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

Latest Episodes:

Lockheed Martin CIO Reveals Digital Strategy for Defense Oct 06, 2025

Show notes

As Senior Vice President for Enterprise Business & Digital Transformation and Chief Information Officer at Lockheed Martin, Maria Demaree is leading one of the world’s largest aerospace and defense companies through a sweeping digital and cultural transformation.

In this episode of Technovation with Peter High, Maria shares how Lockheed Martin’s 1LMX program is uniting more than 122,000 employees worldwide under a mission-driven approach to digital enablement, process modernization, and cultural cohesion. She explains how her dual background in business leadership and IT shapes her strategy, the power of connecting global factories through data, and the role of AI and quantum computing in accelerating delivery for national security customers.

Maria also discusses:
► The balance between legacy modernization and digital-native innovation
► How Lockheed Martin is fostering a common culture (1LM) across business units
► The impact of AI and data convergence on defense and aerospace operations
► Why empathy, urgency, and mission focus drive effective digital transformation

Salesforce’s Joe Inzerillo on Agentic AI and the Future of the Enterprise Workforce Oct 02, 2025

Show notes

The AI workforce won’t replace humans—but it will reshape how work gets done.

On this episode of Technovation with Peter High, Salesforce EVP & CDO Joe Inzerillo joins to explore the rise of agentic AI and how it’s transforming work, from org structure to customer engagement. Joe draws on lessons from Disney, SiriusXM, and now Salesforce to unpack the “Customer Zero” model, how digital labor changes work design, and why empathy is the superpower for AI leadership.

Inside the U.S. Department of State’s AI and Cyber Resilience Transformation Sep 29, 2025

Show notes

“No one cares about AI if the Wi-Fi doesn’t work.” As CIO of the U.S. Department of State, Dr. Kelly Fletcher leads a global team delivering secure, resilient, and modern technology across 190 countries.

In this episode of Technovation with Peter High, Dr. Kelly Fletcher, Chief Information Officer of the U.S. Department of State, shares how she leads technology strategy for 100,000 users across 190 countries. Kelly discusses her dual mandate of operational excellence and cybersecurity, including the department’s rapid response to the 2023 Microsoft hack. She also explains how AI is reducing “toil” for diplomats, the rollout of StateChat and DocuChat, and the transformative potential of low-earth orbit satellite communications for global connectivity. With past leadership roles at the Department of Defense and the Navy, Kelly reflects on cultural differences across agencies, her philosophy on experimentation, and the future of cloud and cross-government collaboration.

From CIO to VC: Marina Levinson on Vertical AI, Startup Bridges & Board Leadership Sep 26, 2025

Show notes

Marina Levinson shares her journey from CIO to venture investor to startup advisor, revealing the skills, relationships, and mindset shifts needed to thrive across roles, how her experience as a tech buyer sharpened her investment approach, how she built bridges between enterprise executives and startups, and highlights such as how CIOs can play a bigger role in innovation ecosystems, why BGV invests in vertical AI rather than infrastructure, lessons from AiDASH, COVU, and Interactly.ai, what makes a solution “must-have” vs. “nice-to-have”, and advice for executives pursuing public or private board roles.

Agentic AI at the Edge: Nancy Avila’s Three-Pillar Strategy for IT Transformation Sep 25, 2025

Show notes

“The speed is so incredible. I can’t tell if I’m getting older and I’m slower, or if just the speed of this technology is so exponentially faster.” As CIO of Analog Devices, Nancy Avila leads digital transformation for a $9.5B semiconductor company at the forefront of AI innovation.

In this episode of Technovation with Peter High, Nancy Avila, Chief Information Officer of Analog Devices, shares how she returned from retirement to lead IT, data, and AI strategy at a company powering intelligent edge technologies. Nancy outlines her three-pillar strategy of operational excellence, process optimization, and innovation highlighting the company’s shift toward enterprise-wide adoption of agentic AI. She details how AI agents are boosting engineering productivity, improving anomaly detection in manufacturing, and transforming internal knowledge access. Nancy also discusses her approach to transparent decision-making in AI and cloud spend, how CIOs can shape business strategy in technical organizations, and her experience serving on public boards.

