“People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but they’ll never forget how you made them feel.” Perhaps no Tech Whisperer embodies that timeless Maya Angelou insight better than 7 Brew CIO Danyel Bischof-Forsyth. She is a master at creating cultures where people feel safe, empowered, and inspired, which means she isn’t just driving digital strategy, she is creating an environment where everyone is invested in driving it, too. Through it all, Danyel leads with authenticity, ...
Jun 25, 2025•56 min
Bhaskar Ramachandran is the powerhouse CIO behind PPG’s digital transformation. A master at driving culture change, building strong IT teams, and rallying everyone around the organization’s vision, he has a long track record of delivering real business results across industries. We were fortunate to have the opportunity to sit down with Bhaskar in person at PMI Digital’s studio in Pittsburgh for a deep-dive into the many facets of his leadership playbook. In this episode, Bhaskar talks with Dan ...
Jun 11, 2025•57 min
Tech Whisperer Earl Newsome is the pinnacle of modern, mission-driven IT leadership. Informed by a decade-long military career, Earl has fully unlocked his ability to lead through adaptation, inspiration, and ambition. Now, as the CIO of Cummins, Inc. and with 20 years of experience in corporate America under his belt, he has also become skilled at nurturing those traits in his team. In this episode, Earl is treating us to a masterclass in how to lead, adapt, and inspire, drawing from his leader...
May 28, 2025•1 hr 26 min
In this episode, we are sitting down with a very special guest who has had a massive impact on the CIO profession–Monte Ford. Monte is a CIO Hall of Fame inductee, an advisor to many of the top CIOs and business leaders, and a board member for several large companies, such as JetBlue and Centene. For all of his accolades and accomplishments, Monte is a leader who prefers to keep a low profile, so it was a thrill to have the opportunity to sit down with him and unpack his leadership playbook. Mon...
May 07, 2025•1 hr 13 min
For this episode, we had the privilege of visiting the Regions Bank headquarters in Birmingham, Alabama, for an in-person conversation with Chief Enterprise Operations and Technology Officer Dan Massey. “Digital Dan,” as he’s known to many, embodies what it means to bridge technology, operations, and innovation at the highest level, ensuring technology is not just an enabler but a true driver of business value. He’s someone who is fully present no matter the situation, whether he’s leading a pow...
Apr 16, 2025•45 min
In this episode, we are shining the light on CIO Hall of Fame legend Adriana (Andi) Karaboutis and some of the incredible milestones that have defined her career—including a 21-year tenure in the automotive industry at Ford and General Motors, followed by technology and business leadership roles at Dell, Biogen, and National Grid. Now, Andi is focused on writing the next chapter in her professional story, serving as a director on four corporate boards. Andi is opening up her leadership playbook ...
Mar 26, 2025•1 hr 18 min
With the rise of generative AI, CIOs and IT leaders are experiencing a leadership revolution. GenAI is shaking up both how we engage with technology and how leaders guide their organizations through adoption, governance, and innovation. We are thrilled to have the opportunity to sit down with Institute for the Future’s Bob Johansen and Gabe Cervantes and Handshake’s Jeremy Kirshbaum, whose new book “ Leaders Make the Future, Third Edition: 10 New Skills to Humanize Leadership with Generative AI ...
Mar 05, 2025•1 hr 11 min
In this episode, we are featuring an extraordinary leader who's been blazing trails and inspiring countless others throughout her career. Amy Brady is the Chief Information Officer at KeyBank , where she leads the company's technology, operations, and services organizations. Amy is the epitome of a leader who can seemingly do it all, and because of that she is making her mark across the industry while continually championing causes that uplift women in tech. We're diving into Amy's incredible ca...
Feb 19, 2025•1 hr
One of the hallmarks of a great Chief Technology Officer is that they are able to translate a passion for technology into a driving force for business success. Nationwide ’s Jim Fowler is a CTO who does exactly that, by striving for “great” instead of settling for “good.” We are unpacking Jim’s 20+ years of experience across industries, companies, and countries to learn lessons from his career journey and his strengths as a visionary leader that can help CIOs and IT leaders at all levels achieve...
Feb 05, 2025•1 hr 1 min
This episode we’re shining the light on Kathy Kay , a leader whose name is synonymous with “building” — and she is a builder in every sense of the word. Kathy not only excels at developing high-performance teams, she extends that builder mindset across multiple areas in both her personal and professional lives. In a wide-ranging conversation, Kathy is sharing how she applies her philosophy of building to her current role as EVP & CIO at Principal Financial Group . We’ll explore her strengths...
