Digital Transformation Pioneers

How does that old saying go? “Necessity is the mother of invention.”  While the origins of that quote may be unknown, the lessons and the message rings true today. Innovation is almost always sparked by necessity, and in these trying times that we are operating in right now, by crisis. And nowhere is that more true than the banking industry.  On this episode of Digital Transformation Pioneers, we sit down to talk with Darcy Rippon to talk all about:  -How the banking industry is rapidly adapting in the face of crisis -The steps that an organization should take if they’re looking to kickstart innovation -How to identify broken processes and rebuild them into something that works across the organization For more tactics and strategies on digital transformation, check out our Digital Transformation Pioneers podcast on Apple Podcasts on Spotify, or on our website.

Do you tackle issues by thinking horizontally or vertically? Vertical problem-solving says: “If I drill down to X issue, I can improve Y process.” But with this top-down approach, we’re treating each issue within a vacuum, solving it as if it were a siloed pain point. Yet in reality, what affects one department’s digital landscape, always affects another.  It’s time to start thinking *horizontally* — tackling digital transformation across the organization as a holistic issue. In this episode, Scott Bendle shares his tips on how to start tackling digital issues horizontally. Scott is the CIO of Rigaku Americas Corp, where he’s been solving global digital transformation issues for 18 years. What we talked about: Problems are solved in rows, not columns Considering all the processes in each department. Start as close as possible to the problem ERP consolidation Digital transformation For more tactics and strategies on digital transformation, check out our Digital Transformation Pioneers podcast on Apple Podcasts on Spotify, or on our website.

A disruptive solution unlocks differentiation and profitability … but only if it’s implemented successfully. Chris Hanebeck came on this episode to discuss how to drive successful transformation adoption. Chris is the Founder and CEO of Truckl, a disruptive trucking platform that is helping reduce the $6B losses that trucking companies face every year due to late trucks and missing paperwork. This is one of many projects Chris has helped successfully drive to completion — he’s been working with disruptive innovations and inventors for 25 years. What we talked about: For a new solution to be successful, everyone must be involved with the implementation Why you must implement disruptive technology quickly Taking risks Surprising benefits of tech Innovation is at the core of a company’s survival For more tactics and strategies on digital transformation , check out our Digital Transformation Pioneers podcast on Apple, on Spotify, or on our website.

Roy Moore is the Senior Salesforce Developer at a nonprofit in Colorado Springs. He came into his role through the back door, asking IT questions he didn’t know the answers to. He remembers the confusion of those conversations, how so much of their “tech-speak” was lost in translation. It’s given him a perspective that now allows him to help end users understand hard topics.

What if Thomas Edison never figured out a way to deliver the lightbulb to the masses? One of the largest power conglomerates would possibly have never existed. We might think a little more about how often we use electricity in our lives. Vice president and CIO for Emerging Regions at GE Power, Michelle Wu, gives us valuable insight into promoting your organization from within. Learn how digital transformation has helped the Edison Electric Light Company evolve into GE.

Today’s guest is Remi Beaudouin, Chief Strategy Officer at ATEME.   If you watch on-demand content on your TV or computer, it’s very likely that it’s been produced at some point in time by ATEME. More than 95% of their business is done outside of their HQ in France.   Like any other domain, the TV and on-demand content industry is in a period of transformation. Also like any other industry, some people are reluctant to change—but at some point they have to.

What do you think of when you think of the hotel industry? A friendly front desk clerk? Someone coming to the curb to take your luggage inside so that you can get checked in? Free coffee in the lobby? Or a cookie perhaps? Whatever you think of the hospitality industry, Tracy Bingham, Owner of Know Now UK, is here to tell you that beneath the surface there is so much more happening than the average hotel goer will ever realize.

