Tech Whisperers: Inside the Playbooks of the Best Digital Leaders

We’re thrilled to have a top-notch, Hall of Fame CSO as our first cybersecurity executive to join us on the podcast. Deneen DeFiore, VP & CISO at United Airlines, has figured out how to provide clarity in a sea of complexity while managing the multiple business priorities of her mission-critical role.Deneen sat down with Dan Roberts to unpack her leadership journey and philosophy and discuss how she balances the need to secure the business with the need to enable business agility and innovation.Tune in as we explore:How great cyber leaders balance the nuances of collaboration, business operations, and risk tolerance while enabling agility and innovationThe rise of generative AI and the risks it bringsWhy CISOs need to be expert communicators and storytellersThe urgency to build a pipeline of cyber leaders who possess both technical and management skillsThe role of self-care for leaders, particularly when pressure and burnout are high

When we think of a top leader that is serious about creating future-ready leaders, cutting through the noise to identify the right issues, and who climbed the ladder through vision, goal-setting, and meticulous planning, we think of none other than Segra CEO, Kevin Hart.In this episode, Dan sits down with Kevin at Segra’s in-house studio in Charlotte, North Carolina, to unpack Kevin’s amazing career journey and the lessons he has learned along the way. We discuss:Advice for CIOs aspiring to be CEOsWhy investing in leadership development brings increased ROIHow Kevin implemented a 5-year centralization strategy while working at CoxHow to narrow your focus to identify the core problems that need solvingKevin’s journey from CIO to CEOFeaturing mystery questions from:Rose Chambers, CIO at SegraPatricia Martin, SVP Integration Management Office at Cox Communications

As work culture has shifted to quicker employee turnover, people like Panera Bread CIO, John Meister are becoming a rare species: seven years at Accenture, 15 years at Mastercard, and now approaching his 10th year with Panera.In this episode, we are unpacking John’s leadership playbook and exploring how stability, intentionality, dedication, and hard work have helped John have successful tenures at each company that he has worked with. We discuss:How ownership of a problem contributes to innovationHow to work with ever-changing leadershipExplaining new technology concepts to senior leadershipHow AI technology like ChatGPT is changing the way technology teams are workingHow to develop resiliency and why every leader needs itFeaturing audience questions from:Anita Klopfenstein, CIO at Little CaesarsGary VonderHaar, EVP, Operations & Technology at MastercardNaomi Hamilton, Director of Human Resources at Panera Bread

How does someone go from being a KGB spy and one of the most wanted men in America to becoming a fully-fledged American citizen and a top-notch CIO? Jack Barsky, author of Deep Undercover: My Secret Life and Tangled Allegiances as a KGB Spy in America, joins Dan to talk about his incredible journey and the best leadership principles he has picked up along the wayWe discuss:Jack’s experience as a KGB spyHow Jack left the KGBBest practices for professional networking Advice for leaders joining a new organizationFeaturing audience questions from:Robin Dreeke, Founder & CIO of Forged by TrustKelly Lyman, CIO at ExelonGreg Flay, VP for Technology and Data at Austin Energy

Wafaa Mamilli is the Chief Digital & Technology Officer at Zoetis, the world’s leading animal health company, a Fortune 500 company with more than $8 billion in annual revenue. Wafaa has also taken on P&L responsibilities as a Group President over China, Brazil, and Precision Animal Products.Join us as we discuss:How to balance multiple major leadership rolesWhy more tech leaders are being asked to serve on boardsAdvice for tech leaders looking to join a boardWafaa’s incredible journey from growing up in Morocco to her current roleZoetis’ Five Pillars that help them innovate in animal healthFeaturing audience questions from:Caroline Serfass, Board Member at NNIT and Former CIO at Canon Europe

