Metis Strategy

Among other topics, Yasir discusses the following issues with Metis Strategy: * Working across internal departments and with external partners to reach customer-centric goals * Advantages Macy’s has as a long-standing brand vs. competition from digital native organizations * Digital development to create the “omni customer” experience * Restructuring of the organization based on the customer’s journey—the use of “domains” * Macy’s Labs and the focus on entrepreneurship within the larger organization * Talent attraction Yasir Anwar’s Biography Yasir is Senior Vice President, Head of Digital Technology at Macy’s, Inc., one of the nation’s premier omnichannel retailers, with fiscal 2015 sales of $27.1 billion. As the The company currently operates about 728 stores in 49 of the top 50 US markets under the names of Macy’s, Macy’s Backstage, Bloomingdale’s, Bloomingdale’s Outlet and Bluemercury, as well as the macys.com, bloomingdales.com and bluemercury.com websites. Yasir is also the founder of Macy’s Labs, which Yasir describes as a “crucible for idea generation, feasibility analysis and experimentation.” Prior to Macy’s Yasir served as the Director of Engineering with WalMartlabs. I recently caught up with Yasir in his office in San Francisco, and our conversation covered World Class iT Principle 1, People, as we discussed attracting top talent in the Bay Area; Principle 2: Infrastructure, as we discussed building a technology architecture of domain services focused on outcome; and Principle 3, Project and Portfolio Management, as we discussed the creation of the ‘omni customer’ experience and shaping products based on customer feedback. We also covered how a long-standing brand like Macy’s can be leveraged in competition with digital native organizations, among a variety of other topics.

Among other topics, Kathy discusses the following issues with Metis Strategy: * The balance in a federated business model between shared services and independent business units * Interoperability in the healthcare industry * IT’s role in effectively using data analytics across the businesses/enterprise * Board service * Creation of technology hubs across the country to attract talent * Relationship between McKesson Ventures (VC), IT, McKesson business units and startups Kathy McElligott’s Biography Kathy is Executive Vice President, Chief Information Officer and Chief Technology Officer of McKesson Corporation, a healthcare services and information technology company currently ranked 5th on the FORTUNE 500 which provides pharmaceutical and medical-surgical supply management, healthcare information technology, and business and clinical services. In so doing, it partners with payers, hospitals, physician offices, pharmacies, pharmaceutical companies and others to deliver better care to patients in every setting. As CIO, McElligott is responsible for all technology initiatives within the corporation. As CTO, McElligott guides the overall technology direction for the company’s healthcare technology products, and provides support and guidance for application development processes companywide. Prior to McKesson, McElligott served as the CIO of Emerson, a St. Louis-based global manufacturing and technology company, where she managed the company’s information technology strategy and information security for its global operations. Previously, McElligott spent 22 years with General Electric, holding multiple information systems leadership roles, ultimately becoming CIO of supply chain for GE Aircraft Engines. McElligott was recently appointed to the board of directors at ArcBest, a publicly traded $2.6B freight transportation and logistics company and also serves as board member for Connections to Success, an organization that encourages disadvantaged men and women to achieve economic self-reliance. McElligott holds a Bachelor of Business Administration degree in computer science from Kent State University and a master’s degree in business management from Xavier University.

Among other topics, Mike discusses the following issues with Metis Strategy: * His responsibilities as CIO * The benefits of being a product owner as well as a leader * How dramatic change has allowed him and his team to become front office collaborators as well as back office support * The future of IoT and its effects on home appliances * How IT addresses security in an increasingly digital world * A glimpse into how he managed to transform the workplace using Google Apps * IT’s role in the collaboration and development of new ideas * The governance and culture required to create an organization that is able to respond quickly * Eye on the Trends: Cloud computing, 3D printing, Machine learning Mike Heim’s Biography Mike is the Corporate Vice President and Chief Information Officer of Whirlpool Corporation, a $20 billion home appliance manufacturer operating in over 170 countries worldwide with 97,000 employees. In his role as CIO, Mike has been responsible for modernizing the company’s infrastructure, driving the organization to take advantage of the Internet of Things and predictive analytics capabilities, all of which we covered in this interview. Prior to Whirlpool, Mike was a Senior Vice President and the CIO of Eli Lilly, where he worked for 33 years. Mike holds has a bachelor’s degree in Business from Marian University and a Masters of Business Administration from Bowling Green State University.