When we think of Digital Transformation Pioneers, we usually think of software pioneers and other “digital” businesses. Hotels are anything but that. Yet, behind the lovely experiences you get at the best hotels, there are mounds of data from thousands of transactions a day. This means that not even hotels can ignore the importance of digital transformation. In this episode Lyn MacDonald, Group Marketing Director at MacDonald Hotels & Resorts, talks about how she worked with MacDonald’s IT team to get their data up to GDPR standards, as well as how data has enhanced the customer experience at the company’s 40 or so hotels.

Luis Suarez is a self-proclaimed “digital nomad” who lives in the Canary Islands of Spain. Oh, and he hasn’t used email in 11 years. As the Digital Transformation and Data Analytics Advisor at Panagenda, Luis examines data for email systems, yet he ditched the tool over a decade ago and hasn’t looked back—and his work in email data has only served to confirm his decision. In this one, he talks about why we shouldn’t be afraid to come out from behind firewalls in our jobs, why not using email is less about tools and more about mindset, and how different generations and working styles are affected by the tech they use.

Consider the terms “technical innovation” and “digital transformation.” “Rope” probably isn’t the very next word you think of. Maybe we’re all thinking too conventionally. Digital Transformation Pioneers aren’t conventional. They’re pushing the limits of innovation, in every industry, in every possible function. They use technology in unexpected ways, sometimes for surprising industries. Dean Haverstraw is one such individual. On our latest episode of our Digital Transformation Pioneers podcast, Dean jumped in and told us 3 game-changing lessons he’s learned about digital transformation. (And he used a real example of how he put them all in practice, to intertwine rope, Tide, and IoT.

Manufacturing’s need for digital transformation is on par with that of every other area of modern-day business. Clunky systems, outdated backlogs, & siloed data, are all continuous problems facing the millenia-old industry. Bringing up these traditional businesses to modern enterprises calls for a true Digital Transformation Pioneer. Enter in Andrew Rieser, President and Co-Founder of Mountain Point, where he and his team help “old school” manufacturers digitize their environment, all on the Salesforce platform. His expertise in IT, data, and software engineering were helpful to the DoD when he worked at CSC as a PM. Previously, his technical background was utilized at Permco as the Director of Technology, and various other IT positions across verticals. His MS in Software Engineering underscores his nearly 15 years in digital transformation across verticals. Yeah, he knows his stuff. On this episode, Andrew delivered a few powerful lessons on being a data-centric business, and how to navigate the difficult terrain of digital change in an under-digitized vertical.

While every modern company has some amount of technology, many IT professionals find themselves in companies where the main product or service has seemingly little to do with technology. Often, these IT workers are relegated to the back offices of systems maintenance. Worse, the IT department may desire to be in the back office, hiding away from the the frustrations of “real business.” On this week’s episode of Digital Transformation Pioneers, we took a different approach. Instead of finding an a hip IT professional at a tech startup, we found Joe Lalor, an amazing techie at a hot tub company. He spelled out the 3 dilemmas every IT pro faces when they are working at a non-tech-driven company. Joe showed how to confront each of these pitfalls and ensure success. Joe’s the Director of IT for Watkins Wellness, the leading hot tub manufacturer in the world. Before his time at Watkins, Joe worked at Callaway Golf as the Senior Manager of IT. He’s also worked at SAIC for nearly 23 years as a Software Engineer and Systems Analyst.

Getting things from A to B isn’t as simple as it sounds. Especially when we’re talking shipping on a continental scale. That’s what I recently chatted about with Lindsey Shellman, Vice President at WIN (Web Integrated Network), where she’s responsible for sales, operational, and strategic direction. “We identified early on that shippers wanted a tool to manage their own shipping,” Lindsey said. The old way to do it: Make a bunch of calls. Get a bunch of quotes and compare them. Go to different websites and start typing. Print stuff out. Try to coordinate all the info somehow. “It's not efficient and it takes up a lot of time,” Lindsey said. Cue the new way: WIN. “It's a single platform that you can use to manage all of your shipping,” she explained. “It takes a lot of time out of the process and provides a lot more efficiency.” Because everything’s integrated.