Wyndham’s Tech Advantage: CCO Scott Strickland on AI, Loyalty & Guest Experience Sep 22, 2025

Show notes

1013: Wyndham’s Scott Strickland on AI, loyalty, and how digital innovation is reshaping hospitality.

In this episode of Technovation, Wyndham Hotels & Resorts Chief Commercial Officer and longtime CIO Scott Strickland joins Peter High to share how Wyndham is redefining hospitality with digital innovation, from its owner-first philosophy and the new Wyndham Gateway loyalty initiative to the creation of a guest engagement platform that powers mobile check-in, digital tipping, and personalized upsells; Strickland also discusses Wyndham’s $350M technology modernization journey, how it prepared the company for AI adoption, the role of data and personalization in shaping future guest experiences, the impact of user-generated content and micro-influencers, and practical leadership lessons for CIOs aiming to expand into broader commercial roles, proving that in hospitality, where there’s a Wyndham, there’s a way.

LG NOVA’s Strategy: Vertical AI, Public Partnerships & Building New Ventures Sep 18, 2025

Show notes

1012: Sokwoo Rhee, EVP of Innovation at LG Electronics and Head of LG NOVA, reveals how LG is rethinking corporate innovation through ecosystem-led venture building. In this episode we explore LG NOVA’s venture into healthcare, energy optimization, and AI innovation, including Primefocus Health and PADO, plus how public-private partnerships (like with West Virginia) power new business creation. Learn why LG is focused on vertical AI use cases, how they identify 5-10 year opportunities, and what it takes to build cross-sector teams for impact.

Lincoln Financial CIO Jennifer Charters on AI Strategy and Human-Centered Tech Sep 15, 2025

Show notes

Build with AI. Lead with people.
In this episode of Technovation, host Peter High speaks with Jennifer Charters, Executive Vice President and Chief Information Officer of Lincoln Financial. Jennifer shares how she’s shaping the future of IT and innovation at the $18.5B insurer by investing in AI while doubling down on what makes transformation succeed: people.

She discusses Lincoln’s evolving enterprise AI strategy, why a model-agnostic approach matters, and how her team is redesigning workflows and talent models in parallel. From regulatory complexity to the rise of AI agents, Jennifer emphasizes the need to prepare rather than predict the future, and to keep human connection at the center of it.

Key topics include:

A 401(k)-style framework for IT budgeting and innovation
How Lincoln’s model-agnostic AI architecture supports agility
AI use cases in development, cybersecurity, and customer experience
Partnering with HR to future-proof skills and change readiness

The Rise of Agentic AI: Aaref Hilaly on the Future of Human-Machine Teams Sep 12, 2025

Show notes

What if every human had an army of agents working for them?

Aaref Hilaly, Partner at Bain Capital Ventures and veteran investor in AI-native startups, joins Peter High to discuss the transformative potential of agentic AI, the mindset he looks for in founders, and how legal, healthcare, and education sectors are poised for disruption.

Key highlights from the conversation:

How AI is reshaping venture investment strategy
The role of agents in redefining work and productivity
Why legal and healthcare are prime for automation
Lessons from Hilaly’s time as a founder
Emerging trends like vibe coding and invisible apps

Simplify to Accelerate: How CIBC’s CIO Is Modernizing Banking Through Tech & Talent Sep 11, 2025

Show notes

Simplify to accelerate.

In this episode of Technovation, host Peter High speaks with Richard Jardim, Executive Vice President and Chief Information Officer of the Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce (CIBC). Richard shares how his team is modernizing one of North America’s leading banks by focusing on technology simplification, speed, and agility in service of building a relationship-oriented bank for a modern world.

He details CIBC’s transformation journey, from migrating core platforms to the cloud and leveraging proprietary online banking infrastructure, to developing digital talent, integrating AI, and preparing for quantum computing. Richard also reflects on the importance of curiosity, communication, and adaptive leadership in today’s fast-moving tech environment.

Key topics include: