Enterprise Software Innovators
Enterprise Software Innovators
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Enterprise Software Innovators features exclusive conversations with the world's best technology executives, who share how disruptive and innovative technologies are being deployed within their enterprise organizations. These curated interviews uncover the real value of next generation technology; their actual use cases at scale and the positive impacts on end users. For more content, check out the Enterprise Software Innovators website, which features an episodic blog and further information about each guest. The show is hosted by Evan Reiser, CEO & founder of Abnormal Security and Saam Motamedi, general partner at Greylock Partners.
Available episodes
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May 17, 2023
How AI Will Transform Healthcare with Teladoc Health Chief Innovation Officer, EVP of R&D and Technology Claus Torp Jensen
On the 23rd episode of Enterprise Software Innovators, hosts Evan Reiser (Abnormal Security) and Saam Motamedi (Greylock Partners) talk with Claus Torp Jensen, Chief Innovation Officer and EVP of R&D at Teladoc Health. Previously, Claus was the CTO at both CVS Health and Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. In this conversation, Claus shares how Teladoc harnesses technology to transform patient outcomes, how to build a culture of innovation, and AI's potential to revolutionize health care.
*Quick hits from Claus:*
On AI helping manage chronic conditions like diabetes: “If you're a newly diagnosed diabetic, one of the more dangerous things is that you don't actually know what it feels like when your blood sugar is out of whack, and it could be quite dangerous, so we make sure you have a blood glucose meter with you. What should happen is that there's an algorithm somewhere that flags that there’s a new data point saying this individual on our program has low blood sugar, and we know this person is a newly diagnosed diabetic. Why don't we call them and see if they need help?”
On what innovation truly means: “If you can find ways of applying either existing or borderline technologies in people's real lives, that is a meaningful innovation that matters to society…innovation doesn’t come in one shape, size or form. You can be in the mindset of incrementally improving something we're doing already [with technology].”
On technology’s role in improving bedside manner: “The thing about health care is people are not in a good place when they need help; it's very emotional and personal. So our ability to actually help whoever is in contact with you detect the emotional cues of ‘is this person getting increasingly distressed?’ is actually a meaningful power-up of a system. I believe that adding emotional intelligence to hybrid interactions is a meaningful use case that, again, people aren't talking about a whole lot, and the technology exists.”
*Recent Book Recommendation:* If Disney Ran Your Hospital by Fred Lee
*Claus's Recent E-Book: *Whole-Person Care Transformation
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Like what you hear? Leave us a review and subscribe to the show on Apple, Google, Spotify, Stitcher, or wherever you listen to podcasts.
Enterprise Software Innovators is a show where top tech executives share how they innovate at scale. Each episode covers unique insights and stories that will help you succeed as a technology leader. Find more great lessons from tech leaders and enterprise software experts at https://www.enterprisesoftware.blog/
Enterprise Software Innovators is produced by Luke Reiser and Josh Meer.
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May 3, 2023
The Future of Commercial Real Estate with CBRE Chief Digital and Technology Officer Sandeep Davé
On the 22nd episode of Enterprise Software Innovators, hosts Evan Reiser (Abnormal Security) and Saam Motamedi (Greylock Partners) talk with Sandeep Davé, CDTO at CBRE. CBRE is a Fortune 500 commercial real estate company, with $27B of revenue and more than 100,000 employees operating in over 100 countries globally. In this conversation, Sandeep shares fascinating insights into CBRE’s innovative uses of technology, including augmented reality solutions for technicians, their venture into consumer facing applications, and AI capabilities that reinvent the commercial real estate experience.
*Quick hits from Sandeep:
*On CBRE utilizing AR/VR solutions to combat the talent gap: "The built world is going through this transition where especially for complex assets such as life science labs or hospitals, the technician talent and the knowledge pool of the technician talent is reducing. And so we actually applied AR capability to [have] four eyes in the field…you have a more junior technician in the field, but also have a more experienced technician behind the scenes, seeing what the person is seeing, guiding them through what changes they or what the diagnostic is and what they should be doing as a result."
On 'self-healing' buildings of the future: "I think we are starting to scratch the surface on remote diagnostics and remote maintenance. I fully see ten years from now the likelihood of this concept of self-healing buildings, where they are much better managed with less human intervention, and the humans are doing a lot more productive work than they do today."
On generative AI transforming real estate planning: "Imagine designing a building and saying, well, I wanted to have this ESG footprint and running multiple models through generative AI technologies, then creating a visual digital twin of it and saying, well, here's how it would look, and these are the different ways that it could look. And then being inside the building to say, well, would you like it to look like this? And see it in an immersive manner, not just on your browser, but to see it in an immersive manner. The possibilities are so tremendous, and clearly I'm excited about it."