Jan 22, 2025•52 min
Inducted in the CIO Hall of Fame in 2019, Zack Hicks is a leader who has left a major impact on the CIO profession through his relentless pursuit of innovation to drive new business outcomes. Having previously been the CEO of Toyota Connected and the Chief Digital Officer at Toyota Motor North America, Zack is now making his mark at Kimberly-Clark as their Chief Digital & Technology Officer. With a career that includes numerous “answer-the-call” moments, Zack knows what it takes for leaders ...
Jan 08, 2025•36 min
While many CIOs are busy figuring out what the CIO’s role looks like today, our guest this week is already answering the question, “What does the CIO of tomorrow look like?” As EVP and Chief Information, Digital, and Corporate Strategy Officer at Tractor Supply Co., Rob Mills has been instrumental in driving the $14.6 billion retailer’s rapid growth, profitability, and world class customer experience. His influence and impact are expansive: He has a hand in P&L, serves on Tractor Supply’s ex...
Dec 18, 2024•51 min
There are some Tech Whisperers who leave a legacy by investing their skills in just one or two companies across their career, and then there are those who leave their legacy by making their mark on several organizations throughout their career. As a whopping seven-time CIO and a three-time winner of the CIO100 Award, Mark Settle is a standout example of the latter. During his CIO journey, Mark somehow also made the time to publish two must-read books, Truth from the Valley, A Practical Primer on...
Dec 04, 2024•59 min
You’re in for a special treat with this episode as we sit down with the GOAT, the greatest-of-all-time CIO, Robert B. Carter . Rob served as the CIO of FedEx for almost a quarter of a century, during which time he transformed IT strategy and led the company to unprecedented success, not to mention 27 straight CIO 100 Awards. In this episode, we’re delving into Rob’s extraordinary 24-year tenure at FedEx and exploring the essence of leadership, the importance of humility, the role of mentorship, ...
Nov 13, 2024•1 hr 32 min
As the leader of over 5,000 technologists, Monica Caldes , Global CIO at Liberty Mutual Insurance , has established herself as one of the top digital executives in the industry. She is one of those rare leaders that has figured out the secret formula for mixing boldness, courage, empathy, and kindness, making her a leader that people are eager to work under. In this episode, we are shining the light onto Monica’s story to uncover the “It Factor” that makes her such an incredible leader, and we’v...
Oct 30, 2024•1 hr 4 min
In this episode, we are shining the light on Dr. Janet Sherlock , a digital and retail executive who leads through her expertise in digital transformation, customer experience, omnichannel strategy, data, and AI and machine learning. Janet’s career spans companies such as ExxonMobile, British Petroleum, and, for the last seven years, Ralph Lauren , where she served as Chief Digital & Technology Officer, driving the company’s digital transformation strategy and leading their global e-commerce...
Oct 16, 2024•49 min
There are leaders who know how to win big results, but don’t know how to win people, and then there are leaders who know how to win people, but don’t know how to win big results. NTT DATA North America CIO Barry Shurkey is one of those great leaders who knows how to win both in business and with his people. For this episode, we sat down with Barry at NTT DATA’s Innovation Center in Plano, Texas, to shine the light on his career journey and open up his tech leadership playbook so you can learn fr...
Oct 02, 2024•40 min
There are two types of companies: Those that achieve incredible amounts of success only to crumble when they fail to keep up with the world around them, and those that achieve the same level of success but are also able to sustain it, through adaptability, forward thinking, and tenacity. The companies in this second group are the ones that consistently withstand supply chain disruptions, global health crises, economic disasters, and more. We’ve invited two great friends of the podcast, AdaptiveI...
Sep 11, 2024•54 min
Even among the best technology leaders, there are those who stand out. These are the “CIO Legends” who have not just led their organizations successfully but who have also made an impact that extends well beyond their individual career milestones and across the entire industry. We have featured some of these CIO Legends, including Charlie Feld, Larry Quinlan, Karenann Terrell, and Diana McKenzie, in previous episodes. Today, we are shining the light on Anil Cheriyan , another CIO Legend who has ...
Aug 21, 2024•58 min
The best leaders are highly intentional about keeping themselves and their teams focused on what matters to deliver high-impact results. Collins Aerospace CIO Mona Bates , who was recently named to the Business Transformation 150™ (BT150), Constellation Research’s elite list of top global transformation executives, is an example of this kind of intentional leader. Her leadership style embraces a multi-faceted approach that is reflected in how she shows up as a business leader first and technolog...
