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

Latest Episodes:

How S&P Global Leverages Data and Digital Ecosystems to Scale AI Apr 24, 2025

Show notes

“AI is the New UI” at S&P Global. Swamy Kocherlakota, EVP and Chief Digital Solutions Officer, reveals how the 165-year-old market intelligence leader is scaling AI, reinventing digital ecosystems, and driving innovation with Kensho at the helm.

In this episode:

How S&P Global’s product operating model fuels innovation at scale
Why Kensho serves as the AI speedboat for generative breakthroughs
Expanding digital ecosystems to deliver essential intelligence anywhere
Applying the Four Ps Framework for responsible, enterprise-wide AI adoption
Empowering teams with low-code AI workflows via sFlow and Spark

How Capital One Software Enables Safer AI Through Enterprise Data Tools Apr 21, 2025

Show notes

Capital One has long been recognized as a digital-first financial services company. Now, it’s productizing its tech DNA into standalone B2B software.

In this episode, Peter High speaks with Ravi Raghu, President of Capital One Software, about how internal cloud and data security capabilities led to the launch of an enterprise SaaS business—starting with offerings like Slingshot and Data Bolt.

Key topics covered include:

Building a software business from internal IP
Data tokenization as an enabler for GenAI
Slingshot and Snowflake adoption optimization
Structuring cross-functional tech teams
Expanding data governance into new product areas

Shamim Mohammad on CarMax’s Digital-First Journey and the Future of Agentic AI Apr 17, 2025

Show notes

From used-car retailer to tech-powered industry leader—CarMax is redefining automotive retail. In this episode, Peter High speaks with Shamim Mohammad, EVP and Chief Information and Technology Officer at CarMax, about the company’s bold transformation into a digital-first business.

Shamim shares lessons from his 12+ years with the company, including nearly a decade as CIO and over six years as CTO. He discusses CarMax’s transition to a product operating model, its pioneering use of generative AI tools like Skye and Rhodes, and how data governance, platform agility, and agentic AI are powering customer and associate experiences.

He also reflects on the company’s culture of innovation, his board service at UNFI, and the leadership values that have fueled CarMax’s continued growth.

Key topics include:

CarMax’s enterprise AI strategy, from GenAI to Agentic AI
Building a strong digital backbone and data foundation
Structuring product teams for retail, supply, and shared platforms
Managing a complex partner ecosystem for sustained innovation

Generac CIO Talal Butt on Powering a Smart Ecosystem Through Platform Strategy and GenAI Apr 14, 2025

Show notes

Generac Power Systems is no longer just a generator company — it’s becoming a full-stack energy technology platform. In this episode of Technovation, CIO Talal Butt offers a behind-the-scenes look at how he’s reshaping the $4.3B manufacturer’s technology landscape to support that evolution.

Speaking directly to senior IT and digital leaders, Talal shares how he’s building a modern digital ecosystem from scratch — one that’s powered by real-time data, platform thinking, and AI-driven decisioning. From architecting Generac’s first scalable data governance program to operationalizing GenAI use cases and redefining the partner experience, this episode is a playbook for CIOs navigating transformation in legacy industries.

Highlights include:

Digital Ecosystem Strategy: Creating a seamless platform experience for both customers and partners across 140+ countries.
AI-Enabled Operations: How Generac is moving beyond dashboards to predictive models for forecasting, cross-sell, and supply chain optimization.
Operational Excellence: Leveraging ITSM and root cause analysis to scale global operations while reducing tech debt and downtime.
Platform Thinking: Building product lines to serve hyperscale data centers while unifying energy generation, storage, and management.

AI, Clean Data, and New Flavors: McCormick’s Digital Playbook with CIDO Guy Peri Apr 10, 2025

Show notes

From predicting the next flavor trend to revolutionizing procurement with AI, Guy Peri is leading a bold digital transformation at McCormick & Company. In this episode of Technovation, host Peter High speaks with Guy about how he’s bringing AI and data strategy to life at a 135-year-old flavor giant. Drawing from nearly three decades at Procter & Gamble, Guy shares how McCormick is building a modern digital backbone, using AI to forecast demand and ingredient pricing, and upskilling employees into citizen data scientists.

Highlights include:

McCormick’s digital transformation pillars
How AI predicts procurement costs and retail trends
The making of the Flavor Forecast
The future of Agentic AI and human-machine collaboration
Upskilling and shifting organizational culture through digital fluency

Regina Salazar on Building Novelis’ AI-Powered, Sustainable Smart Factories Apr 07, 2025

Show notes

What does it take to digitally transform a global manufacturing giant? In this episode of Technovation, host Peter High speaks with Regina Salazar, Chief Digital and Information Officer at Novelis, about how the world’s largest aluminum recycler is scaling enterprise-wide innovation through technology.

Regina shares how she unified IT and digital into a single operating model, launched a global business relationship framework, and enhanced Novelis’ data architecture to support AI at scale. She also discusses the company’s ambitious smart factory in Alabama, how digital twins are reshaping operations, and Novelis’ roadmap to becoming a tech-enabled, sustainable enterprise.

