Metis Strategy

Among other topics, Sebastian discusses the following  with Metis Strategy: * The motivations and influences in launching the Udacity project * How Udacity aims to solve the real problem of  “access” to higher education * The competitive landscape and business strategy for Udacity and other MOOCs * The metrics used to assess Udacity’s performance * Eye on trends:  MOOCs will complement as opposed to replace the traditional university learning, which provides a fundamentally different experience to students Sebastian Thrun’s Biography  Sebastian is the CEO and cofounder of Udacity, a for-profit education company offering massive open online courses or MOOCs. Prior to his time at Udacity, Sebastian was a Google VP and Fellow, where he was involved in the creation of Google Glass, the driverless car initiative, and Google Street View. Among his academic posts, Sebastian has been a Professor of Computer Science at Stanford University. Sebastian led development of the robotic vehicle Stanley, which won the 2005 DARPA Grand Challenge, and which has since been placed on exhibit in the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of American History. In recognition of his contributions, Sebastian was elected into the National Academy of Engineering and also into the German Academy of Sciences Leopoldina in 2007. Fast Company selected Sebastian as the fifth most creative person in business in the world.

Among other topics, Brook discusses the following issues with Metis Strategy * His experiences in CIO roles in the government sector (Executive Office of the President) to his current employer in the private sector * How he prepared for his new role by gathering insights from friends in media,  education, and even colleagues at the White House * How he focused on listening and “meta listening” during his first 100 days at the firm to simplify technology and to reduce complications in the system * How HMH’s team outside the IT division is uniquely tech savvy, as exemplified by  their CEO, a former Microsoft executive * His philosophy to focus on customer and user experience first and to design the technology following it * Eye on trends:  Education as the next frontier in technological innovation- ways to enable and adapt to the learning process Brook Colangelo’s Biography Brook is Senior Vice President and Chief Information Officer of Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, an educational and trade publisher. He has held this role since January 2013.  In this role, he is responsible for core IT operations and infrastructure services across HMH’s global office network. Prior to his time at HMH, Brook was the CIO of the White House, a role he had held since the beginning of President Obama’s first term. Prior to that, he held several senior IT leadership roles, including roles within the Democratic National Convention Committee, The American Red Cross’ Hurricane Recovery Program and QRS Newmedia. He has been recognized for exceptional information technology leadership in Computerworld’s 2012 Premier 100 IT Leaders, Federal Computer Week’s The Federal 100, and InformationWeek’s The Government CIO 50 lists. Brook holds a bachelor’s degree with honors in Political Communications from The George Washington University.    

Among other topics, Cathy discusses the following issues with Metis Strategy: * How she manages multiple CIOs and senior IT executives that report to her * Her philosophy that reducing spending should not equate to under-spending, which curtails growth * The shifting away of focus on deeply technical and engineering backgrounds for IT executives at large corporations * The complementary roles of chief marketing officer and IT executives, given her career path through various divisions of BOA * How serving on boards of different types of organizations can be valuable training for executives to rise within their own organizations * Eye on trends: It is a hard time for the banking industry in general, and firms like BOA will continue to reduce risk, integrate acquisitions, and decrease operating costs through superior IT Cathy Bessant’s Biography Cathy Bessant is Global Technology and Operations executive at Bank of America and a member of the company’s executive management team. Since 2010, Cathy has been responsible for delivering end-to-end technology and operating services across the company through a team of nearly 100,000 employees and contractors in 35 countries around the world. Global Technology and Operations provides the platforms and fulfillment services that sustain the company’s consumer banking, wealth management, commercial banking, treasury services, sales and trading, and investment banking businesses – as well as risk management, finance and other critical support functions. Cathy’s team also oversees the company’s business continuity and information security strategies and policies. In addition, Cathy chairs Bank of America’s Environmental Program, a position she has held since 2011. She has held a number of senior leadership roles for the company. Most recently, she was president of Global Corporate Banking. Prior to that, she was president of Global Treasury Services and Global Product Solutions; chief marketing officer; president of Consumer Real Estate and Community Development Banking; National Small Business Segment executive; and president of Bank of America, Florida. She joined Bank of America as a corporate banker in Texas in 1982. Cathy currently chairs the board of directors of Foundation For The Carolinas, one of the largest community foundations in the United States. She also is the lead director for Florida Blue, formerly Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Florida, and is a member of the board of trustees for the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. Named to American Banker’s “25 Most Powerful Women in Banking” list in 2013 for the third consecutive year, she was also honored as one of Computerworld’s “2013 Premier 100” IT leaders. Cathy was No. 4 on the 2013 Institutional Investor Tech 50 list of financial services leaders in technological achievement and innovation, and in 2011 was named “Best CIO” by Waters Technology at the American Financial Technology Awards.  

