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.

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.

On this episode of Behind the Growth, host Imran Mian speaks with José Ignacio Sordo Galarza, Founder & Managing Director of CIO Eureka, about his career and insights on bridging the gap between IT and core business functions.

José emphasizes that IT professionals often need to better articulate the value of their work in a language understandable to business leaders. He shares his experience in sales early in his career, where he learned the critical skill of communicating effectively with stakeholders and "selling" solutions. This experience proved invaluable when he transitioned to an IT leadership role.

He discusses leading IT through a major merger, drawing parallels between integrating complex systems and the need to prioritize people in the process. José advocates for IT leaders to pursue "the harder right" instead of "the easier wrong," making strategic decisions that may be more challenging in the short term but ultimately deliver greater long-term value.

José shares insights on:

- The communication gap in IT
- Selling solutions in tech
- Merging complex systems
- Choosing the “harder right”
- Drivers of tech decisions

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

In this episode of Behind the Growth, host Imran Mian engages in an insightful discussion with Ujjwal Goel, Senior Director at Loblaw Companies Limited. Their conversation delves into the crucial role of data strategy within the realm of artificial intelligence and machine learning.

Ujjwal underscores the critical importance of a robust data strategy for organizations aiming to harness the full potential of AI and emphasizes that this strategy should seamlessly align with business objectives, forming the bedrock upon which AI and ML initiatives are constructed. The conversation then shifts into the intricacies of data architecture, highlighting the evolution of data warehousing to data lakes and the emerging trend of combining both in a lake house concept.

Finally, the podcast delves into the evolution from centralization to decentralization in data management, advocating for a hub-and-spoke model that balances centralized governance with decentralized execution. Ujjwal also addresses the ethical dimensions of AI, underscoring the pressing need for organizations to cultivate responsible AI practices. As AI continues to reshape industries, this episode offers invaluable insights for senior executives and professionals seeking to effectively integrate data and AI strategies into their organizations.

Key Takeaways
- The evolution of data management has accelerated AI adoption.
- Aligning your data strategy with your business goals is crucial.
- Implementing ethical frameworks in AI adoption is integral to a company’s strategy.
- AI adoption may impact jobs but promises a brighter future for everyone.
- Embracing AI now is essential for growth and scalability.

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

In this episode of Behind the Growth, host Mudassar Malik speaks with Robert Strickland, founder and managing director of M37 Ventures, about the evolving landscape of technology, leadership, and innovation. With decades of experience leading technology initiatives across major industries, Strickland shares his insights on how businesses can balance innovation with stability in an ever-changing market.

Strickland highlights the importance of hybrid cloud strategies, data centers, and the impact of emerging technologies like AI and machine learning. He also touches on the significance of talent acquisition and the need for organizations to adapt to new ways of working, especially in the post-pandemic world. Leaders must rethink how they attract and retain talent while driving innovation and reducing organizational friction.

Throughout the episode, Strickland emphasizes the importance of global collaboration and the need for executives to embrace emerging technologies and cross-border opportunities to stay competitive in today’s fast-paced environment.

Robert shares his insights on:
- Hybrid cloud data centers
- Finding talent to drive innovation
- Balancing innovation and stability
- Fueling data revolutions with AI
- Importance of cross-border collaboration

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

Correction at 3:48: Realtor.com was the #1 real-estate website in the USA and Canada at the time.
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In this episode of Behind the Growth, Imran Mian celebrates Christian Rohrer, VP of Design at TD Bank, to explore the evolution of user experience (UX) design and its broader impact on the tech industry. Christian reflects on his journey from tech support engineer to leading design teams, emphasizing the importance of understanding the human side of technology.

Christian touches on career highlights like his work on the Yahoo! homepage redesign in the early 2000s and leading the development of Realtor.com’s first mobile app, underscoring the importance of human-centered design in creating successful products. He also discusses his "three-dimensional framework" for user research methods, which helps design teams select the right tools for different situations.

The conversation covers broader topics like integrating user feedback loops, the role of AI in the future of design, and Christian’s leadership philosophy, which prioritizes soft skills and collaboration. His insights offer valuable lessons for both aspiring UX designers and seasoned professionals alike.

Christian shares insights on:
- Benefits of human-centered design
- Best approaches to product development
- The intersection of innovation and design
- AI's evolving role in UX/UI
- Leadership and team dynamics

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