

IT Visionaries
Mission
Gain unparalleled access to the minds of industry-leading CIOs, CTOs, and CISOs. Enjoy episodes filled with expert insights, inspiring stories, and trend analysis, all brought to you by the people shaping the future of technology. Whether you're an IT professional, aspiring tech leader, or general tech enthusiast, IT Visionaries has something for everyone. Don't miss out on the chance to learn from the best – subscribe now!
Produced by the team at Mission.org and brought to you by Brightspot.
Produced by the team at Mission.org and brought to you by Brightspot.
Episodes
Mentioned books

Jun 2, 2022 • 36min
Translations Built on Already Strong Foundations With Heather Shoemaker, CEO and Co-Founder of Language I/O
Is it better to build your own foundation or build upon already strong foundations? Heather Shoemaker, the CEO and Co-Founder of Language I/O, shares how her company’s tool selects the best translation engine and then supplements that service with terminology specific to each customer/company. Learn how her passion for languages led to learning to code and eventually co-founding Language I/O.Tune in to learn:How does Language I/O solve the complex reality of translating languages? (11:00)How does Language I/O integrate into customer service platforms (23:07) What other industries/applications could language I/O help with? (24:48) Are humans starting to support bots to serve customers? (31:39) How does language I/O both embrace Wyoming and remote work? (33:32) IT Visionaries is brought to you by Salesforce Platform. If you love the thought leadership on this podcast, Salesforce has even more meaty IT thoughts to chew on. Take your company to the next level with in-depth research and trends right in your inbox. Subscribe to a newsletter tailored to your role at Salesforce.com/newsletter.Mission.org is a media studio producing content for world-class clients. Learn more at mission.org.
-- Brightspot is the leading content management platform built for modern teams. Your content lifecycle - from ideation to archival - moves faster, handling any volume, variety, or velocity with ease. Unlike legacy platforms that demand heavy dev work and struggle with scale, Brightspot is user-friendly, endlessly customizable, and enterprise-ready. Think dynamic, modern experiences, shipped in minutes—not months. Trusted by some of the world’s leading tech organizations, Brightspot reduces total cost of ownership, boosts productivity, and gives you the governance, security, and performance your teams need. Visit brightspot.com/ITVisionaries to learn more.---This episode was produced by the team at Mission.org and brought to you by Brightspot.

May 31, 2022 • 32min
Staking a Position on Privacy With Raj De Datta, CEO and Co-Founder of Bloomreach
How much of business success is about conviction? Raj De Datta, the CEO of and Co-Founder of Bloomreach, believes very strongly that we’re in “a first-party world” and that Bloomreach is set up to thrive in this environment. Tune in as Raj shares Bloomreach’s compelling story: “Bloomreach was a rocket ship and then it was nearly dead, and… it’s a rocket ship again.”Tune in to learn:What’s Raj’s book “The Digital Seeker” about? (03:02)How does Bloomreach help design personalized customer experiences? (06:09)How does AI and data science help create these personalized experiences? (09:57)Can success ever be a problem? (17:01)What does Raj see as the future of personalization? 24:19:Are we in a first-party environment? 27:50:Mentions:“The Digital Seeker: A Guide for Digital Teams to Build Winning Experiences”“Beyond the Status Quo With Raj De Datta, CEO and Co-Founder of Bloomreach” (Business X Factors podcast)IT Visionaries is brought to you by Salesforce Platform. If you love the thought leadership on this podcast, Salesforce has even more meaty IT thoughts to chew on. Take your company to the next level with in-depth research and trends right in your inbox. Subscribe to a newsletter tailored to your role at Salesforce.com/newsletter.Mission.org is a media studio producing content for world-class clients. Learn more at mission.org.
-- Brightspot is the leading content management platform built for modern teams. Your content lifecycle - from ideation to archival - moves faster, handling any volume, variety, or velocity with ease. Unlike legacy platforms that demand heavy dev work and struggle with scale, Brightspot is user-friendly, endlessly customizable, and enterprise-ready. Think dynamic, modern experiences, shipped in minutes—not months. Trusted by some of the world’s leading tech organizations, Brightspot reduces total cost of ownership, boosts productivity, and gives you the governance, security, and performance your teams need. Visit brightspot.com/ITVisionaries to learn more.---This episode was produced by the team at Mission.org and brought to you by Brightspot.

