In this episode of Behind the Growth, host Imran Mian speaks with Saby Waraich, CIO and CISO at Clackamas Community College, about transformative leadership and the evolving role of technology in education. Saby shares his unique leadership framework, CARES (Communicate, Adapt, Relationships, Empathy, Stay Calm), which emphasizes compassion and adaptability in navigating organizational change. He delves into the pitfalls of fear-based management and explains how trust and empowerment drive meaningful transformation.

The conversation also explores the intersection of technology and leadership. Saby highlights the accelerating impact of AI and cybersecurity on the education sector, stressing the need for organizations to adapt quickly to technological advancements. He shares real-world examples of leveraging generative AI to streamline operations and discusses the importance of public-private partnerships in preparing students for future workforce demands.

Through personal stories, Saby illustrates how leaders can inspire teams, overcome challenges, and foster resilience in high-pressure environments.

Saby shares his insights on:
- Preventing transformation failures
- Public-private collaborations
- Setting clear expectations
- Building stronger team relationships
- Accelerating decision-making

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

In this episode of Behind the Growth, Holly Heglin, Head of AI Product & Strategy at Layer 6 AI discusses AI innovation and operational transformation with host Imran Mian. A seasoned leader in AI strategy and governance, Holly dives into the critical challenges of scaling AI solutions in heavily regulated environments like banking, balancing the need for innovation with stringent governance. She discusses how organizations can address these challenges through agile approaches and strong governance processes to mitigate risks while ensuring business value.

Further delving into how her career evolved alongside the expanding AI field, taking on various roles from proof-of-concept to production-grade GenAI solutions, Holly emphasizes her approach to "delivery excellence," which combines structured processes with creative problem-solving. She explains how this method, along with improved stakeholder interaction, has significantly reduced delivery times for AI solutions.

An advocate for democratizing AI tools, she stresses the need to balance broader access with strong governance to enable business users to explore and hypothesize solutions before engaging specialized talent for production.

Finally, Holly shares her insights into the future of AI, especially with the rapid evolution of generative AI and its potential for both operational efficiency and ethical concerns. With a focus on responsible AI practices, she highlights the importance of advancing transparency, testing, and learning when deploying AI systems.

The discussion concludes with insights on the creation of a formalized job family for AI product delivery at TD Bank, showcasing how an agile, product-minded approach to AI has enhanced responsiveness to business needs and drastically cut delivery timelines.

Holly shares her thoughts on:

- Balancing AI governance with innovation
- Overcoming stakeholder alignment issues
- Democratizing AI tools for business
- Embracing an agile product mindset
- Navigating AI uncertainty

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

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.