on data literacy, governance, and technology architecture by 2030.