May 26, 2022 • 37min
Cost-Effective Customer Service Solutions With Rowan Trollope, CEO of Five9
Can you imagine a future where contacting customer service does not elicit a groan or sigh of despair? This is the future that CEO Rowan Trollope is creating at Five9. Their cloud-based platform integrates modern AI and machine learning to efficiently intake customer problems and match them to effective customer solutions. Saving the business world almost a quarter of a trillion dollars annually in customer service costs is the goal and hiring for intellectual curiosity is part of the solution. Tune in to learn:What is Five9 and what does it do? (6:45)How we all benefit from fully integrated and automated customer service solutions. (8:55)How can the learnings of one industry serve all others by using AI? (17:11)How is machine learning empowering the democratization of technology through no-code solutions like Five9? (22:35)How do we hire for the problems of the future? (31:23)How radically and how quickly can the customer service aspect of all businesses be transformed? (38:59)IT Visionaries is brought to you by Salesforce Platform. If you love the thought leadership on this podcast, Salesforce has even more meaty IT thoughts to chew on. Take your company to the next level with in-depth research and trends right in your inbox. Subscribe to a newsletter tailored to your role at Salesforce.com/newsletter.Mission.org is a media studio producing content for world-class clients. Learn more at mission.org.
-- Brightspot is the leading content management platform built for modern teams. Your content lifecycle - from ideation to archival - moves faster, handling any volume, variety, or velocity with ease. Unlike legacy platforms that demand heavy dev work and struggle with scale, Brightspot is user-friendly, endlessly customizable, and enterprise-ready. Think dynamic, modern experiences, shipped in minutes—not months. Trusted by some of the world’s leading tech organizations, Brightspot reduces total cost of ownership, boosts productivity, and gives you the governance, security, and performance your teams need. Visit brightspot.com/ITVisionaries to learn more.---This episode was produced by the team at Mission.org and brought to you by Brightspot.

May 24, 2022 • 37min
Scale Up Practically for Success With Shailesh Kumar, SVP and Head of Technology, ClickUp
What creates growth in a company — a flashy or a practical approach? Shailesh Kumar, SVP and Head of Technology at ClickUp, contends that a practical mindset helps companies scale. He also chats about how to organize teams, help them run efficiently, and set up a system so that different teams can learn from each other. Also, Shailesh shares a little about his passion for woodworking.Tune in to learn:What interested Shailesh in ClickUp? (03:47)How does Shailesh advise companies to consider scaling? (07:54)How does ClickUp deal with security, including with 3rd-party apps? (17:17)How does Shailesh attract and retain talent? (22:45)Mentions:“Top Data Security Trends for 2022”IT Visionaries is brought to you by Salesforce Platform. If you love the thought leadership on this podcast, Salesforce has even more meaty IT thoughts to chew on. Take your company to the next level with in-depth research and trends right in your inbox. Subscribe to a newsletter tailored to your role at Salesforce.com/newsletter.Mission.org is a media studio producing content for world-class clients. Learn more at mission.org.
-- Brightspot is the leading content management platform built for modern teams. Your content lifecycle - from ideation to archival - moves faster, handling any volume, variety, or velocity with ease. Unlike legacy platforms that demand heavy dev work and struggle with scale, Brightspot is user-friendly, endlessly customizable, and enterprise-ready. Think dynamic, modern experiences, shipped in minutes—not months. Trusted by some of the world’s leading tech organizations, Brightspot reduces total cost of ownership, boosts productivity, and gives you the governance, security, and performance your teams need. Visit brightspot.com/ITVisionaries to learn more.---This episode was produced by the team at Mission.org and brought to you by Brightspot.