Among other topics, Ken discusses the following issues with Metis Strategy: * His multi-staged people assessment and project selection strategies to align business strategy and IT infrastructure in the first few days in his new job * KPIs and the need for business units and IT departments to communicate with and understand each other * The strategies he undertook to build a resilient IT workflow structure needed in a lean organization with many single point of failure possibilities * The unique challenge of blue-printing and institutionalizing a CIO office at a large but extremely dynamic and entrepreneurial organization * Working with Elon Musk and deriving value and insights from other companies in his portfolio * Eye on the trends: Because of security regulations for aerospace companies, SpaceX aims to achieve efficiency and scale by vertically integrating all processes and maintaining full ownership of any solutions developed Ken Venner’s Biography Since January 2012, Ken has been the CIO of Space Exploration Technologies Corporation, better known as SpaceX, a company that designs, manufactures and launches advanced rockets and spacecraft. Prior to his time at SpaceX, Ken was the Executive Vice President, Corporate Services and Chief Information Officer of Broadcom Corporation, a role he held for over a decade. In that role, his purview included Real Estate, Construction, Facilities, Security, Travel, Administrative Services, and all business systems, computing and telecommunications infrastructure. Prior to his time at Broadcom, Ken served as Vice President of Product Management and Chief Information Officer of Rockwell Electronic Commerce. Prior to that, Ken held a number of information sciences and information technology management positions for over 11 years at Lucent Technologies and AT&T Bell Laboratories. Ken received a B.E. from the Stevens Institute of Technology, an M.E. from Carnegie Mellon University and an M.B.A. from New Hampshire College.  

Among other topics, Jay discusses the following issues with Metis Strategy: * The specifics of his role as CIO of American Cancer Society * The differences and similarities in managing IT at non-profit and the for-profit sectors * The critical role of IT in enabling functionality of a volunteer based organization like American Cancer Society * How Jay prepared and gathered his team around him to achieve early wins * Eye on the trends: The increased role of technological platforms like CRMs, mobile devices, and big data to improve operational and research performance of organizations like American Cancer Society Jay Ferro’s Biography Jay  is the current CIO for the American Cancer Society. During his time in that role, he has led a transformation of the IT function, which has included consolidating the operation, and rendering it much more efficient and innovative in the process. Prior to his time at the American Cancer Society, Jay was the SVP and CIO for AdCare Health Systems, Inc. where he was responsible for the people, strategy and operations of the nationwide IT group. Prior to AdCare, he was VP and CIO for Chartis Aerospace (formerly AIG Aviation), a leading global aerospace insurer. In addition to his role as AVP of IT with AIG Personal Lines, he was selected as CFO for operations and systems in 2006 and led multiple global IT finance and governance standards initiatives that resulted in millions of dollars in savings for the organization. In recognition of his accomplishments, Jay was selected as Georgia CIO of the Year in 2011. He is also the chairman of the board of directors for TechBridge, an Atlanta-based nonprofit organization which helps other nonprofits use technology to improve their capability to serve the community. Jay is also on the alumni board of directors for the Terry College of Business at the University of Georgia and the current chairman of the Georgia CIO Leadership Association. Jay has a bachelor’s degree in political science from the University of Georgia, and an MBA from the Terry College of Business at the University of Georgia.

Among other topics, Marc discusses the following issues with Metis Strategy: * The structure and dynamics of the CIO office at J.Crew * The perceived gap between business demands and IT support at the company * Marc’s focus on company culture, business strategy and people management in preparation of his role as J.Crew’s new CIO * Marc’s multi-staged people assessment and project selection strategies to align business strategy and IT infrastructure in the first few days in his new job * The need for business units and IT departments to communicate with and understand each other, which prevents the organization from suffering intra-division distrust and communication gaps * Eye on the trends: The critical role of business and IT alignment in success of J.Crew’s new projects: international expansion and supporting websites, enterprise selling capability Marc Saffer’s Biography Marc is Chief Information Officer of J. Crew, a role he has held for three and a half years. During that time, he has played an integral role in transforming J. Crew’s technology, and helped improve the organization’s e-commerce operation. J. Crew is the fourth company that Marc has served as CIO, having held that role at Duane Reade, Columbia House, and Footstar Corporation. He also was a vice president of IT at Macy’s, and he can still be seen every Thanksgiving morning piloting a balloon in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade.  

