CIO Classified

This episode features Chidi Alams, CIO of Just Born — the company behind candy classics like Peeps, Mike and Ike, and Hot Tamales.Chidi shares how his team is using AI, automation, and smarter data systems to modernize operations, strengthen supply chain resilience, and double the business impact of technology. It’s a conversation about what it really means to run IT like a growth engine — not just keeping the lights on, but driving strategy, efficiency, and innovation.Plus, much more:Chidi’s take on “physical AI” in manufacturingHow the CIO role is evolving into a more strategic leadership positionWhy a values-driven tech culture might be the secret to long-term successWhether you’re a CIO, IT leader, or simply curious about how AI and data are reshaping business, this episode delivers grounded, real-world insights. About the Guest: Chidi Alams, CIO at Just Born, Inc., is a transformation executive with a proven track record of leading strategic initiatives that drive operational excellence, organic growth, and digital innovation. His experience includes both Fortune 500 and private equity-backed companies.Timestamps:02:10 Transitioning Between Industries03:26 Role and Responsibilities of a CIO06:05 Business Transformation and Strategy08:12 Managing Peak Seasons and Supply Chain14:26 Leveraging Data and AI21:20 Talent Acquisition and Company Culture27:51 Future of Technology and CIO RoleGuest Highlights:“ A lot of how we ran the business, even during the peak season, was a tremendous amount of tribal knowledge. We can't scale based on tribal knowledge, right? So having data systems, particularly as we bring in new people into the organization, helps us to be more predictive and meet demand during peak season.”“ CIOs have to become more business centric.  When you look at what's happening in large enterprises, you're seeing a fragmentation of technology leadership.  I do believe that there will be a convergence at some point.”“ I'm extremely interested and have been tracking what I think is a very important trend, not just in CPG but in retail and any consumer space — even pharma — and that is how can we leverage large language models that are trained for CPG to help drive product innovation. It’s already happening.”Get Connected:Chidi Alams on LinkedInYousuf Kahn on LinkedInIan Faison on LinkedInHungry for more tech talk? Check out past episodes at ciopod.com: Ep 61 - What Manufacturing Can Teach You About Scaling Enterprise AIEp 60 - Why the Smartest CIOs Are Becoming Business StrategistsEp 59 - CIO Leadership in AI Security and InnovationLearn more about Caspian Studios: caspianstudios.com Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

CIO Classified is back! More CIO secrets. More battle-tested IT wisdom. Straight from leading CIOs across a wide range of industries. In this episode, host Ian Faison and co-host Yousuf Khan dive into the deep end of technology leadership in manufacturing. Ben Davis, Executive Vice President of IT at Cambria, joins the show to talk about his sweeping digital transformation at the quartz manufacturing leader, and shares how his startup past helped him turn IT from a reactive function to a trusted business advisor. Plus much more:How Cambria is leveraging AI in demand forecastingHow to optimize supply chains and improve customer experience How to do it all while managing a legacy infrastructure and cybersecurityThis episode is a must-listen for the modern CIO looking to bridge the gap between traditional industries and modern technologies without sacrificing security or business continuity. About the Guest: Ben Davis, EVP  IT, Cambria, is a technical leader who is passionate about introducing new technology, improved processes and unexplored data sets to businesses in a manner that allows them to achieve scalable revenue growth. He does this by helping business-minded technologists use automation, prioritization and critical thinking to deliver technology, process improvement and data in a high-value, cost-effective way. Timestamps:02:30 – From startups to manufacturing: Applying entrepreneurial DNA07:00 – Communicating tech value across the organization09:30 – Why AI in manufacturing is a game-changer15:00 – Cybersecurity training, scorekeeping, and zero-trust realities17:30 – Modernizing legacy infrastructure in manufacturing23:00 – AI adoption vs. business architecture readiness26:00 – Staying close to the customer experience as CIO28:00 – Building, retaining, and empowering high-impact IT teams31:00 – Governance, shadow IT, and the rise of internal agents35:00 – AI tooling, data gaps, and minimizing technical debt38:00 – Manufacturing success, excitement, and the human side of techGuest Highlights:“ I think everybody under spends on cybersecurity. If I had an unlimited budget, I’d put the money towards that. I would also spend the money on data scientists, data modeling, data governance, mass data management to ensure that our data was ready to really take advantage of AI.”Get Connected:Ben Davis on LinkedInYousuf Kahn on LinkedInIan Faison on LinkedInHungry for more tech talk? Check out past episodes at ciopod.com: Ep 60 - Why the Smartest CIOs Are Becoming Business StrategistsEp 59 - CIO Leadership in AI Security and InnovationEp 58 - AI-Driven Workplace TransformationLearn more about Caspian Studios: caspianstudios.com Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