May 19, 2022 • 37min
A Cooperative and Distributive Model Leads to Growth With Hemant Elhence, President of Excellarate
When the world catches up to a business model that’s already been working well, then a company can really take off. Hemant Elhence, the President of Excellarate, describes how a cooperative, distributed software development model rooted in the company’s origins has positioned Excellerate to thrive in the cloud environment. Furthermore, he explains how society has now caught up with the concept of remote work. Hemant also chats about a few books that have really meant a great deal to him.Tune in to learn:Why do customers go to Excellarate for help building software? (02:26)Why has Excellarate seen growth providing DevOps to customers? (06:31)What’s the history of the business? (11:59)What’s it like working with regulated businesses that could be targets for attacks? (23:46)What does Hemant see as the future of software development? (27:43)IT Visionaries is brought to you by The Salesforce Platform. If you love the thought leadership on this podcast, Salesforce has even more meaty IT thoughts to chew on. Take your company to the next level with in-depth research and trends right in your inbox. Subscribe to a newsletter tailored to your role at Salesforce.com/newsletter.Mission.org is a media studio producing content for world-class clients. Learn more at mission.org.
-- Brightspot is the leading content management platform built for modern teams. Your content lifecycle - from ideation to archival - moves faster, handling any volume, variety, or velocity with ease. Unlike legacy platforms that demand heavy dev work and struggle with scale, Brightspot is user-friendly, endlessly customizable, and enterprise-ready. Think dynamic, modern experiences, shipped in minutes—not months. Trusted by some of the world’s leading tech organizations, Brightspot reduces total cost of ownership, boosts productivity, and gives you the governance, security, and performance your teams need. Visit brightspot.com/ITVisionaries to learn more.---This episode was produced by the team at Mission.org and brought to you by Brightspot.

May 17, 2022 • 24min
Debiasing AI and Machine Learning With Journalist Jacob Ward and Kathy Baxter, Architect of Ethical AI Practice, Salesforce
As we train computers to complete repetitive tasks for us automatically, we need to be keenly aware of the biases we may be subconsciously programming. So, what questions should we be asking as consumers and employees in a world augmented by computer assistance? The Principle Architect of Ethical AI Practice at Salesforce, Kathy Baxter, and journalist Jacob Ward give guidance on creating a responsible AI ecosystem that prioritizes safety, privacy, and equality. This episode was published first by Blazing Trails, our sister podcast over at Salesforce, hosted by Michael Rivo.Tune in to learn:How is AI changing the way that we think? (3:41)How are companies changing the way they think about the ethics of AI? (8:06)Whose responsibility is it to regulate the ethics of AI? (11:25)What is the current regulatory landscape for AI? (16:07)How should employees think about correcting bias in AI? (19:07)How can you build AI ethical awareness into your organization? (27:03)How are we using AI to help the environment? (35:15)Mentions:The Loop: How Technology Is Creating a World Without Choices and How to Fight BackSalesforce AI Ethics ModelBenioff Ocean InitiativeOECD AI PrinciplesIT Visionaries is brought to you by Salesforce Platform. If you love the thought leadership on this podcast, Salesforce has even more meaty IT thoughts to chew on. Take your company to the next level with in-depth research and trends right in your inbox. Subscribe to a newsletter tailored to your role at Salesforce.com/newsletter.Mission.org is a media studio producing content for world-class clients. Learn more at mission.org.
-- Brightspot is the leading content management platform built for modern teams. Your content lifecycle - from ideation to archival - moves faster, handling any volume, variety, or velocity with ease. Unlike legacy platforms that demand heavy dev work and struggle with scale, Brightspot is user-friendly, endlessly customizable, and enterprise-ready. Think dynamic, modern experiences, shipped in minutes—not months. Trusted by some of the world’s leading tech organizations, Brightspot reduces total cost of ownership, boosts productivity, and gives you the governance, security, and performance your teams need. Visit brightspot.com/ITVisionaries to learn more.---This episode was produced by the team at Mission.org and brought to you by Brightspot.