*Recent Book Recommendation: *Play Nice But Win by Michael Dell*
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*Like what you hear? Leave us a review and subscribe to the show on Apple, Google, Spotify, Stitcher, or wherever you listen to podcasts.
Enterprise Software Innovators is a show where top tech executives share how they innovate at scale. Each episode covers unique insights and stories that will help you succeed as a technology leader. Find more great lessons from tech leaders and enterprise software experts at https://www.enterprisesoftware.blog/
Enterprise Software Innovators is produced by Luke Reiser and Josh Meer.
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Apr 19, 2023
Automating the Enterprise and the Future of AI with Workato CIO Carter Busse
On the 21st episode of Enterprise Software Innovators, hosts Evan Reiser (Abnormal Security) and Saam Motamedi (Greylock Partners) talk with Carter Busse, CIO of Workato. Workato is an enterprise automation tool allowing businesses to integrate their apps and automate workflows without compromising security. Today, he shares how the company is harnessing its technology for various internal business functions, his perspective on the possibilities of AI, and the ideal role for IT within enterprise organizations.
*Quick hits from Carter:
*On the state of digital transformation today: "We're in a second wave of digital transformation. We did the [first stage of] digital transformation before COVID. We had COVID. Now we're on this hyped-up AI, automation, Web 3.0; so it's like a second wave… We're all in this big race to figure out this second wave of digital transformation."
On Workato deploying their tools internally: "We're doing a lot of fun things here using AI with work. If you're an employee, you want an app, you just tell our chatbot, and we take the automation from there and then we automate the approval with your manager through Slack, and then we provision the application."
On the state of IT within enterprise organizations: "I've learned that especially nowadays with the young generation coming out of school, they want to own the technology, they want to be involved, they want to help IT. It's really up to the IT leaders to give them the architecture, guard rails and governance so they can innovate and we can put it into production as well."
*Recent Book Recommendation:* Building a StoryBrand by Donald Miller
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Like what you hear? Leave us a review and subscribe to the show on Apple, Google, Spotify, Stitcher, or wherever you listen to podcasts.
Enterprise Software Innovators is a show where top tech executives share how they innovate at scale. Each episode covers unique insights and stories that will help you succeed as a technology leader. Find more great lessons from tech leaders and enterprise software experts at https://www.enterprisesoftware.blog/
Enterprise Software Innovators is produced by Luke Reiser and Josh Meer
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Apr 5, 2023
Being an Early Advocate for Innovation with Former AstraZeneca CIO David Smoley
On the 20th episode of Enterprise Software Innovators, hosts Evan Reiser (Abnormal Security) and Saam Motamedi (Greylock Partners) talk with David Smoley. David has had a storied career, leading technology teams at several large and defining companies, including General Electric, Flex, and AstraZeneca. Most recently, he led an engineering team as a VP at Apple. Today, David shares anecdotes about being an early advocate for innovation, best practices for collaborating with startups, and his experiences with hands-on digital transformation.
*Quick hits from David:*
On digital transformation: “Digital transformation depends on your starting point. What would be a radical digital transformation for one company might be meaningless to another company. I think of digital transformation as being very contextual around a particular situation or problem that you're trying to solve."
On enterprise IT executives’ relationships with startups: “It’s this great quid pro quo where you're looking for cool technology and smart people who can help you in your role as a tech leader and [startups] are looking for smart tech leaders who are going to help them develop great products and great companies.”
On the ethos of being a technologist: “One of the things you have to love if you're a technologist is living on that edge of what's possible and what are the risks, and getting people to see your side of what the possibilities are.”
*Recent Book Recommendation:* World Class IT by Peter High
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Like what you hear? Leave us a review and subscribe to the show on Apple, Google, Spotify, Stitcher, or wherever you listen to podcasts.
Enterprise Software Innovators is a show where top tech executives share how they innovate at scale. Each episode covers unique insights and stories that will help you succeed as a technology leader. Find more great lessons from tech leaders and enterprise software experts at https://www.enterprisesoftware.blog/.
Enterprise Software Innovators is produced by Luke Reiser and Josh Meer.
