Tech Whisperers: Inside the Playbooks of the Best Digital Leaders

• CIO as Teacher: Inside Ken Piddington’s Leadership Excellence Playbook

  This week, we are shining the light on one of the most intentional and inspiring CIOs in the game, Ken Piddington, Chief Digital, Technology, & Integration Officer at RelaDyne. Ken exemplifies what it means to be a leader who teaches, mentors, and communicates with purpose. Over the years, we’ve collected several of his “Ken-isms,” the short, punchy expressions that encompass his leadership philosophy, strategy, and core beliefs. In this episode, we’ll explore these pillars of his leadership playbook and dig into how he uses teaching in his leadership approach, giving you new insights on how to lead transformational change successfully for your organization as well as your people.Tune in for insights from Ken’s career, including:How to balance business results and team development“Anchor the Why”: Ken’s approach to vision and purposeThe relationship between execution and speedCharacter consistency and being the thermostat instead of the thermometerFeaturing submitted questions from:Mohammed ShareefKath Marston, Executive Director, Technology PartnersAlex Pore, Senior Director, Business Integration, RelaDyneStephen Webster, President, CEO, Founder, SIS Holdings Group

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• How Mindy Simon Guides Aon Through Transformation with Calm & Clarity

  Mindy Simon’s path from a Nebraska farm to her current role as Chief Operating Officer of Aon, where she helms a 22,000-person global operation, is anything but conventional—and that's exactly what makes her story so compelling. Mindy’s a great example of how embracing your roots can empower your future, and in this episode, we are shining a light on why she is the kind of transformational leader everyone wants on their team. We’re unpacking Mindy’s transformational leadership playbook, which is built around a people-first mindset, a sharp focus on measurable outcomes, and a rare calmness under pressure. We’ll also explore how she has successfully led in finance, IT, and operations across multiple industries; how she ties technology to business growth; and what it takes to truly deliver value in a fast-moving, data-rich world. Check out Mindy’s Investor Day talk (Jump to 02:17:25 in the video) Tune in for valuable learnings from Mindy’s career, including:Early startup lessons and transformation at ConAgraTying IT investments to measurable business outcomesHow Aon is embedding AI across the client journeyHow and why Mindy applies a people-first mindset to leadingWhy disrupting yourself is better than being disruptedFeaturing submitted questions from:Steve Zerby, Award-Winning CIO, Advisor, Guest for Episode 17Annie Baymiller, CIO, Owens Corning, Guest for Episode 17Greg Case, Chief Executive Officer, AonAndi Karaboutis, 4x Board Director, 3x CIO, Guest for Episode 68

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• Diane Schwarz on the Humility and Humanity of being a CIO

  In this episode we’re shining the light on the leadership superpowers and industry impact of Diane Schwarz, Group CIO of Smurfit Westrock, a global leader in sustainable packaging. Diane’s leadership style is a unique blend of calm confidence, strategic clarity, and operational excellence that turns traditional roles inside out. You’ll hear why those around her refer to her not just as a CIO but as a Chief Integration Officer, Chief Inspiration Officer, Chief Innovation Officer, and more.We will unpack how Diane masterfully led the IT integration of two global giants, and we’ll dig into her philosophies on listening deeply, mentoring with intention, and showing up with authenticity and vulnerability.Tune in for insights and wisdom from Diane’s journey, including:The power of clarity and assigning decision-making ownershipHow duct tape can make you a better listenerThe art of reading a room and unlocking team dynamicsHer approach as a Chief Instigation Officer and “going where the water doesn’t flow”Featuring submitted questions from:Nari Thouda, CIO, Johnson Controls Federal SystemsKim Mackenroth, CIO, L3Harris Technologies, Guest for Episode 21Mamatha Chamarthi, Chief Digital Officer for The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company Angela Yochem, Global CIO, Krispy Kreme, Guest for Episode 2Alice Brauckman, Senior Director IT, Digital Acceleration, Smurfit WestrockSobha Mulukutla, VP IT, Global Products & Supply Chain, Johnson ControlsMarina Bellini, President, MGS & Digital Technologies for Mars, Guest for Episode 39

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• Winning with AI: Governance, Storytelling, and the Road Out of the Messy Middle

  In this episode of Tech Whisperers, we are joined by two experts who are shaping the future of AI in the enterprise, Dr. Lisa Palmer, CEO of Dr. Lisa AI, and Ashwin Rangan, CEO at DoubleCheck Solutions. Lisa and Ash are sharing a wealth of practical, actionable insights to help us uncover why AI initiatives stall out at the “messy middle” and what leaders can do to reignite progress and start generating real business value. Not only have both Lisa and Ashwin walked in the shoes of a CIO, they are also the authors of new books that will help you lead with clarity, confidence, and conviction in the AI era. Lisa’s book, Show AI, Don’t Tell It: Build Buy‑In with Visual Storytelling, releases on September 30 and is available now for preorder on her website. Ashwin’s book, Governance in the Age of Gen AI: A Director's Handbook on Gen AI, is available now on Amazon and at Barnes & Noble.Tune in as we dig deep on AI at the intersection of technology, strategy, and leadership, featuring Lisa’s and Ash’s insights on:The “Speed with Rigor” PrincipleThe power of Right-to-Left thinkingThe key to sustaining momentum with AIThe long-term metrics that matterThe most important questions boards and CEOs should be asking about AI investments

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• The Best of the Best: Timeless Tech Whisperer Lessons That Still Inspire

  Over the past three years, we’ve had the privilege to sit down with more than 100 of the most visionary and impactful technology leaders across industries. They've shared their bold strategies and hard-earned lessons, and unpacked playbooks that are continuing to shape the future of leadership and innovation.In this special “Best of the Best” episode, we’ve curated some of the top insights from our most listened-to episodes. From mastering the fundamentals of digital transformation to future-proofing organizations, balancing people and technology, resisting AI hype, and embracing adaptability, these episodes demonstrate the power of guiding principles in a noisy, constantly changing world.Featuring segments from the following episodes:The Great CISO Balancing Act with United's Deneen DeFiore Edward Jones’ CIO Frank LaQuinta on Promises Made, Promises Kept 3 Layers of Transformation with TransUnion CIO Abhi Dhar Top CxO Recruiters Talk the Evolving Role of the CIO & State of Tech Talent in 2024, featuring Shawn BanerjiTop CxO Recruiters Talk Transformation & State of Tech Talent, featuring Martha HellerInspirations from the CIO GOAT, Rob Carter

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