May 12, 2022 • 35min
Harnessing the Consistent Power of the Sea Through Tech with Inna Braverman, Co-Founder & CEO, Eco Wave Power Ltd.
The ocean is massive and powerful, and harnessing its energy has been difficult. Inna Braverman and her business partner, both with outsider perspectives, have worked to develop an elegant tech solution that can harness the continuous power of the moving seas. Their company, Eco Wave Power Ltd., is bringing their low-profile "floaters" that gather ocean energy to ports around the world, including in Gibraltar and Los Angeles. Also, hear Inna's personal story about how surviving the Chernobyl disaster has motivated her to make a positive impact.Tune in to learn:How is Eco Wave Power harnessing ocean energy? (00:45)How does Eco Wave Power’s tech ultimately create electricity? (06:13)How did the original idea develop to use already existing structures on shore? (13:58)Does the tech require a lot of maintenance to be sustained? (20:14)Is there private interest for this solution? (25:40)IT Visionaries is brought to you by Salesforce Platform. If you love the thought leadership on this podcast, Salesforce has even more meaty IT thoughts to chew on. Take your company to the next level with in-depth research and trends right in your inbox. Subscribe to a newsletter tailored to your role at Salesforce.com/newsletter.Mission.org is a media studio producing content for world-class clients. Learn more at mission.org.
-- Brightspot is the leading content management platform built for modern teams. Your content lifecycle - from ideation to archival - moves faster, handling any volume, variety, or velocity with ease. Unlike legacy platforms that demand heavy dev work and struggle with scale, Brightspot is user-friendly, endlessly customizable, and enterprise-ready. Think dynamic, modern experiences, shipped in minutes—not months. Trusted by some of the world’s leading tech organizations, Brightspot reduces total cost of ownership, boosts productivity, and gives you the governance, security, and performance your teams need. Visit brightspot.com/ITVisionaries to learn more.---This episode was produced by the team at Mission.org and brought to you by Brightspot.

May 10, 2022 • 42min
Respect All Your Clients’ Dreams Equally With Miles Ward, CTO of SADA
If you’re in a service industry, should you honor every client’s dream equally? According to Miles Ward, the CTO of SADA, that’s absolutely the correct business mindset. Miles also talks about the benefits companies are finding in the cloud and how it’s valuable to be an engineer who communicates well too. He even shares a little about his passion for playing a musical instrument called the electric sousaphone.Tune in to learn:What’s the history of SADA? (04:14)What does Miles see customers wanting to do in the cloud? (11:28)What innovations are exciting to Miles? (19:18)Does SADA build applications for themselves? (23:37) Mentions:“What Twitter and friends prove about multi-cloud” (Check out “Miles-low’s Hierarchy of Tech Needs”)IT Visionaries is brought to you by The Salesforce Platform. If you love the thought leadership on this podcast, Salesforce has even more meaty IT thoughts to chew on. Take your company to the next level with in-depth research and trends right in your inbox. Subscribe to a newsletter tailored to your role at Salesforce.com/newsletter.Mission.org is a media studio producing content for world-class clients. Learn more at mission.org.
-- Brightspot is the leading content management platform built for modern teams. Your content lifecycle - from ideation to archival - moves faster, handling any volume, variety, or velocity with ease. Unlike legacy platforms that demand heavy dev work and struggle with scale, Brightspot is user-friendly, endlessly customizable, and enterprise-ready. Think dynamic, modern experiences, shipped in minutes—not months. Trusted by some of the world’s leading tech organizations, Brightspot reduces total cost of ownership, boosts productivity, and gives you the governance, security, and performance your teams need. Visit brightspot.com/ITVisionaries to learn more.---This episode was produced by the team at Mission.org and brought to you by Brightspot.