Among other topics, Kevin discusses the following issues with Metis Strategy: * The uniqueness of his role as CTO at Cox Communications, compared to the other IT leadership positions that he held * How he approached his first 100 days at Cox Communications, and the goals which he thought were essential to meet * What he did to manage the transformation process he implemented when he arrived at Cox, and how he measured success * How he has implemented a faster pace of innovation within technology at Cox, in order to compete within the rapidly-evolving video entertainment market * The steps he has undertaken to institutionalize formalized training programs such as CIO University * Eye on the trends: Increasing responsibly of CIOs and CTO to align IT initiatives with overall business goals at firms and to develop future talent Kevin Hart’s Biography Kevin is the Executive Vice President and Chief Technology Officer of Cox Communications, a multi-service broadband communications and entertainment company with more than 6 million residential and commercial customers. In that role, he is responsible for providing overall leadership, strategic and operational direction to the planning and development of an integrated technological platform. He also aligns the technology strategy with overall business objectives. Prior to his time at Cox Communications, Kevin was Chief Information Officer at Clearwire Corporation.  While there, he was responsible for the company’s Information Technology, Enterprise Network Deployment Planning Office, and Business Process Management functions.  His key accomplishments with Clearwire included leading the transformation of the IT organization during the deployment of the company’s 4G wireless broadband service across the nation. Kevin also spent time as the CIO at Level 3, one of the world’s largest IP communications providers, and held leadership roles at Capgemini Consulting, International Paper and the former Southwestern Bell Communications (SBC). Kevin earned a bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering from the University of Tulsa and an MBA in Finance with Honors from Notre Dame.  

Among other topics, Aaron discusses the following issues with Metis Strategy: * Themes and strategic products to be unveiled at BoxWorks, the company’s trademark user conference to be held next week * How Box develops nimble, industry specific teams by attracting and managing top talent in the IT world * Box’s strength in building strong internal teams and fostering robust external relationships with other IT firms * Box’s unique business model of delivering enterprise solutions through a consumer IT approach * Eye on trends:  Yesterday’s competitors are becoming today’s partners in IT. As consumers and enterprises demand more flexibility, connectivity, and functionality, often from the same device, different solutions providers have to collaborate Aaron Levie’s Biography Aaron is the CEO and co-founder of Box, a leader in online file sharing and cloud content management for individuals and enterprises alike. Aaron created Box (originally called Box.net) as a college business project with the goal of helping people easily access their information from any location. Box was launched from Aaron’s dorm room in 2005 with the help of the current CFO of the company Dylan Smith. Aaron is the visionary behind Box’s product and platform strategy, which is focused on incorporating the best of traditional content management with the most effective elements of social business software.   Aaron studied business at the Marshall School of Business at the University of Southern California before taking a leave of absence, which is likely to be a permanent one, he has acknowledged.

Among other topics, Randy discusses the following issues with Metis Strategy: * The strategic value of his dual role as VP of Global Information Services and Chief Information Officer at Caterpillar * His focus on understanding the company history and culture, business unit functions, and external partners in preparation of his role as Caterpillar’s new CIO * Caterpillar’s strategic focus on customer facing IT capabilities and work-force productivity solutions * Selection of right talent to manage operational and business transformation aspects of IT at Caterpillar * The importance of starting legacy planning at the beginning * Eye on trends:  The exciting possibilities for manufacturing companies like Caterpillar to move into commercial software, promote supply chain agility, and achieve an IT-enabled integration of a network of independent dealers Randy Krotowski’s Biography Randy is VP and CIO of Caterpillar Inc. He has responsibility for Caterpillar’s Global Information Services division, which includes the corporation’s IT systems and global security. Prior to his time at Caterpillar, Randy worked at Chevron Corporation where he was CIO for Chevron’s worldwide exploration and production business. He was responsible for the company’s global IT strategy and IT operations in 23 countries. During his 29-year tenure with Chevron, Randy held engineering, marketing and IT management positions in the U.S. and Canada. Prior to being named CIO, his career at Chevron included IT positions with responsibilities for Chevron subsidiaries in Canada, Latin America and global strategic planning for Chevron Corporation. Randy is a native of Toronto, Canada, and he graduated from the University of Toronto with a bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering. He earned his MBA from Golden Gate University in San Francisco.