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Mar 22, 2023
Leveraging Data to Optimize the Business with Corsair CIO Tom Cullen
On the 19th episode of Enterprise Software Innovators, hosts Evan Reiser (Abnormal Security) and Saam Motamedi (Greylock Partners) talk with Tom Cullen, CIO of Corsair. Before Corsair, Tom has been CIO at several large and defining companies, including JUUL Labs, Peet's Coffee & Tea, and Driscoll's. Today, Tom shares fascinating ways Driscoll's has harnessed technology, including leveraging blockchain to trace berry provenance, Corsair's utilization of data to enhance custom configurations for customers' gaming setups, and best practices for partnering with startups.
*Quick hits from Tom:
*On keeping things simple as a CIO: "Technologists love to overcomplicate things, build a big Rube Goldberg design just because you can…I think your job as a technologist, as an architect, as a CIO in my case, is to bridge that gap between process standardization, business enablement for scale and leverage and growth in the future, while also keeping your technology stack as standard as you can."
On what Driscoll's real business is: "What's interesting about Driscoll's is that they develop proprietary berry genetics and patent them. That's why the berries are so good. It's not your university variety that's just replicated, they're special and they're actually patented…one of my favorite things to say while I was there, just for impact, which is mostly true, is Driscoll's is a multibillion-dollar berry company that doesn't grow any berries."
On blockchain helping with berry provenance: "[At Driscoll's], we partnered with other companies to do a blockchain experiment. We started looking at different traceability mechanisms around food and certification of food. Is it actually organic? Is it shade grown? How are the workers treated? Is their child labor deployed? There's a lot of factors that play into that in any type of global manufacturing. We started a blockchain pilot with IBM to look at food traceability. So you could trace your product all the way back to the farm harvest date and what are the certificates and certifications of that farm…it was super fun to be involved in a pilot like that because you're using what some would consider a cryptocurrency technology, to solve a food traceability product issue."
On Corsair harnessing data for better customer experiences: "We have software products, one in particular called iCue that sits on the computer and controls all of your devices. If you had iCue right now, it could control your microphone, your lighting, your computer; and if you're a gamer, everything interacts at once, which is super cool. iCue throws off a lot of important data about how you're using products and what you're actually doing. We're trying to ingest and correlate data that shows not only product usage, but consumer behavior online. We're hoping to get into the social aspect as well and ingest that data to better understand how customers use our products, what type of activities they do, and how they engage in the further community."
*Recent Book Recommendation: *Leaders Eat Last by Simon Sinek
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Like what you hear? Leave us a review and subscribe to the show on Apple, Google, Spotify, Stitcher, or wherever you listen to podcasts.
Enterprise Software Innovators is a show where top tech executives share how they innovate at scale. Each episode covers unique insights and stories that will help you succeed as a technology leader. Find more great lessons from tech leaders and enterprise software experts at https://www.enterprisesoftware.blog/
Enterprise Software Innovators is produced by Luke Reiser and Josh Meer.
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Mar 8, 2023
Becoming a Technology-First Company with Wesco International EVP & CIO Akash Khurana
On the 18th episode of Enterprise Software Innovators, hosts Evan Reiser (Abnormal Security) and Saam Motamedi (Greylock Partners) talk with Akash Khurana, Executive Vice President and Chief Information Officer of Wesco International. With over 18,000 employees and $20 billion of revenue, Wesco is a leading provider of electrical, industrial, and communications MRO and OEM products, supplying vital infrastructure in countries across the world. Today, Akash shares his insights on digital transformation, the role of data in optimizing customer experiences, and the importance of AI in driving business outcomes.
*Quick hits from Akash:
*On AI optimizing product recommendations: "One area that we have seen significant improvements is product recommendation. We have massive data from our end-to-end value chain. [In the past] as we responded to commercial proposals, it was all about how we go to the product set that is available, the product set that a sales rep is familiar with. And that was the past, right? It was very linear in terms of responses. Using AI, we are able to now provide not only one linear option to our sales representatives, but we are able to provide multiple recommendations with different profiles, and different availability metrics, which allow much better capability for our sales organization to deliver to our demands customer commitments.”
On AI’s increasingly important role at Wesco: “We have something we call the ‘AI Factory.’ And every business model, every opportunity that we think of, we take a lens of ‘what can AI do in this area?’ You really need to make it part of your operating model so that it becomes the way you operate, the way you think about technology, the way you think about providing services and solutions.”
On how Akash defines digital transformation: “The way I define it is in terms of leveraging digital to create new value channels for the organization, whether it's through new products, new services, new solutions, new ways of going to market, new ways of engaging with customers, new ways of doing business with our partner ecosystems, new ways of tapping into innovation capability of the organization.