Among other topics, Craig discusses the following issues with Metis Strategy: * How Craigslist grew from a simple “cc” list * The rationale for Craigslist’s simple design * Why he avoided investments from venture capitalists and bankers * How Craigslist attracted employees * The utilization of social media to connect people for mutual good * Individuals of personal influence * How the Bay Area has grown to attract so many talented people Craig Newmark’s Biography Welcome to Metis Strategy’s Forum on World Class IT. I’m Peter High and I’m pleased to welcome Craig Newmark to the broadcast. Craig is best known as the Craig in “craigslist” and “craigconnects.” He is a self described nerd, Web pioneer, speaker, philanthropist, and advocate of technology for the public good. Craig founded craigslist in 1995 as an email distribution list to friends, featuring local events in the San Francisco Bay Area. It became the almost completely free online classified advertising site that has seen more than 5 billion ads posted.  While no longer part of management, Craig continues to work with craigslist as a customer service representative (CSR) in what he calls a “lightweight” capacity. Today, Craig’s primary focus is craigconnects, which he launched in March 2011. The mission of craigconnects in the short term is to promote and enhance the use of technology and social media to benefit philanthropy and public service. Craig serves on the board of directors of the Poynter Foundation, Center for Public Integrity, Sunlight Foundation, Consumers Union/Consumer Reports, Blue Star Families, and Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America. He also serves on the Board of Overseers of the Columbia Journalism Review and on the advisory boards of nearly twenty other renowned non-profit organizations (see the full list at craigconnects.org/organizations). He is a member of the Sierra Club’s Arts and Entertainment. Craig received his bachelor and master’s degrees in computer science from Case Western Reserve University.

Among other topics, Steve discusses the following issues with Metis Strategy: * An overview of Avnet and his responsibilities as the CIO * Navigating Avnet through the technological changes of the past decade * Delivering continuous improvement to achieve enterprise effectiveness * Avnet’s journey to the cloud * Advantages of being an externally-facing CIO * Criteria to distinguish the use of waterfall from agile for software development projects * Insights he has garnered from serving as the chairman of the board at a local publications company * Eye on the Trends: Industrial Internet of Things, Machine Learning, Mobility Steve Phillip’s Biography Welcome to Metis Strategy’s Forum on World Class IT. I’m Peter High, and I’m pleased to welcome Steve Phillips to the broadcast. Steve is the Senior Vice President and Chief Information Officer at Avnet, a $26 billion distributor of electronic components, computer products, and embedded technology. In that role, he is responsible for delivering competitive differentiation and enterprise efficiency through technology enablement. Steve was recently inducted into CIO Magazine’s CIO Hall of Fame, and is the recipient of several other awards to recognize his leadership at Avnet. Steve joined Avnet through the 2005 acquisition of Memec, where he served the Senior Vice President and Chief Information Officer. Steve also held the position of Chief Information Officer at Gateway Inc., among several other leadership roles. Steve received a bachelor’s degree from the University of Essex in Electronic Engineering and a post-graduated Diploma in Management Studies form the University of West London.

Among other topics, Diana discusses the following issues with Metis Strategy: * How prior experience as a Workday customer has helped her transition into her role as the CIO * Her thoughts on the evolving responsibilities of today’s CIO * Tying enterprise architecture and microservices to empower business partners and stakeholders * How technology advancement has driven collaboration among Workday’s C-suite executives * IT’s role in prospecting emerging technologies to create competitive advantage for the organization * A glimpse into the priorities and strategic plans of the team she leads at Workday * Eye on the Trends:Big Data, Analytics, Virtual Personal Assistants Diana McKenzie’s Biography Diana McKenzie is the Chief Information Officer at Workday, a one billion dollar provider of enterprise cloud applications for finance and human resources. In that role, she is responsible for the mobilization of the technology that fuels the growth of the digital leader, and for being engaged at the forefront of the customer experience. Prior to joining Workday, Diana worked at Amgen. She also held several leadership positions at Eli Lily. Diana received a bachelor’s degree from Purdue University in Computer Information Systems.