Jul 31, 2024•50 min
The most effective digital leaders today have a clear vision and a laser-like focus that allows them to focus on delivering what really matters. They’re also able to connect the dots for their organization in a way that elevates their team members and accomplishes their goals. It requires both the willingness to look where others aren’t looking and the empathy to understand how new initiatives will impact everyone involved. Brian Abrahamson is a great example of one of these top digital leaders....
Jul 10, 2024•53 min
It’s not every day you get to record an episode with a superstar guest at a superstar location, so when we had the opportunity to interview a legendary CIO on location at the historic Fenway Park, we couldn’t resist! In this episode, recorded inside NESN’s onsite studio at Fenway, we are shining the light on the career journey, leadership philosophies and super powers of Boston Red Sox & Fenway Sports Management SVP & CTO Brian Shield . With his success at renowned companies like FTD, th...
Jun 12, 2024•31 min
Bhavani Amirthalingam ’s career spans more than 25 years of experience in key technology and executive leadership roles across a multitude of industries and geographies. She currently serves as EVP, Chief Customer and Technology Officer at a Fortune 500 company. She initially joined the company as Chief Digital and Information Officer before also taking on customer experience and operations after five years in that role. Along the way, she has also answered the call to join a public board. What ...
May 22, 2024•57 min
Ally Financial is the nation’s largest all-digital bank, serving 11 million customers with a full suite of online banking services, investment advisory, and securities brokerage. In this episode, we are going to give you an inside look at why Ally has been able to achieve so much success. Host Dan Roberts sat down with Ally’s Chief Information, Data, & Digital Officer (CIDDO) Sathish Muthukrishnan and Ally’s Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) Donna Hart to discuss their successful par...
May 01, 2024•53 min
This week is a special one for Tech Whisperers, because not only do we have an incredible guest, but an incredible guest host, as well! In this episode, a longtime friend and colleague, Brian Watson , talks with Xerox CEO Steve Bandrowczak . One of the nine powerhouse leaders featured in Confessions of a Successful CIO, Steve is known as being a fixer–someone who will answer the call when their company needs it most and who knows what it’s like to start from humble beginnings to build something ...
Apr 10, 2024•51 min
No matter where you are in your career journey, there is always a need to plan for “The Great Pivot,” that moment when you hang up your day job and move into retirement. But many leaders struggle to adequately prepare for the transition as they approach retirement because they’re so heads-down balancing their work, family, and other responsibilities life throws at them. We’ve invited two incredible leaders, Diana McKenzie, a former CIO for Amgen and Workday, and Karenann Terrell, a former CIO at...
Mar 20, 2024•56 min
This episode of Tech Whisperers is dedicated to the transformational leaders–those who have the courage and vision to make big bets and the endurance and fortitude required to deliver on them. There is perhaps no one better to talk about this than John Rossman , Author of The Amazon Way and Think Like Amazon. His newest book, Big Bet Leadership , has just launched, so we invited John to celebrate his new book and talk about how leaders can acquire the tools they need to make the big bets and fol...
Feb 27, 2024•44 min
While many leaders fill their roles with expertise, wisdom, and excellent capabilities, there are some who stand out even among the most successful. These leaders are redefining how their role operates within their organization, creating a truly unforgettable experience for themselves, their team members, and their customers. Gray Nester , the Chief Information Officer at Brown & Brown Insurance , is the kind of leader whose title only scratches the surface of the impact he has on his organi...
Feb 14, 2024•55 min
As the CIO and Principal over Digital, Data, and Operations at Edward Jones , Frank LaQuinta is laser focused on delivering extraordinary experiences to his team and to clients. With a mandate to future-proof the organization and transform the foundation of the Fortune 500 company, Frank’s leadership, vision, and strategy have to be clear, firm, and tenacious. In this episode, we stop by the Edward Jones office in person to talk with Frank about his career journey and unpack his tech leadership ...
Jan 31, 2024•56 min
Just as the CIO role itself is evolving and transforming alongside technology, so are the processes and the businesses that use them. To be successful in this ever-changing landscapes, leaders need to be adaptable, knowledgeable, and effective visionaries. That’s why we are featuring Jim Chilton , EVP & CTO at the Cengage Group . As an experienced business and technology executive, Jim is skilled at driving innovation and optimizing technology by drawing from the lessons he has learned throu...
Jan 17, 2024•51 min
