In this episode of Behind the Growth, Dr. Brian Gardner, Interim CIO for the City of Dallas, discusses cybersecurity and the unique challenges of managing a diverse IT department in the public sector. Drawing from his transition from forensic accounting to IT leadership with host Imran Mian, he details his passion for information security and public service, highlighting the importance of balancing cybersecurity, digital transformation, and AI initiatives within limited budgets.

Dr. Gardner shares examples of several successful innovation projects, including implementing a software-defined wide area network and city-wide multi-factor authentication. He emphasizes the need to reduce technical debt to free up resources for innovation. He further discusses the influence of AI on cybersecurity strategies, noting both the opportunities and risks it presents.

Discussing his involvement with the Coalition of City CISOs, he emphasizes the value of collaboration in this space. He also shares his personal experience of fostering children and how it has shaped his leadership perspective. Finally, he offers advice for aspiring IT leaders, cybersecurity professionals, and those considering public service.

Dr. Gardner shares his insights on

- Managing IT in the public sector
- Reducing technical debt with innovation
- Balancing security with user experience
- Enhancing threat detection with AI
- Collaborating in municipal cybersecurity

Visit mobilelive.ca/podcast to learn more about each guest and read key insights for every episode.

Julie Lane, Global Head of Ways of Working in Financial Services at AWS, joins host Imran Mian on Behind the Growth to discuss the evolution of financial services. Julie shares insights from her 20-year career, focusing on digital transformation. She notes the shift from branch-first to digital-first banking and the rise of mobile engagement.

Julie discusses the complexities of regulations, legacy technology, and customer expectations. She advises a proactive approach to regulatory changes, partnering closely with governance, risk, and compliance teams. She highlights the need to address data hygiene before implementing large-scale AI projects.

Julie advocates for a customer-centric approach to product development, emphasizing the voice of the customer. She stresses the importance of efficient processes, discussing the growing role of FinTechs and the need for collaboration between traditional institutions and these disruptors.

Finally, she emphasizes the importance of a solid data foundation for AI success, balancing innovation with compliance, and the need for cultural shifts to support digital transformations.

Julie shares insights on:

- Navigating regulatory complexity
- Data hygiene for AI implementation
- Overcoming legacy tech debt
- Prioritizing mobile-first for BFSIs
- Customer-centric transformations

Visit mobilelive.ca/podcast to learn more about each guest and read key insights for every episode.

In this episode of Behind the Growth, Davood Shamsi, Executive Director at JPMorganChase, shares his journey from academia to industry in the field of AI and machine learning.

Davood discusses the importance of understanding business problems before applying AI solutions. He emphasizes the need to dig deep into the core issues, often uncovering better solutions than initially proposed. He also highlights the value of optimization techniques in refining AI model outputs, using examples from advertising and grocery shopping to illustrate practical applications.

Looking to the future, Davood predicts that language models will democratize financial information, making it more accessible to the average person. He also foresees significant advancements in drug discovery, driven by increased computational power. Davood concludes by advising aspiring AI professionals to build solid knowledge of AI tools and focus on their unique strengths to create competitive advantages in the field.

Davood shares his thoughts on:

- Optimizing and refining AI model outputs
- AI solutions for specific business problems
- Democratizing financial information
- Revolutionizing drug discovery
- Competitive advantage from AI knowledge

Visit mobilelive.ca/podcast to learn more about each guest and read key insights for every episode.