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

Latest Episodes:

From Demos to Deployments: How U.S. Bank Is Industrializing AI Oct 05, 2026

Show notes

Proving AI works was never the hard part. The hard part is industrializing it. In this episode of Technovation, Peter High speaks with Dilip Venkatachari, Chief Information and Technology Officer at U.S. Bank, about what it actually takes to move from scattered AI experiments to a common platform with reusable components and measurable outcomes. Drawing from eight years leading technology at one of the country’s largest banks, Venkatachari explains how U.S. Bank treats model risk management and regulatory requirements as design parameters rather than obstacles, why the real technical challenge is plumbing rather than models, and how an internal AI marketplace uses social incentives to drive reuse without mandating it.

Key Highlights:

Why industrialization, not proof-of-concept, is the defining AI challenge for large enterprises
How U.S. Bank treats regulatory requirements as design inputs rather than blockers to AI deployment
Why the best AI system creates no value if people don’t change their workflows
How an internal AI marketplace and citation-style reuse incentives prevent redundant technology stacks
Why AI is emerging as an unexpected solution to the COBOL skills retirement crisis
How frontier model companies are shifting from LLM providers to enterprise deployment partners

This episode is sponsored by Tines. This episode is presented by Tines: Freedom to build. Complete security. No compromises. Learn more at tines.io

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From Patterns to Prompts: Pawan Verma on AI Across the Pharma Value Chain Oct 01, 2026

Show notes

AI is reshaping every stage of pharmaceutical distribution, but only if the organization is built to absorb it.

In this episode of Technovation, Peter High speaks with Pawan Verma, Executive Vice President and Chief Data and Information Officer at Cencora, about leading technology and data strategy at one of the world’s largest healthcare companies ($320B+ in revenue, 5 million pharmaceuticals moving through its network daily).

Verma joined Cencora in 2024 after serving as Global CIO at MetLife, with earlier leadership at Foot Locker, Target, and Verizon, a cross-industry arc that shapes how he thinks about patient access, workforce transformation, and what AI can and cannot replace in leadership.

Key Highlights:

Why “centered-out” change management outperforms both top-down mandates and bottoms-up experimentation
How Cencora evaluates AI investments against a four-bucket prioritization model, including long-term sustaining value
Where AI is shortening the pharmaceutical chain: virtual clinical cohorts, faster drug discovery, and real-time inventory optimization
Why pharmaceutical supply chains demand a different standard of precision than conventional logistics
What AI cannot replace: the ability to unlearn, reframe on new emotional data, and hold authentic human connection

This episode is sponsored by Tines. This episode is presented by Tines: Freedom to build. Complete security. No compromises. Learn more at tines.io

Tines logo

Ross Fubini on Finding the Wave Behind Breakout Startups Sep 25, 2026

Show notes

What separates a great founder from a great company? For XYZ Venture Capital Founder and Managing Partner Ross Fubini, execution is only part of the equation. The company also needs to find its “wave.”

In this episode of Technoventure, Fubini joins Peter High to unpack the investment philosophy behind XYZ’s bets on founder networks, defense technology, and AI. Drawing on his experience as an engineer, entrepreneur, executive coach, and investor, he explores:

Why XYZ built an early thesis around the Palantir talent network
What Fubini saw in Anduril before other investors embraced defense technology
Why exceptional execution still needs a market “wave”
How AI changes software development, defensibility, and venture investing
Why forward-deployed engineers are becoming increasingly important

Fubini also shares how he personally uses AI to research, challenge investment theses, and sharpen his thinking.

**How Nationwide CTO Michael Carrel Is Building an AI-Ready Workforce** Sep 24, 2026
Show notes

In this episode of Technovation, Nationwide CTO Michael Carrel joins Peter High to discuss how the company is building an AI-ready workforce while modernizing technology across its insurance and financial services businesses. Carrel explains why Nationwide made everyday AI available to associates across the company and paired access with future-ready learning sprints, manager certifications, and role-specific skill development.

He also shares how Nationwide is applying generative and agentic AI across underwriting, claims, software engineering, and other domains while maintaining disciplined governance, trusted data, and human judgment.

This episode is presented by Tines — Freedom to build. Complete security. No compromises. Learn more at tines.io

**How Trane Technologies Uses AI to Make Buildings More Autonomous** Sep 21, 2026
Show notes

What happens when AI moves beyond generating content and starts autonomously optimizing the physical world?

In this episode of Technovation, Peter High speaks with Riaz Raihan, Senior Vice President and Chief Digital Officer of Trane Technologies, about how the company is applying AI, connected equipment, and massive volumes of IoT data to make buildings more autonomous and energy efficient.

Riaz explains how BrainBox AI acts as an “autopilot” for complex HVAC systems, continuously making small adjustments to optimize energy use without sacrificing comfort. He also discusses Trane Technologies’ three-pillar AI strategy, responsible data use and cybersecurity, and a future in which smart, resilient buildings coordinate energy consumption, storage, and generation autonomously.

This episode is presented by Tines — Freedom to build. Complete security. No compromises. Learn more at tines.io

**Goodyear CIO Raman Mehta on Making Speed the Strategy for Enterprise AI** Sep 17, 2026
Show notes

For Goodyear CIO Raman Mehta, enterprise AI cannot remain stuck in pilot mode. His mandate is to bring a startup mindset to a 128-year-old manufacturer by making speed a strategy and turning AI experimentation into measurable business impact.

In this episode of Technovation, Raman joins Peter High to discuss Goodyear’s push toward industrial-scale AI, Lighthouse Projects, enterprise-grade intelligence, and connected manufacturing. He explains why trusted master data is essential for AI systems that reason, how his team is using AI itself to improve data quality, and why reskilling must happen through live work rather than courses alone.

Key topics include:

Moving AI from pilots to measurable business outcomes

Building Lighthouse Projects around cross-functional problems

Creating enterprise-grade intelligence with governed data

Reskilling technology teams for agentic AI

Preparing connected factories for agents, robotics, and physical AI

This episode is presented by Tines — Freedom to build. Complete security. No compromises. Learn more at tines.io

Shardul Shah of Index Ventures on Why the Founder Is the Investment Thesis Sep 11, 2026

Show notes

Before the market is obvious, what gives an investor the conviction to act?

In this episode of Technoventure, Peter High speaks with Shardul Shah, Partner at Index Ventures, about why exceptional founders can matter more than early market signals. Shardul shares lessons from investing in companies including Datadog and Wiz and explains how he evaluates conviction, high agency, and founders who can “hold contradiction with ease.”

They also explore:

How AI is reshaping enterprise software and infrastructure
Why companies born before 2025 need to reinvent themselves
The rise of machine-to-machine cybersecurity
Why enterprise AI adoption begins with culture and risk
How Shardul uses relationships and AI agents to accelerate learning

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