*Recent Book Recommendation:* Creative Construction by Gary Pisano
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Like what you hear? Leave us a review and subscribe to the show on Apple, Google, Spotify, Stitcher, or wherever you listen to podcasts.
Enterprise Software Innovators is a show where top tech executives share how they innovate at scale. Each episode covers unique insights and stories that will help you succeed as a technology leader. Find more great lessons from tech leaders and enterprise software experts at https://www.enterprisesoftware.blog/
Enterprise Software Innovators is produced by Josh Meer and Luke Reiser.
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Feb 22, 2023
How Disney Uses Technology to Create Magical Experiences with EVP & CIO Diane Jurgens
On the 17th episode of Enterprise Software Innovators, hosts Evan Reiser (Abnormal Security) and Saam Motamedi (Greylock Partners) talk with Diane Jurgens, EVP & CIO of The Walt Disney Company. Disney is an American multinational entertainment and mass media company, pioneering experiences in film, TV, theme parks, and more. Today, Diane shares how Disney uses technology to create magical experiences for their guests, next-generation innovations that reimagine film production, and her best practices for building a culture of innovation.
*Quick hits from Diane:
*On Disney’s next-generation film production technology: “We do a lot of our filming on stages with something called Stagecraft, which is an integrated, virtual production environment. In traditional movie making, you'll construct a physical set but then you might film with a green screen. With Stagecraft, instead of virtual post production, it’s displayed live; you have these physically constructed partial sets that allow the directors, actors and the camera operators to position themselves accordingly. Then you have a much more expansive virtual reality set with models from different cities, different countries, even different worlds and shoot live to that. It allows actors to see and visualize what they're actually shooting in; it's really unparalleled creativity to render this in real time.”
On Disney utilizing animatronics at their theme parks: “My nephew loves Spiderman and we were at Avenger’s Campus. If you've been there, Spiderman comes out and interacts with the audience and then he crawls up high on the building and does a major flip in the air and lands on the other building. Well, our imagineers actually have designed and built animatronics. So my nephew absolutely could not believe that was not a person.”
On Disney’s partnership with startup ecosystems: “The accelerator program starts by vetting a large number of startups and this year the theme was Web3. And out of those companies, they narrow it down to a smaller number and then senior leadership gets together and we listen to their pitches on their technology. Our executive sponsors in different business units give them meaningful feedback on the applicability of their technology, but also some coaching and mentoring on how to work with large companies like Disney.”
On Disney’s customer centricity: “100% of the focus of everybody who comes to work at Disney is how to delight, and that storytelling in surprising people. At D23, we unveiled Avatar, the next 3D movie from James Cameron, and to see the surprise and delight [was amazing]. That movie was made with the audience in mind [in terms of] how to make that immersive experience as best as it can be.”
*Recent Book Recommendation: *Investments Unlimited by Helen Beal
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Like what you hear? Leave us a review and subscribe to the show on Apple, Google, Spotify, Stitcher, or wherever you listen to podcasts.
Enterprise Software Innovators is a show where top tech executives share how they innovate at scale. Each episode covers unique insights and stories that will help you succeed as a technology leader. Find more great lessons from tech leaders and enterprise software experts at https://www.enterprisesoftware.blog/
Enterprise Software Innovators is produced by Josh Meer and Luke Reiser
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Jan 11, 2023
How Data in the Cloud Enhances Customer Experience with Former Morgan Stanley International CIO & Head of Transformation Sigal Zarmi
On the 16th episode of Enterprise Software Innovators, hosts Evan Reiser (Abnormal Security) and Saam Motamedi (Greylock Partners) talk with Sigal Zarmi, former International CIO & Head of Transformation at Morgan Stanley. Sigal is a seasoned technology executive, having spent time at some of the world’s leading companies including Morgan Stanley, PwC, and General Electric. Currently, she’s on the board at a number of innovative startups including HashiCorp, DataRobot, and more. Today, Sigal shares how data in the cloud is enhancing customer experiences, her perspective on building a culture of innovation, and the best frameworks for partnerships with startups.
*Quick hits from Sigal:*
On GE creating algorithms to help franchisors through a standalone app: “A unit of GE Capital was financing franchisors when they were opening new stores. Our app could help a franchise figure out where the best place would be to open based on location, cost of living, and car traffic data. We knew how many cars and people were moving through the area, where the hospitals, schools, and city government offices in the area were. Based on that data, we created an algorithm that recommended a place for franchisors to open.”
On common misconceptions startups have when attempting to sell to enterprise customers: “I've talked to so many companies that think that just their technology should sell itself. ‘It's obvious what our technology does.’ That never happens. Technology does not sell itself.”