Among other topics, Mike discusses the following issues with Metis Strategy: * The three innovation pillars that underpin Facebook’s ten-year roadmap * The talent needs of Facebook extending beyond computer engineering * Strategies for unifying a diverse talent pool to achieve a common goal * Engaging in partnerships within the industry to accelerate the rate of technological change * How utilizing Facebook in the workplace can bolster productivity and collaborative efforts among employees * The idea of “cultural engineering” to build cohesion across an organization Mike Schroepfer’s Biography Welcome to Metis Strategy’s Forum on World Class IT. I’m Peter High, and I’m pleased to welcome Mike Schroepfer to the broadcast. Mike is the Chief Technology Officer at Facebook. In that role, he leads the development of the technology strategies and teams that will enable Facebook to connect billions of people around the world and make significant breakthroughs in fields like artificial intelligence and virtual reality. Before Facebook, Mike was the Vice President of Engineering at Mozilla Corporation, where he led the global and open product development process behind Firefox. Mike was formerly a distinguished engineer at Sun Microsystems, which acquired his company, CenterRun. He began his career working at various startups, including a digital effects software startup where he developed software that has been used in several major motion pictures. Mike holds a bachelor’s degree and a master’s degree in computer science from Stanford University and has filed two U.S. patents. I met with Mike in his office at Facebook headquarters in Menlo Park, California last week, and our conversation covered Facebook’s ten-year plan, and the three innovation pillars that he leads. Examples of innovations that the organizations are working on in the near and long-term, the methods he uses to evaluate recruits and employees, the way in which Facebook has maintained its innovative edge despite its extraordinary growth, among a variety of other topics.

Among other topics, Rick discusses the following issues with Metis Strategy: * Strategic planning for dramatic projected growth * Leveraging infrastructure * Smart sourcing * Nurturing innovation * Striking a balance on employee security issues * Eye on the Trends: Social, Mobile, and Cloud Analytics; DNA/ Genomics; IoT connectivity in healthcare in real time Rick Hopfer’s Biography Rick Hopfer is the Chief Information Officer of Molina Healthcare, a $14 Billion healthcare company providing health services to financially vulnerable families and individuals covered primarily by government programs. As CIO, Rick is responsible for all technology and security at the company. Prior to Molina, Rick worked for Sony Pictures Entertainment, where he served as CIO for four years and as senior vice president of information technology prior to that. Before Sony, he served as CIO for Homestore.com and then as chief technology officer (CTO) for Homestore International. Rick received his Bachelor’s degree in Computer Information Systems from Arizona State University.

Among other topics, Roger discusses the following issues with Metis Strategy: * Exploring the roles and responsibilities of the Chief Innovation Officer * Defining innovation, and the various types that exist at Pitney Bowes * The importance of cultivating an ecosystem of partners to accelerate efforts for innovation * The global innovation team at Pitney Bowes and how it approaches and organizes its work * Processes and methodologies for incubating innovation * Where Pitney Bowes draws its inspiration for innovation * Eye on the trends: Internet of Everything, Commerce Cloud, Digital Roger Pilc’s Biography Roger is the Chief Innovation Officer of Pitney Bowes, a $4 billion e-commerce solutions provider. In that role, Roger is responsible for spearheading the organization’s innovation efforts to help its customers succeed in an increasingly complex digital and physical world. Prior to Pitney Bowes, Roger worked for CA Technologies where he held leadership roles as a Senior Vice President and General Manager. He also held positions as a management consultant at McKinsey & Company and Booz Allen Hamilton. Roger received a bachelor’s degree in Operations Research, Economics, & Government from Cornell University, a master’s degree in Industrial Engineering from Stanford University, and an MBA from Harvard Business School.