Among other topics, John discusses the following issues with Metis Strategy: * The uniqueness and interdependence of his internal and external roles as CTO of CA technologies * The necessity of ensuring speed in technology deliverables, both from vendor to client, and from within a company’s IT department * How to guarantee speed to market and innovation through segmentation of large projects and the setting of short-term, easy-to-reach, incremental goals (i.e., using Agile) across multiple avenues to pursue innovation * How IT can build a mutually healthy, productive relationship with different business units by advising, rather than fighting, how BUs build their own applications * Eye on Trends: The exciting possibilities of the “Internet of Things,” and how cloud computing, mobile, big data, and consumerization of IT will be trailblazers in developing a fully interconnected world John Michelsen’s Biography John is the chief technology officer of CA Technologies. In that role, he is responsible for technical leadership and innovation, further developing the company’s technical community, and aligning its software strategy, architecture, and partner relationships to deliver customer value. John is also responsible for delivering the company’s common technology services, ensuring architectural compliance, and integrating products and solutions. In 1999, John founded ITKO, and built the LISA product suite designed to improve the effectiveness of application development teams, especially those involved in custom applications, SOA, and cloud computing. The company was acquired by CA Technologies in 2011. Prior to ITKO, John led SaaS and E-commerce transformations for global enterprises at Trilogy and Agency.com. John earned degrees in business and computer science from Trinity University and Columbus University. And he has authored a best practices book, “Service Virtualization: Reality is Overrated.”

Among other topics, Gary discusses the following issues with Metis Strategy: * IT’s key role in innovation and data analytics at Express Scripts, and how IT innovated a drug management tool to decrease drug costs by 10-15% * Gary’s leadership in IT integration with Express Scripts’ recent acquisition, Medco, and how he views the integration as “a chance to change healthcare” * How Gary consistently aligns IT with business strategy, achieving an annual revenue increase from 17 to 97 billion dollars during his 8-year tenure * Gary’s policy of treating vendors as partners, and how he engages vendors in the innovation process * Express Scripts IT’s successful communication and talent development practices * Eye on Trends: mobile technology, virtualization and the cloud Gary Wimberly’s Biography Gary is the senior vice president and chief information officer of Express Scripts, a nearly $100 billion pharmacy benefit management corporation.  Gary manages overall IT strategy and performance, specifically focusing on innovative solutions, process improvements, and improving productivity. Gary is also responsible for ensuring the information systems are aligned with business strategies. Prior to his time at Express Scripts, Gary was the director of logistics systems at Tyco Healthcare , a senior manager with Ernst & Young LLP,  and corporate director of information systems at Bairnco. Gary has a bachelor’s degree in computer science from the University of Missouri, Columbia.

Among other topics, Stephen discusses the following issues with Metis Strategy: * Stephen’s path to becoming a CIO at age 30, from his starting position in tech support to his first CIO appointment at Corbis in 2006 * Stephen’s leadership during Starbuck’s transformation to a brand with a strategic and sophisticated technology platform * How Stephen applied his experiences in innovation at Starbucks and his IT background to his role as EVP of Global Business Services and President of Best Buy Digital * Stephen’s current experience as COO of Symantec, and what it’s like working with his former fellow CIOs * Stephen’s advice for CIOs and IT VPs who hope to aspire to Beyond CIO or CIO Plus roles * Eye on Trends: The transformation of IT’s role within the enterprise and the emergence of a new generation of CIOs Stephen Gillett’s Biography Stephen is the Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of Symantec, a global security software company. In this role, Stephen is responsible for the corporate strategy, as well as business segment management, including consumer, enterprise, commercial, public sector, and government. He also oversees IT, sales, and marketing operations including the strategic direction for sales and marketing. Prior to joining Symantec, Stephen was president of Best Buy Digital, Global Marketing and Strategy. He was tasked with accelerating the transformation and growth agenda of Best Buy through the advancement of key global business units and core business capabilities. Prior to joining Best Buy, Stephen was executive vice president, Digital Ventures, and chief information officer of Starbucks. A key member of Starbucks’ transformation team, Stephen designed and led the company’s efforts to enhance the overall global business operations and improve the customer experience through the use of innovative technology and digital experiences worldwide. Stephen holds a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Oregon where he was an offensive guard on the football team, and he has an MBA from San Francisco State University.