On what to remember when selling to enterprise companies: “First, it takes a long time to sell to large complex organizations. Second, focus on security up front and make sure you know how to answer any questions around security. Third, make sure that your product fully answers customer needs. Sometimes products just answer a feature that is solving a specific problem. I wouldn't buy something that only solves a feature because that might be acquired or developed by a competitor. So think about the platform you're building rather than just a feature.”
*Recent Book Recommendation:
*The Psychology of Executive Coaching by Bruce Peltier
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Like what you hear? Leave us a review and subscribe to the show on Apple, Google, Spotify, Stitcher, or wherever you listen to podcasts.
Enterprise Software Innovators is a show where top tech executives share how they innovate at scale. Each episode covers unique insights and stories that will help you succeed as a technology leader. Find more great lessons from tech leaders and enterprise software experts at https://www.enterprisesoftware.blog
Enterprise Software Innovators is produced by Luke Reiser and Josh Meer
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Dec 21, 2022
Harnessing AI to Drive True Digital Transformation with Genpact CDO Sanjay Srivastava
On the 15th episode of Enterprise Software Innovators, hosts Evan Reiser (Abnormal Security) and Saam Motamedi (Greylock Partners) talk with Sanjay Srivastava, Chief Digital Officer at Genpact. Genpact is a global professional services company with over 100,000 employees that enables the world's largest companies to digitally transform. Today, Sanjay shares how companies should approach driving true digital transformation and his perspective on the tremendous potential of AI.
*Quick hits from Sanjay:
*On how technology fits into the business: "I used to be all tech, tech, tech. And I realized tech is no longer the long pole in the tent. It's about people, processes, data, orchestration, and change management, all great things that need to happen for tech to deliver results."
On how to think about applications of AI: “Often [people] think about AI, it’s these big massive things like autonomous driving…the reality is you have to put all that aside. Think about ‘small’ AI, like utilities and tool kits. It's things like NLP: NLP is ahead of human capability today. Computer vision is actually almost at human capability. Voice to text is pretty close if not at human capability. Think about day-to-day business processes and efficiency.”
On how tomorrow’s workforce can harness AI’s potential: “I always like to say that the world doesn't really need another machine learning engineer…what the world really needs is a finance and accounting specialist that understands machine learning; a manufacturing engineer that also understands computer vision; a data scientist that actually gets pattern recognition. It’s this idea of the intersection of sciences that becomes very important.”
On the difference between digital transformation and digitization: "Digital transformation is a big word these days, and it often gets used in the same way that digitization gets used. The reality is those two words, though interchangeable at times, couldn't be further apart in meaning. When we talk about digitization, it's about taking an end-to-end process, breaking it down into its components, and automating every single piece. You've got an end-to-end process that is faster, scalable, more efficient, and more reliable. But the work remains the same; it's just done faster. When you do digital transformation, you're redesigning the value chain, rethinking the experience, and delivering a much more sticky endpoint to a client. You are using new emerging technologies and get a redesigned end-to-end value proposition. The work that’s left behind is now different and new. Digital transformation is about orchestrating change in the dimensions of people, processes, data, and technology."
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**Recent Book Recommendation: *Think Again by Adam Grant
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Like what you hear? Leave us a review and subscribe to the show on Apple, Google, Spotify, Stitcher, or wherever you listen to podcasts.
Find more great lessons from tech leaders and enterprise software experts at enterprisesoftware.blog.
Enterprise Software Innovators is produced by Josh Meer and Luke Reiser
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Dec 7, 2022
Optimizing Product-Led Technology Organizations with Okta CIO Alvina Antar
On the 14th episode of Enterprise Software Innovators, hosts Evan Reiser (Abnormal Security) and Saam Motamedi (Greylock Partners) talk with Alvina Antar, Chief Information Officer at Okta. Okta is a leading workforce identity provider and helps some of the world’s largest companies connect people and technology in a secure environment. Today, Alvina shares her perspective on the importance of data decentralization and her insights on best practices for product-led technology organizations.
*Quick hits from Alvina:
*On the importance of data availability: “Data and insights at the speed of the business is huge for us. [With Okta] being a high growth organization, we’re positioning ourselves to accelerate our self-service capabilities and democratize data for every employee. That means not just having the enterprise data capabilities within business technology, but being able to make that data accessible to everyone [in the organization].”