If you are tackling a job that hasn’t been done before, you need a strong team. One full of people who challenge the status quo and who aren’t afraid to ask why. Stefanie Causey is the Senior Director of IS Solutions Delivery at Aspect Software. Aspect Software is a provider of customer engagement, workforce optimization, and self service solutions geared towards mid-sized to large enterprises. Stefanie has been in IT for many years and has witnessed a complete transformation in the way things are done in the industry.  She was brought onboard at Aspect when it was clear they needed a solutions architect to work on their very outdated systems and servers. Stefanie joined us for this episode of Digital Transformation Pioneers to talk about putting together a team to overcome unique challenges at Aspect, Artificial Intelligence, and her key lesson learned along the way.

If you’re consolidating, combining or migrating platforms, you’ll want to listen to this guy. He consolidated a digital landscape from 7 offices and 5 different ERPs. That can be quite a challenge: You have to create a system that satisfies all stakeholders, achieves all objectives, and launches on schedule. It’s a daunting task, but it’s one this Digital Transformation Pioneer didn’t simply accomplish, but conquered. His name is Scott Bendle, and he’s the CIO at Rigaku Americas Corp. He came on board in 2002 as the Director of Operation and oversaw a massive IT transformation across the organization. Scott joined us to share 3 life-saving tips on consolidation and combining systems. Don’t miss this pioneer!

What does digital transformation have to do with student success and retention?   Everything.   This episode takes listeners on a ride through King’s College with Stephanie Brewster. Currently, she’s the Associate Director of Admissions and New Student Financial Services. That may sound like a lot, and it is. But wait till you see her resume:   She completed her undergraduate degree at King’s College before receiving her Advanced Diploma in Data Analytics from NYU. She also has a certificate in Full Stack Web Development, serves on 3 executive-level teams and committees, and continually shapes the Strategic Enrollment Plan. (We’re impressed, too).   She joined us on the Digital Transformation Pioneers podcast to share how her implementation of digital products streamlined the student experience and ultimately led to greater retention rates.

Google’s old hiring plan: Go to the toughest schools, find the smartest people, give them the hardest tests. Hire the ones who perform the best. They changed their plan. Google’s new talent acquisition process: Uncover the hidden qualities of the current highest-performing employees. Then, select candidates who replicate those same qualities, ensuring a cultural fit as well as a continuation of pre-established successes. We wanted to dive a little deeper, so we asked Juan Betancourt how to skip Google’s hiring mistakes, and hire faster, hire smarter, and higher stronger-fit candidates. Juan is the CEO of Humantelligence, where they have developed a 12-minute EQ test that allows an organization to uncover the hidden culture fit, eliminate 80-90% of labor in hiring, and find the highest-performing candidates. Previously, Juan was the Global Head of Strategy at Puma, USA Country Manager for DECATHLON ($20B global sports brand), and founded Gonza Executive Search, to help mid-market companies find and place C-Suite executives. Juan attended Harvard for his Bachelor’s in Economics, and has an MBA from Wharton. (If you haven’t got this already, this guy’s a brainiac.) We had to have him on our Digital Transformation Pioneers podcast.

Simon Peel is the Chief Strategy Officer and CMO at Jitterbit. Before landing at his current role, Simon has spent time in product marketing, he’s been the CMO for 5 different startups, and he even spent time as a Chief Revenue Officer (or a Growth Hacker in his words). At Jitterbit, Simon is back to what he’s best at: building companies. Jitterbit gets the right data in the hands of the right people at the right time. Their platform takes unwieldy data and simplifies it into digestible and actionable chunks to help companies be more successful. Simon loves learning through other people’s experiences, so he is starting the Digital Transformation Pioneers Podcast through Jitterbit. In this podcast, listeners can expect to hear from industry pioneers who have real-life experience tackling the unknown. Simon will ask what secrets they’ve learned along the way, what the most interesting parts of the journey have been, and what actionable steps listeners can take today to transform their business.