Among other topics, David discusses the following issues with Metis Strategy: * David’s background in music, and his gradual career shift from music to technology writing * David’s experience covering Apple during periods of significant transition for the organization * David’s path to joining the New York Times as a columnist in 2000, and how David focuses his writing on the intersection of technology with society and culture * The process by which David interacts with technologies he evaluates, and how at the end of the day he approaches the technology from the perspective of the layman * Eye on Trends: Portable touchscreens and how they will develop over the years, as well as technology that you wear such as glasses, wristbands, watches, etc. Please see the video interview with David below. David Pogue’s Biography David writes the tech column for the New York Times every week and in Scientific American every month. He’s the host of “NOVA ScienceNow” and other science shows on PBS, and he’s been a correspondent for “CBS Sunday Morning” since 2002. With over 3 million books in print, David is one of the world’s bestselling how-to authors. He wrote or co-wrote seven books in the “for Dummies” series (including Macs, Magic, Opera, and Classical Music); in 1999, he launched his own series of complete, funny computer books called the Missing Manual series, which now includes 120 titles. David spent ten years conducting and arranging Broadway musicals in New York. He’s won an Emmy, a Loeb award for journalism, and an honorary doctorate in music. He’s been profiled on “48 Hours” and “60 Minutes.” He lives in Connecticut with his three children. His web site is davidpogue.com. David graduated summa cum laude from Yale in 1985, with distinction in Music.

Among other topics, Vivek discusses the following issues with Metis Strategy: * His career progression from being the first Chief Information Officer of the US federal government to the EVP of Emerging Markets at Salesforce.com * How the Obama presidential campaign successfully leveraged Salesforce’s social and mobile technologies to effectively connect with voters and interest groups * How brand ownership has shifted to the consumers, who are able to connect and self-organize with the onset of social media * The evolution of the CIO: the CIO of the future is no longer just a manager of servers, hardware, and infrastructure, but is rather a leader of business transformation through the newfound power of technology * Why IT leaders can and must use technology to invent and reinvent new markets * Eye on the Trends: With close to 5 billion mobile devices globally, Kundra foresees the ability for users to “instrument the planet.”- how big data algorithms can be used to look at the grievances and recommendations that consumers are sharing, and analyze that data to determine how to better and more personally serve them Vivek Kundra’s Biography Vivek is the executive vice president of Emerging Markets at salesforce.com. In that role, Vivek focuses on eight core markets, and is working with the public and private sector alike to implement salesforce.com solutions. Prior to joining salesforce.com, Vivek served as the first United States chief information officer where he was credited with adopting game-changing cloud computing technologies, strengthening the cybersecurity posture of the nation, and launching an open government movement. Before his time as U.S. CIO, Vivek served as the chief technology officer for the District of Columbia and as the assistant secretary of commerce and technology for the Commonwealth of Virginia. The World Economic Forum selected Vivek as a 2011 Young Global Leader, representing a group of exceptional young leaders who share a commitment to shaping the global future. He is also a member of the Council on Foreign Relations. Vivek holds a M.S. in management information systems from the University of Maryland and is a graduate of the University of Virginia’s Sorensen Institute of Political Leadership.

Among other topics, John discusses the following issues with Metis Strategy: * His unique purview of responsibilities as EVP of Technology & Operations, and how his previous business experiences and skills have lent themselves to this role * How he uses technology to help the different business units to make a direct P&L impact * The unique culture and pace of innovation at HP, and how those relate to his past experiences at Boeing and Verizon * How and why he has been successful in planning and building great IT leadership teams * Eye on Trends: the innovations that HP is making in a variety of exploding realms. He foresees an even larger growth of the use of mobile and social technologies, and talks about the advantages of smaller and cheaper data centers John Hinshaw’s Biography John is the executive vice president of Technology & Operations at Hewlett-Packard. He oversees company operations including global information technology, global sales operations, global procurement, global business shared services, global real estate, and global security. John is a member of the company’s Executive Council and serves on the Ethics and Compliance Committee. Prior to Hewlett-Packard, John spent 4 ½ years at The Boeing Company, most recently leading the Information Solutions business unit. He was also Boeing’s Chief Information Officer and led their company-wide corporate initiative on Information Management and Information Security. Prior to Boeing, John spent 14 years at Verizon where he served as Senior Vice President and Chief Information Officer of Verizon Wireless. He also held a number of key positions focused on enabling business growth, reducing costs and improving business productivity. Earlier in his career, John also served as a consultant with Accenture. John is a member of the board of directors at the National Academy Foundation, an organization dedicated to preparing young people for college and career success and fostering partnerships between the business and education communities to provide opportunities to underserved students. John holds a Bachelor of Business Administration in computer information systems from James Madison University