Among other topics, John discusses the following issues with Metis Strategy: * The meaning and intent of Deloitte’s Center for the Edge * Why the constant drive for efficiency will undermine the requirements of economic success for the future * The importance of scalable learning and its implications on performance improvement * Practices for instituting enterprise wide transformations * Defining the “Passion of the Explorer” and how to unlock the passion of your employees * How the American school system inhibits the development of true passion among its students * Business strategies of the most successful tech-companies in Silicon Valley John Hagel’s Biography John is the Co-Chairman of Deloitte’s Center for the Edge. This Silicon Valley-based group conducts original research and develops substantive points of view on emerging business opportunities that should be on CEOs’ agendas. John has over 30 years of experience as a management consultant working both independently and with leading consulting firms. John is also a highly-acclaimed speaker and author. His latest book is “The Power of Pull: How Small Moves, Smartly Made, can Set Big Things in Motion”. John received bachelor’s degrees from Wesleyan University and Oxford University. He also received a J.D. and MBA from Harvard University.

Among other topics, Jeff discusses the following issues with Metis Strategy: * How Jeff’s role at Google (and the company itself) has evolved since he joined in 1999, and his current role as the head of Google Brain * How Google resists organizational stasis and remains innovative, despite growing into a corporate behemoth * Google’s vision for an AI first world, and how the company applies its fundamental AI research to improving and creating new products and service * Trends in artificial intelligence such as open source software and conversational assistants * Major challenges AI presents * How companies in any industry can leverage artificial intelligence Biography Welcome to Metis Strategy’s Forum on World Class IT. I’m Peter High, and I’m pleased to welcome Jeff Dean to the broadcast. Jeff is a Google Senior Fellow, currently leading Google Brain, the search giant’s initiative to build large-scale artificial neural networks. Jeff also leads the development of TensorFlow, Google’s open-source library of machine learning algorithms. Jeff joined Google in 1999 and had a leading role in building much of the core technology and infrastructure of the company Jeff earned his Ph.D. in Computer Science from the University of Washington, and graduated summa cum laude from the University of Minnesota where he studied Computer Science and Economics. In 2009, Jeff was elected to the National Academy of Engineering, and was also named a Fellow of the Association for Computing Machinery (ACM) and a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Sciences (AAAS). I recently caught up with Jeff by phone at his office in Mountain View, California. Our conversation covered World Class IT principle, one, People, as we discussed how Google continues to attract, retain, and train top engineering talent; principle three, Project & Portfolio Management, as we discussed Google’s process for productizing its AI research and bringing it to market, and principle four, IT & Business Partnerships, as we discussed how Jeff determines who to interact with inside and outside the company. We also discussed Google’s vision for the transition from the mobile first world, to an AI first world, and how Jeff and the Google Brain team are building the infrastructure to bring this vision to life.

Among other topics, Mike discusses the following issues with Metis Strategy: * The ongoing digital transformation that is taking place in the farms of America * How Land O’Lakes’ IT has evolved from a supporting function to an industry leader in innovation * An overview of technologies that he and his team have developed to help revolutionize the way farmers work * Successful management practices that he uses to streamline IT with the needs of the business, its partners, and clients * Important emerging skills to be considered by all aspiring technologists * The role of cybersecurity at Land O’Lakes * Methods to prospect new technologies for the business * Eye on the Trends:Internet of Things, Artificial Intelligence Mike Macrie’s Biography Mike Macrie is the Chief Information Officer of Land O’Lakes, a $15 billion agricultural- cooperative. In that role, Mike is responsible for leading the organization’s digital transformation while overseeing the operations of information technology. Through his work at Land O’Lakes, Mike was awarded the Forbes CIO Innovation Award. Prior to joining Land O’Lakes, Mike worked for Ingersoll Rand where he was the Vice President of Software Architecture and Strategy. Mike also held positions at G5 Technologies and AlliedSignal Aerospace (Honeywell). Mike received his bachelor’s degree in Physics from Cornell University, where he was also a member of the varsity baseball team, and he also has an MBA from Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business.