On Okta’s IT organizational structure: “A lot of times as a business technology or IT function we get challenged with dates..the business says ‘you know, I need this at the beginning of the fiscal year, it's required.’ And the dates are already given to us before we've even assessed the scope, let alone understand what's gonna take to actually deliver…We operate as a product and engineering organization for the company that's running our business. And so just as product and engineering isn't pressured [since] they're the experts of the technology that they're delivering to sell, we should have that same mindset and that is why myself and many of my peers are embracing this new product operating model, [because] it's not just a name change. You don't just move people and move their titles. It's a mindshift in thinking of operating as a product organization.”
On how startups can best pitch themselves: “The startups I spend the most time with are those that take the time to understand my strategies and how their product can help me be successful. And so they're not just pitching their product in their generic way but they actually understand the challenges that I'm facing and share stories - not at the surface level but at a level that would relate to me and to my team.”
*Recent Book Recommendations:
*Zero to IPO by Frederic Kerrest
Unapologetically Ambitious by Shellye Archambeau
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Like what you hear? Leave us a review and subscribe to the show on Apple, Google, Spotify, Stitcher, or wherever you listen to podcasts.
Find more great lessons from tech leaders and enterprise software experts at enterprisesoftware.blog.
Enterprise Software Innovators is produced by Josh Meer and Luke Reiser
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Nov 16, 2022
Next-Generation Innovations in Healthcare with HSS CTO Bashir Agboola
On the 13th episode of Enterprise Software Innovators, hosts Evan Reiser (Abnormal Security) and Saam Motamedi (Greylock Partners) talk with Bashir Agboola, Chief Technology Officer at Hospital for Special Surgery. HSS is one of the preeminent medical institutions in the world, specializing in orthopedics and providing care to patients from over 100 different countries. Today, Bashir shares his perspective on digital transformation, the exciting technologies HSS is deploying to improve patient outcomes, and insights into upcoming step changes in the healthcare industry.*
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*Quick hits from Bashir:*
On HSS utilizing 3D printing: “We have the first in-hospital 3D printing of joints. This was a project we did in collaboration with a European company to set up an FDA regulated facility at the hospital to print the joints for acute procedures. So for things like that of course you might think, ‘3D printing, is that digital?’ Of course…it's all along the line of digital transformat…
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Nov 9, 2022
The Future of Agriculture and Biotech at Bayer with CIDO Bijoy Sagar
On the 12th episode of Enterprise Software Innovators, hosts Evan Reiser (Abnormal Security) and Saam Motamedi (Greylock Partners) talk with Bijoy Sagar, Chief Information Technology and Digital Transformation Officer at Bayer. As one of the largest pharmaceutical companies in the world, Bayer positively impacts billions of people through technology innovations across healthcare, agriculture, and biotech. Today, Bijoy shares how Bayer is deploying digital farming practices, his perspective on AI, and the best methodologies for partnering with startups.
*Quick hits from Bijoy:*
On Bayer deploying drones to optimize farming practices: “We have drones over 73 million acres where we're collecting data real time on the field. We have satellite data coming in. We actually acquired a company to get the data so you can actually predict how much soil moisture is there in one square meter of the land. And then you can actually use algorithms to predict how much seed you plant there and how m…
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Oct 19, 2022
Building a More Customer-Centric Company with Technology with Air Canada CIO Mel Crocker
On the 11th episode of Enterprise Software Innovators, hosts Evan Reiser (Abnormal Security) and Saam Motamedi (Greylock Partners) talk with Mel Crocker, Chief Information Officer at Air Canada. As the largest airline in Canada, Air Canada is responsible for tens of millions of passengers every year, flying to destinations across the globe. In his nearly five years at the company, Mel has overseen a range of digital transformation initiatives. Today, he joins the show to share how technology deployment is enhancing the customer experience and his insights on AI, data, and the future of air travel.
*Quick hits from Mel:
*On AI helping optimize airplane maintenance processes: "Picture how are you going to track all of your inventory, watch what happens throughout a year, and then preposition the parts where they're probably most needed as time goes on, such that if you do have to cancel an aircraft, you can either fix it very rapidly or if you have to delay a flight, you can fix it ver…
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Oct 5, 2022
How to Lead a Winning Innovation Strategy Within Your Organization with Ultimate Kronos Group CDO Scott Howitt
On the tenth episode of Enterprise Software Innovators, hosts Evan Reiser (Abnormal Security) and Saam Motamedi (Greylock Partners) talk with Scott Howitt, CDO at Ultimate Kronos Group. Scott has been a CIO, CTO, CISO, and CDO across several industries during his career, giving him a unique perspective into the world of deploying technological initiatives at large companies. Today, Scott joins the show to discuss how CIOs and CDOs can become ‘chief bridge builders’ within organizations to optimize business outcomes, create a culture of innovation, and evaluate startups to form great partnerships.
