Cxotalk: Leadership, Innovation, Disruption

Chief Information Officers are on the front lines of digital transformation. Not only are CIOs responsible for managing change, but the role can affect both the internal organization and customers. On this episode, we explore these issues with Bask Iyer, the CIO of VMware.Bask Iyer joined VMware in March 2015 and serves as the company’s Senior Vice President and Chief Information Officer. Iyer leads VMware’s global information and technology organization, a group that manages critical technology systems supporting the company’s worldwide business operations.

Human capital management is at the forefront of digital change and transformation. For this episode, a senior leader from one of the largest HCM product organizations in the world shares his view of this evolving landscape.Stuart Sackman leads ADP’s Global Product and Technology (GPT) organization, overseeing both client-facing product development and internal technology (CIO/CTO) operations. Stuart ensures that the GPT team’s work aligns with ADP’s overall technology efforts and our strategic goal of becoming the world’s leading provider of Human Capital Management solutions.

User experience is one of the most important and least understood aspects of digital transformation. For this episode, we talk with a leading world expert about user experience and how to engage consumers in the best way possible.Brian Solis is a principal analyst at Altimeter Group, a Prophet company. He is also an award-winning author, prominent blogger/writer, and keynote speaker. A digital analyst, anthropologist, and futurist, Solis has studied and influenced the effects of emerging technology on business, marketing, and culture.

Oracle is one of the largest technology companies in the world. On this episode, we speak with a senior executive to learn about the future of enterprise software.Steve Miranda is Executive Vice President of Oracle Applications Product Development. He is responsible for leading all aspects of product strategy, product development, and product delivery for Oracle's applications and related cloud services. This includes Oracle Fusion Applications and Oracle's newest products for customer service and support, commerce, and talent management.

Marketing and sales are essential parts of digital transformation, however, the transition to digital marketing can be fraught with challenge. In this episode, McKinsey partner, David Edelman, offers advice for successfully making the shift to digital marketing at a sophisticated level. David Edelman is a global co-leader of our Digital and Marketing & Sales Practices, based in Boston. For more than 20 years, David has specialized in helping marketing executives manage the strategy, organization, and infrastructure transformations required to become “digitally adroit” leaders. From creating digital centers of excellence, to developing marketing technology architecture plans, to redesigning entire go-to-market approaches, David has led work that is both strategic and highly tactical.

General Electric is 135 years old employs 330,000 employees in 175 countries. GE is undertaking a massive transformation to be a digital industrial company, focusing on the "internet of really big things." In this episode, CMO Linda Boff shares GE's story and explains digital transformation at this American corporate icon.Linda Boff is Chief Marketing Officer of General Electric. Boff was formerly GE's executive director of global brand marketing. Linda is one of the most innovative and forward-thinking marketers in the business. Her extensive background in integrated marketing, digital media, and brand, as well as her reputation for innovation help evolve GE's marketing organization, build their iconic brand and advance GE’s digital and industrial strength.

Privacy is one of the most important, yet complicated, topics in our digital lives. On this episode, we learn about privacy engineering one of the top experts in the world.Michelle Finneran Dennedy currently serves as VP and Chief Privacy Officer at Cisco She is responsible for the development and implementation of the organization's data privacy policies and practices, working across business groups to drive data privacy excellence across the security continuum. She is co-author of The Privacy Engineer's Manifesto.Before joining the CIsco, Michelle founded The iDennedy Project, a public service organization to address privacy needs in sensitive populations, such as children and the elderly, and emerging technology paradigms. Michelle is also a founder and editor in chief of a new media site—TheIdentityProject.com—that was started as an advocacy and education site, currently focused on the growing crime of Child ID theft.

Virtually all industries are being transformed by digital technology and changing consumer expectations. On this show, we learn about changes in the flooring industry with Roddy McKaig, CIO of Shaw Industries, a $4.5 billion flooring manufacturer owned by Berkshire-Hathaway.Roddy McKaig has over 30 years of experience in Information Technology leadership. In 2008 he was appointed Vice President and Chief Information Officer at Shaw Industries, located in Dalton, Georgia. In this position he has complete responsibility for the corporation’s world-wide technology services and support, as well as the Corporate Administrative Services groups. These areas are comprised of a staff of 400 professionals, supporting the company’s 23,000 associates in over 200 locations. Roddy took this position after serving 12 years as Director of Systems Development for Shaw. Shaw Industries is one of the world’s largest flooring manufacturers, with complete product offerings of both hard and soft surface products. Shaw has been a m

Jonathan is a well-known civic IT executive who creates positive change in challenging business and IT environments through better business processes, better workplace environment, and technology innovation. He is currently the CIO of the City of Asheville, North Carolina, where he has maintained a record of consistent excellence in customer service, employee engagement, financial management, and service availability. He won the Excellence in Public Service Award in 2006. He also works closely with private, public, and not-for-profit organizations, boards, and elected officials to create economic development and other positive community results. Jonathan is a well-known business technology and leadership columnist & blogger who has written for InformationWeek since 2008 as a contributing editor. Jonathan is also an in-demand, global keynote speaker and can be found on Twitter.