Highlights include:

Factory of the Future: Inside Novelis’ new Alabama facility powered by digital twins, automation, and a next-gen MES platform.
AI in Action: Real-world examples of predictive maintenance and cycle time optimization through AI and edge computing.
Generative AI Strategy: How Novelis built a secure internal GPT on Azure while leveraging Copilot and Moveworks across the enterprise.
Smart Robotics: Deploying robotic “dogs” to inspect hazardous environments and reduce risk.
Vision 3×30: Novelis’ company-wide transformation focused on data literacy, governance, and technology architecture by 2030.

Caterpillar CIO Jamie Engstrom on AI, Data Strategy, and the Future of Smart Manufacturing Apr 03, 2025

Show notes

Caterpillar is celebrating 100 years of innovation—and it’s just getting started. In this episode of Technovation, host Peter High welcomes Jamie Engstrom, CIO and SVP of IT at Caterpillar, to discuss how the industrial giant is evolving through data strategy, digital transformation, and customer-centric innovation.

Jamie shares her insights on leading a global IT organization of 2,200 professionals, the company’s customer-back mindset, and how Caterpillar leverages AI, telematics, and real-time analytics to support over 4 million assets across the globe. From smart manufacturing to supply chain modernization and condition monitoring systems, Jamie explores how Caterpillar is shaping the next century of industrial excellence.

Key topics include:

Caterpillar’s enterprise-wide data strategy and AI integration
The role of IT in supporting 1.5M+ connected machines
Supply chain optimization with predictive analytics
Strategic CIO-CDO collaboration and leadership development
Creating a sustainable future through smart infrastructure

Hertz CIO Tim Langley-Hawthorne on Cloud, AI, and Reinventing the Rental Car Experience Mar 31, 2025

Show notes

Hertz CIO Tim Langley-Hawthorne joins Peter High on Technovation to share how he’s modernizing a $9B global fleet operation through AI, cloud, and a product-first mindset. Since joining post-COVID, Tim has sunset Hertz’s data centers, scaled AWS infrastructure, launched a consumer+fleet product org, and embedded AI from customer chat to tire inspections.

He explains why he rejected a centralized AI model, the power of grassroots innovation, and why partnerships with firms like Palantir and Amadeus are accelerating results. This episode is packed with real-world digital transformation strategies from a high-stakes, asset-heavy enterprise.

Highlights include:

Product Operating Model: Merged consumer and fleet tech under dual product strategy.
AI in Action: How decentralized AI is enhancing CX, fleet, and operational speed.
Fleet Optimization: Partnership with Palantir to keep cars rented and moving.
Post-COVID Reset: Lessons in fleet lifecycle economics and demand response.
Culture Change: Infusing big tech talent with long-tenured ops veterans.

Aflac CIO Shelia Anderson on AI-Driven Integration and the Unified Group Strategy Mar 27, 2025

Show notes

A unified customer experience helps companies deliver consistency, build trust, and reduce friction across their offerings making it easier for customers to engage, buy, and stay loyal. That’s why Aflac is investing in a unified group strategy consolidating acquired products into a seamless, integrated experience across dental, vision, disability, and more. In this episode of Technovation, Peter High interviews Shelia Anderson, EVP and CIO of Aflac, and speaks with her about the company’s strategy for transforming IT from a fragmented, acquisition-heavy operation into a centralized, data-driven engine for business value.

She outlines how Aflac avoided a costly cloud migration misstep, refocused its data and AI capabilities, and aligned talent strategy with architectural goals. Her approach to innovation is pragmatic and powerful: tie everything to business priorities and know your why.

Highlights include:

AI at Scale: Legacy ML driving value in claims; GenAI mapped to entire insurance lifecycle
Talent Shift: Reducing third-party reliance and redefining internal job architecture
Unified Group Strategy: Streamlined digital experience across acquired businesses
Smart Cloud Strategy: Focused migration driven by value, not hype
Innovation Alignment: Hatch Lab and GenAI tied to Aflac’s top goals

Optimizing Supply Chains and E-commerce: Inside PriceSmart’s Tech Evolution with CIO Wayne Sadin Mar 24, 2025

Show notes

What does it take to digitally transform a $5B retail giant across 13 countries? In this episode of Technovation, Peter High sits down with Wayne Sadin, Chief Information Officer of PriceSmart, the largest membership-based warehouse club chain in Central America, the Caribbean, and Colombia.

With a tech leadership career spanning over 40 years, Wayne shares how he’s orchestrating a sweeping modernization of PriceSmart’s legacy systems—moving from 1980s green screens to a real-time, AI-ready infrastructure. He outlines how embedding IT within the business, redefining budgeting to drive alignment, and creating cross-functional collaboration have helped accelerate transformation in a complex, multi-market environment.

Wayne also explores:

The evolution from Excel silos to integrated digital retailing
Enabling e-commerce, B2B, and in-club experiences simultaneously
Building sustainable operations and community impact through technology
Why legacy retailers must act now to stay relevant in an Amazon-era economy

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