*Quick hits from Scott:
*On CIOs speaking multiple languages: “As techies, we're really good at not having much respect for people who don't understand all the techno jargon that we use, guess what? The CFO is thinking the same thing when you don't understand EBITDA and how revenue is recognized and what ARR is and what PEPM is. You need to be like a UN translator. You have to know mul…
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Sep 7, 2022
How Innovative Technologies are Optimizing Workflows at Graphic Packaging International with CIO and SVP Vish Narendra
On the ninth episode of Enterprise Software Innovators, hosts Evan Reiser (Abnormal Security) and Saam Motamedi (Greylock Partners) talk with Vish Narendra, CIO & SVP, Global Business Services of Graphic Packaging International. GPI is an integrated paper packaging company that services hundreds of the world’s most recognized brands. Vish shares insights on how he’s leading digital transformation at GPI, how to measure the success of digital transformation, how to find the right startups to work with, and the state of AR/VR for enterprise.
*Quick hits from Vish:
*On Graphic Packaging International’s digital transformation: “At a 50,000 foot level, we're putting in processes and systems that will be used by this company ten to fifteen years from now. Not in a static way but an agile and flexible way that can evolve and adapt to the changing needs of the economy, the business, and the industry.”
On maintaining dynamism in a highly-volatile world: “Technology itself is not…
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Aug 24, 2022
Why the Best Business Process Wins with Former General Electric CIO Gary Reiner
On the eighth episode of Enterprise Software Innovators, hosts Evan Reiser (Abnormal Security) and Saam Motamedi (Greylock Partners) talk with Gary Reiner, former CIO of General Electric and a current operating partner at General Atlantic, a global growth equity firm with over $79 billion of assets under management. While at GE, Gary was an executive leader for almost 20 years, and an early advocate for implementing SaaS applications during his 14 year tenure as CIO. Today, he sits on the board of several GA portfolio companies including Atera, Devo, Evisort, JumpCloud, Pymetrics, ThreatLocker, Vast Data, and Zoomin. In this conversation, Gary shares why he believes the best business process wins, his perspective on packaged solutions, and the meaning behind “lean before digitize”.
*Quick hits from Gary:*
On how technology and business processes need to work together: “Technology is there to support processes. We used to have a saying at GE, ‘lean before digitize.’ What tha…
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May 11, 2022
Being a Customer-Facing CIO with Former Workday CIO Diana McKenzie
On the seventh episode of Enterprise Software Innovators, hosts Evan Reiser (Abnormal Security) and Saam Motamedi (Greylock Partners) talk with Diana McKenzie, former CIO at Workday. Diana has been SVP and CIO of Workday in addition to CIO at Amgen. Today, she sits on the board of Vertex Pharmaceuticals, MetLife, Change Healthcare, and Paradox, among others. Evan and Saam speak with Diana about the importance of being a customer facing CIO, the technology-driven innovations she’s most excited about in the life sciences, and her experience being a board member after spending years on the other side of the table.
*Quick hits from Diana:*
On CIOs directionally oriented towards deploying new technology: “When we found a group of CIOs who were willing to embrace some of these newer concepts, you tend to cluster together and develop relationships. And then somebody in the group comes to the dinner and says, ‘oh my gosh, we're trying this, We're trying Snowflake, or we're trying that.…
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Apr 27, 2022
Pushing the Envelope Without Breaking Things with Box Global CIO Ravi Malick
On the sixth episode of Enterprise Software Innovators, hosts Evan Reiser (Abnormal Security) and Saam Motamedi (Greylock Partners) talk with Ravi Malick, Global CIO at Box. Ravi’s career has taken him from investment banking and consulting to the energy industry, where he spent nearly 4 years as the SVP and CIO of Vistra Energy before landing at Box. Evan and Saam speak with Ravi about the most defining moments of his career, the operational differences of startups vs. Fortune 500 companies and how they can work together, the best ways larger companies can leverage startup-driven technology, and the roles of CIOs within executive teams.
*Quick hits from Ravi:*
On finding the balance of innovating while maintaining a solid foundation: “Your ability to change is determined by the business’s ability to absorb it and how much can you push the envelope a little bit without breaking things”
On recognizing the correlation of company size and operational speed: “I went from being…
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Apr 13, 2022
The Future of Grocery at Albertsons Companies with CIO Anuj Dhanda
On the fifth episode of Enterprise Software Innovators, hosts Evan Reiser (Abnormal Security) and Saam Motamedi (Greylock Partners) talk with Anuj Dhanda, CIO of Albertsons Companies. As the second largest supermarket chain in the United States, Albertsons is responsible for helping feed much of the country. Anuj discusses the challenges Albertsons faced in the wake of the pandemic, the various next-generation technologies being used to drive the future of grocery, and the thought process behind when Albertsons partners with startups.