Everyone knows Harley-Davidson for motorcycles, the company has deep roots in technology, manufacturing, and a variety of business areas. On this episode, Harley's Chief Technology Officer, Sean McCormack, shares the company's innovation story.Sean McCormack is the Chief Technology Officer for Harley Davidson Motor Company. Prior to joining Harley Davidson, Sean held numerous leadership roles at Manpower International, most recently Chief Architect with global ownership for all key platforms across 82 countries and 5 lines of business.

Communication is one of the most critical skills for any employee, manager, or executive. Yet, despite its importance, few executives write with clarity and boldness. On this episode, top industry analyst and author, Josh Bernoff, shares his secrets for great executive and marketing writing.Josh has been a professional writer since 1982. He has co-authored three books on business strategy, including Groundswell, which was a bestseller. And he is passionate about clear, brief, fascinating communication.

Financial service is undergoing major disruption and transformation. On this episode, we hear from Ron van Kemenade, CIO of ING Bank, who shares his strategy and explains the impact of digital transformation on banking. Ron van Kemenade is a senior technology executive with over 20 years of experience in the financial services industry, as well as telecommunications and internet.Over the past couple of years, his focus has gradually shifted from more commercial and operations roles towards information technology. Ron finds the influence that the (changes in) information technology can make on the customer experience of a company’s customers very motivating.

Health care is ready for digital transformation. Changing consumer expectations combined with new technologies have pushed even the largest health care providers to innovate and improve patient care. On this episode, Preston Simons,CIO of Aurora Health Care, discusses transformation in this important field. Preston Simons is Chief Information Officer at Aurora Health Care. Prior to joining Aurora, Preston Simons served as chief information officer for Abbott Laboratories for more than 10 years, where he was responsible for all aspects of the IT department which at one time had more than 4,000 employees and IT contractors. He was also accountable for many IT functions at Abbott`s spin-off AbbVie. Prior to that, he served as an IT leader in several health systems, a health insurance plan and in the pharmaceutical industry. In addition to affiliations with a number of health care IT organizations, Simons has had leading roles in the Chicago CIO Institute and other leadership summits. Simons holds a bachelor`s de

Digital transformation involves changes to an organization's business model, corporate culture, processes, and other people-focused activities. Although technology, platforms, and data can enable these changes, the focus remains on defining business goals and achieving outcomes. In this episode, we explore the relationship between technology and gaining the business outcomes associated with digital transformation.Paul Daugherty is Accenture’s chief technology officer and leads the company’s Technology Innovation & Ecosystem group. He is also a member of Accenture’s Global Management Committee.

The future of customer relationships is data. From the Internet of Things to machine learning, companies that develop a sophisticated understanding of data will better serve their customers. In this episode, we speak with two technology pioneers about data and where its going.Adam Bosworth is Salesforce's Executive Vice President of the IoT Cloud, which helps organizations connect billions of events from devices, sensors, applications and more from the Internet of Things to Salesforce.Dr. Gary William Flake is the CTO of Search & Data Science at Salesforce. He is responsible for the vision, strategy and product development for the search platform that powers the world’s #1 CRM company.

Culture change is a key for any digital transformation initiative. The shift from one business to another is often accompanied by a need for people in the organization to adopt new processes, ways of working, and approaches to break down silos and relate differently to customers. Although culture change is critically important to transformation, it is difficult and time-consuming to achieve. In this episode of CXOTALK, we speak with two experts on the intersection of transformation, culture, and business models.

The Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program offers a unique model for funding technology innovation. The SBIR serves as a portal to connect small businesses, academics, and startup with partners in agencies across the government. It also provides assistance to ensure that small companies are treated fairly during their engagement with the federal government. Nagesh Rao currently serves as Chief Technologist with the US Small Business Administration’s Office of Investment & Innovation. His portfolio of work includes the SBIR/STTR program and coordination of the Fueling Small Business Innovation Interagency Policy Committee for the White House’s Lab to Market Commercialization Agenda.

The power industry is undergoing significant disruption and digital transformation. On this episode, the Chief Digital Officer of GE Power guides us through these disruptions and explains how General Electric is changing as a result.Ganesh Bell is Chief Digital Officer & GM, Commercial Software & Analytics at GE working across its largest industrial business Power & Water and GE Software. In this position he leads digital innovation and transformation – responsible for the digital solutions business and digital engagement to drive business growth.

Digital transformation and innovation are core elements of the business strategy for the American Cancer Society, a large non-profit organization. On this episode, Jay Ferro describes the role of technology in driving business changes at the Society.Jay Ferro, chief information officer for the American Cancer Society, is responsible for the people, strategy and operations of the global information technology of the organization. He is a recognized technology leader, known for creating and executing strategic visions to achieve business goals.

How do platforms, data, and the internet of things come together create innovation in the enterprise? In this episode, Quentin Clark, Chief Business Officer at SAP shares his view on technologies that can drive transformation and business model innovation.In addition to being SAP's Chief Business Officer, Quentin Clark is a member of the Global Managing Board of SAP SE. He is responsible for defining the direction for SAP and for advancing the company’s business strategy. In this role, he heads corporate strategy, corporate development, partner strategy and development, and portfolio strategy activities.