Today’s guest is Dwayne Allen, Senior Vice President and Chief Technology Officer at Unisys. Dwayne’s professional history, which includes leading at companies like Marriott, Wachovia Bank, and Microsoft, has given him a wide breadth of industry knowledge and a passion for people and for continual growth. In February 2023, a week prior to our recording, Dwayne was also awarded the Florida CIO of the Year ORBIE® in the Global category for his work at Unisys.  We are unpacking Dwayne’s leadership playbook and perspectives so you can learn what it takes to lead at a company like Unisys and become CIO of the year in your own journey.Join us as we discuss:Best practices for joining a board and understanding your personal value propositionKey lessons learned from working at Microsoft, Marriott, Wachovia, and UnisysHow to evaluate new career opportunitiesHow to balance accountability with positive support and reinforcementMaintaining a successful professional networkFeaturing audience questions from:Melanie Sandlin, VP - Americas IT at AllegionVasu Iyer, Global IT Business Partner at Corteva Agriscience

From leading at great companies like Enterprise Rent-a-Car and Express Scripts to now leading as the CIO of Little Caesars, Anita Klopfenstein, has an incredible personal and leadership journey that we are excited to unpack for you.In addition to her career journey, Anita and her husband, Lynn, have 12 kids, total, between homegrown and adoption, but they’ve also fostered over 30 children, in what Anita describes as “controlled chaos.”Join us as we discuss:How Anita embraces her role as an “obstacle remover” for her teamWhy Anita developed a passion for helping children grow and be successfulHow Little Caesars implemented a cloud-first store platformHow to create a meaningful and fulfilling personal life while balancing a very busy professional lifeFeaturing audience questions from:John Meister, CIO of PaneraJen Wise, CIO at InspireGeana Kay-Nash, Vice President, Customer & Information Technology Systems Support at Little CaesarsJessica Young, Teacher and Anita’s daughter

In this episode, we are unpacking the leadership playbook of Abhi Dhar. Ahbi has been the Chief Digital Officer for a Fortune-50 company, a tech startup co-founder, and now serves as the Chief Information and EVP of Global Technology for TransUnion. Yet, for someone who has managed organizations with budgets in excess of $1Bn, Abhi has maintained his quiet, calm, and genuinely humility through it all.Join us as we discuss:How can CIOs encourage C-Suite leaders to take a seat at the “digital table”How TransUnion considers budget, growth, and stakeholder priorities in its strategic planningWhy digital leaders need to take on a multi-dimensional approach to transformationHow to minimize disruption when reorganizing teamsHow to maximize developer productivity by focusing on experience instead of efficiency

In this episode of Tech Whisperers, we are unpacking the amazing journeys of two CxO giants and industry leaders: Kim Mackenroth and Chris Nardecchia. Kim is the Global CIO for Textron, a Fortune 500, multi-industry company with 33,000 employees worldwide. Chris is the SVP and Chief Digital & Information Officer for Rockwell Automation, the world’s largest pure-play industrial automation and IoT company. Whether you’re a seasoned veteran of the industry or early in your tech leadership career journey, there is something for everyone in this conversation as we explore over 3 decades of combined digital leadership experience.Join us as we discuss:How to lead effectively when wearing multiple hatsThe keys to success for any business transformationStrategic initiatives for 2023How Rockwell Automation made data a part of its business DNAHow Kim has made Textron a go-to employer for top technology talentGenerational shifts and trends for new digital professionals

As companies and workers continue to adjust to constantly changing workplace environments and cultures, there remain many questions about what it means to “return to work,” what the future holds for in-person, remote, and hybrid work, and how that will impact the way people relate to their work.In this episode, Bob Johansen, Joseph Press, and Christine Bullen join the show to talk about their brand new book, Office Shock, which aims to paint a vivid picture of the future of work, and equip workers and businesses with the tools and mindset they need to be successful moving forward. In their book, they describe “Office Shock” as an “abrupt, unsettling change in where, how, when, and even why we work.” In this episode, we discuss:Why organizations and workers need to be “Future-Ready”“The Seven Spectrums” that guide our decision-making about our work and home lifeThe concept of the “Officeverse” and how it relates to the MetaverseHow to think “Present-Forward” while properly weighing the next 10 years and the previous 50 years.