Among other topics, Mike discusses the following issues with Metis Strategy: * Target, and the design decisions of the workplace * The methods he uses to maintain customer prospective * How he sees differences in customer behaviors between Europe and the United States * The disappearance of “omnichannel” terminology in retail * The absence of a digital-physical divide in retail * The management of “offline” versus “online” * The organizational systems he has used to promote efficiency * What his priorities are for the foreseeable future * Target’s reaction to information breaches and improved security * Eye on the Trends: Open Source Mike McNamara’s Biography Mike McNamara is the Chief Information Officer at Target, a well-known retail business with over $72 billion in revenue. As CIO, Mike is responsible for information technology operations throughout the retail company’s stores, distribution centers, headquarters locations and international facilities. Prior to Target, Mike worked at Tesco, serving as Chief Information Officer, Operations Development Director, UK IT Director, and CTO of tesco.com during his over 16 years with the company. Mike received his Bachelor of Engineering degree in Civil Engineering from University College Dublin.

Among other topics, Nick discusses the following issues with Metis Strategy: * The increasing need for a focus on ethical behavior in a technology-driven world * The role of existential risks in the field of research * Current trends that are fueling the advancement of artificial intelligence * The inherent implications that artificial intelligence has on the human civilization * The complication that artificial intelligence presents as it is introduced to the business landscape * The Future of Humanity Institute that he oversees * People of influence on Nick’s personal development and the work he conducts Nick Bostrom’s Biography Nick Bostrom is the author of Superintelligence: Paths, Dangers, Strategies, a book that explains the impending threats that artificial intelligence presents to the human civilization, and ways to co-exist with its presence. He gave a TED talk on the subject of machine intelligence in 2015. Nick is also a Professor in the Faculty of Philosophy at Oxford University and the Founding Director of the Future of Humanity Institute, a multidisciplinary research center at the University of Oxford whose mission is to enable leading researchers bring the tools of mathematics, philosophy and science to bear on big-picture questions about humanity and its prospects. Nick received a bachelor’s degree in Philosophy, Mathematics, Mathematical Logic and Artificial Intelligence from the University of Gothenburg. He received his master’s degree in Philosophy and Physics at the University of Stockholm, a master’s degree in Computational Neuroscience at King’s College London, and a PhD in Philosophy from the London School of Economics.  

Among other topics, Geoff discusses the following issues with Metis Strategy: * His day to day work as a professor at the University of Toronto and as a distinguished researcher at Google * His thoughts on the current progress of the development of true artificial intelligence * What inspired him to pursue his PhD in Artificial Intelligence when the topic was less prominent than it is today * The founding of the Neural Computation and Adaptive Perception Program (NCAP) and how he brought these world class thinkers together * The outcomes of his work at the NCAP * His perspectives on non-profit work being a major player within the Artificial Intelligence space * How much crossover there is between his work at the University of Toronto and his work at Google * DeepMind, the importance of it, and how contests like the recent AlphaGo are important in the field of Artificial Intelligence * His perspectives on the risk vs. opportunity within AI * Whether the government has a role to play in pending job losses due to artificial intelligence * His thoughts on the recent trend of skipping university to move straight into entrepreneurship Geoff Hinton’s Biography Geoff Hinton is a Distinguished Emeritus Professor at the University of Toronto and also works at Google, where he uses deep learning techniques to improve voice recognition, image tagging and other tools.  He has worked part-time at Google since 2013, when his company DNNresearch Inc., was acquired. Geoff is known for his work on artificial neural networks, and is an important figure in the “deep learning” community.  He has authored over 200 publications in the area of leanring, memory, perception, and symbol processing, including pieces in Scientific American in 1992 and 1993. Geoff received his Bachelor of Arts in experimental psychology from Kings College at Cambridge, and his PhD in Artificial Intelligence from the University of Edinburgh in 1977.