*Quick hits from Anuj:*
On Albertsons deploying machine learning: “Every aspect of how we run our business has an implication [that] machine learning could improve. [Beyond] demand forecasting and replenishment, [how about] when we think about how we staff our stores, the slot management for e-commerce…How do we fulfill those slots? How do we better predict the specific needs of the customer and to be able to match the offers to them? We think there…
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Mar 29, 2022
Decentralizing Data Access at Align Technologies with CDO Sreelakshmi Kolli
On the fourth episode of Enterprise Software Innovators, hosts Evan Reiser (Abnormal Security) and Saam Motamedi (Greylock Partners) talk with Sreelakshmi Kolli, CDO of Align Technologies. Align Technologies’ most popular product, Invisalign is the product of 3D printing, a breakthrough technology that is completely upending manufacturing processes. In fact, Align Technologies is one of the biggest 3D printers in the world. In this episode, Sreelakshmi breaks down Align’s decentralized approach to data access and how it’s improved innovative capacity, the link between culture and technology evolution, and the factors that define Align’s successful partnerships with startups.
*Quick hits from Sree:*
On Align’s goals for data access within the organization: “Our goal is to make data so pervasive inside Align, so that it's not just for a data scientist or a small technology team to unlock the potential of it. It's been a cultural transformation as much as it's been a technol…
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Jan 31, 2022
Taking Risks to Become Failure Proof at Princeton University with CIO Jay Dominick
On the third episode of Enterprise Software Innovators, hosts Evan Reiser (Abnormal Security) and Saam Motamedi (Greylock Partners) talk with Jay Dominick, CIO at Princeton University. Princeton University is a unique organization with 8000 students, over 7000 employees, its own power plant and own police force; in short, ample opportunities for deploying impactful technological innovations at scale. Evan and Saam speak with Jay about balancing risk and reward, the benefits Princeton attains from collaborating with startups, navigating COVID-19, and the best practices for balancing various stakeholders’ technology needs at universities.
*Quick hits from Jay:*
On managing risk during COVID-19: “What we were facing was an existential crisis... the risk mitigation switched into failure mitigation. We had to take risks to avoid failure…. People tend to be risk averse, but really they should focus on being failure adverse…We had to change a lot of rules…around work at home or ar…
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Jan 31, 2022
Inside the Digital Transformation of CarMax with CITO Shamim Mohammad
On the second episode of Enterprise Software Innovators, hosts Evan Reiser (Abnormal Security) and Saam Motamedi (Greylock Partners) talk with Shamim Mohammad, Executive Vice President, Chief Information & Technology Officer of CarMax. CarMax has been at the forefront of the used car business for decades and has consistently stayed at the frontier by being unafraid to adopt new technologies alongside their core business. Shamim walks through the differences of what he calls “start-up” vs “end-up” companies, and the multiple ways CarMax has deployed exciting new technological innovations to keep their business thriving. From AI models to an omni-channel customer experience, CarMax is a worthy example of a previously exclusively brick and mortar business that has successfully transformed themselves into a digital platform.
*Quick hits from Shamim:
*On CarMax disrupting itself in their transformation to being a digital business: “…fortunately for CarMax, we were not afraid t…
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Jan 28, 2022
Curiosity & Disruption in the Entertainment Industry with United Talent Agency CIO Michael Keithley
On the first episode of Enterprise Software Innovators, hosts Evan Reiser (*Abnormal Security*) and Saam Motamedi (*Greylock Partners*) talk with Michael Keithley, CIO of United Talent Agency. UTA is one of the world’s top talent companies, working across music, sports, film, and other high impact areas of entertainment. Previously, Michael was CIO and CTO of Creative Arts Agency, another large talent organization, where he worked for 24 years. In this conversation, Michael shares stories on how CIOs in entertainment can best leverage data, the benefits of partnering with startups, his take on the most exciting next frontiers in technology, and moments in his career where disruptive technology implementations were met with pushback from the old guard.
*Quick hits from Michael:
*On how UTA benefits from exposure to startups: “...[We] learn from startups themselves on how they work and what their philosophy is…and infuse that in our culture.”
On colleagues recognizing startup-…
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