May 5, 2022 • 39min
Staying Curious, Keeping a Wide View, and Getting Into the Details With Vittorio Cretella, CIO of Procter & Gamble
Is being successful tied to being perpetually inquisitive? Vittorio Cretella, the CIO of Procter & Gamble, discusses how maintaining a posture of curiosity has been a constant throughout his career. Also, he chats about Procter & Gamble’s digital transformation at an international scale and that AI is now being used across the company. Listen in to learn a little about Vittorio’s passion for motorcycles too.Tune in to learn:How is digital transformation manifesting at Procter & Gamble? (03:47)How does P&G manage to operate in so many countries? (10:29) Is AI used across the entire company? (15:09)How might the consumer experience get better in the future? (17:39)What’s the balance for innovating quickly yet maintaining trust? (21:22)What is Vittorio most excited about in his role as CIO at P&G? (27:22)What sort of peers can Vittorio commiserate with and learn from? (30:04) IT Visionaries is brought to you by The Salesforce Platform. If you love the thought leadership on this podcast, Salesforce has even more meaty IT thoughts to chew on. Take your company to the next level with in-depth research and trends right in your inbox. Subscribe to a newsletter tailored to your role at Salesforce.com/newsletter.Mission.org is a media studio producing content for world-class clients. Learn more at mission.org.
-- Brightspot is the leading content management platform built for modern teams. Your content lifecycle - from ideation to archival - moves faster, handling any volume, variety, or velocity with ease. Unlike legacy platforms that demand heavy dev work and struggle with scale, Brightspot is user-friendly, endlessly customizable, and enterprise-ready. Think dynamic, modern experiences, shipped in minutes—not months. Trusted by some of the world’s leading tech organizations, Brightspot reduces total cost of ownership, boosts productivity, and gives you the governance, security, and performance your teams need. Visit brightspot.com/ITVisionaries to learn more.---This episode was produced by the team at Mission.org and brought to you by Brightspot.

May 3, 2022 • 39min
Great Scale, Great Opportunity - Big Banking Moves to the Cloud With Saul Van Beurden, Head of Technology at Wells Fargo
How do you protect banks and their customers from bad actors now that banks are no longer just brick and mortar? Due to technological advances, banking services are increasingly digital and on mobile devices. Saul Van Beurden, the Head of Technology at Wells Fargo, chats about strategies to deal with cyber threats including educating customers and methods of devaluing data. He also talks about how Wells Fargo is improving NLP to better communicate with customers and why the future of banking at Wells Fargo will one day be entirely in the cloud. Tune in to learn: Why does a technology-based industry still need brick-and-mortar buildings? (5:31)How is Wells Fargo improving NLP to better communicate with customers? (11:25)The importance of thinking for yourself when it comes to security (14:39)Why Data Devaluation can mitigate loss in a cyber attack (20:32)IT Visionaries is powered by Salesforce Platform. If this episode makes you want to go deeper into the data security world, check out Salesforce.com/datasecurity and download the IT Guide to Data Security and Governance to learn how to protect your customer data with Salesforce Security Portfolio.Mission.org is a media studio producing content for world-class clients. Learn more at mission.org.
-- Brightspot is the leading content management platform built for modern teams. Your content lifecycle - from ideation to archival - moves faster, handling any volume, variety, or velocity with ease. Unlike legacy platforms that demand heavy dev work and struggle with scale, Brightspot is user-friendly, endlessly customizable, and enterprise-ready. Think dynamic, modern experiences, shipped in minutes—not months. Trusted by some of the world’s leading tech organizations, Brightspot reduces total cost of ownership, boosts productivity, and gives you the governance, security, and performance your teams need. Visit brightspot.com/ITVisionaries to learn more.---This episode was produced by the team at Mission.org and brought to you by Brightspot.