CIO Classified is back! More CIO secrets. More battle-tested IT wisdom. Straight from leading CIOs across a wide range of industries. In this episode, host Ian Faison and co-host Yousuf Khan dive into the deep end of technology leadership in manufacturing. Ben Davis, Executive Vice President of IT at Cambria, joins the show to talk about his sweeping digital transformation at the quartz manufacturing leader, and shares how his startup past helped him turn IT from a reactive function to a trusted business advisor. Plus much more:How Cambria is leveraging AI in demand forecastingHow to optimize supply chains and improve customer experience How to do it all while managing a legacy infrastructure and cybersecurityThis episode is a must-listen for the modern CIO looking to bridge the gap between traditional industries and modern technologies without sacrificing security or business continuity. About the Guest: Ben Davis, EVP  IT, Cambria, is a technical leader who is passionate about introducing new technology, improved processes and unexplored data sets to businesses in a manner that allows them to achieve scalable revenue growth. He does this by helping business-minded technologists use automation, prioritization and critical thinking to deliver technology, process improvement and data in a high-value, cost-effective way. Timestamps:02:30 – From startups to manufacturing: Applying entrepreneurial DNA07:00 – Communicating tech value across the organization09:30 – Why AI in manufacturing is a game-changer15:00 – Cybersecurity training, scorekeeping, and zero-trust realities17:30 – Modernizing legacy infrastructure in manufacturing23:00 – AI adoption vs. business architecture readiness26:00 – Staying close to the customer experience as CIO28:00 – Building, retaining, and empowering high-impact IT teams31:00 – Governance, shadow IT, and the rise of internal agents35:00 – AI tooling, data gaps, and minimizing technical debt38:00 – Manufacturing success, excitement, and the human side of techGuest Highlight:“ I think everybody underspends on cybersecurity. If I had an unlimited budget, I’d put the money towards that. I would also spend the money on data scientists, data modeling, data governance, mass data management to ensure that our data was ready to really take advantage of AI.”Get Connected:Ben Davis on LinkedInYousuf Kahn on LinkedInIan Faison on LinkedInHungry for more tech talk? Check out past episodes at ciopod.com: Ep 60 - Why the Smartest CIOs Are Becoming Business StrategistsEp 59 - CIO Leadership in AI Security and InnovationEp 58 - AI-Driven Workplace TransformationLearn more about Caspian Studios: caspianstudios.com

Eric Johnson, CIO at PagerDuty, shares why today’s most impactful CIOs are evolving into strategic business leaders. He explains how AI is driving a fundamental shift in how IT organizations operate—moving from reactive support functions to proactive, value-creating business enablers.About the Guest: Eric Johnson is the Chief Information Officer at PagerDuty, responsible for PagerDuty’s critical IT infrastructure, data management and enterprise systems. Prior to joining PagerDuty, he was the CIO at SurveyMonkey, DocuSign and Talend. Before that, Eric spent 12 years at Informatica driving the information technology vision and strategy as the company scaled to a modern SaaS architecture. He is an active advisor and board member to several early-stage companies and a regular contributor to IT thought leadership.Timestamps:*(05:20) -  Embrace shadow IT and AI tools*(18:40) -  Changing role of the CIO*(30:00) -  Security and cybersecurity awareness*(33:35) -   Future of automation and AIGuest Highlights:“In the CIO org, they need to be business experts as much as the partners that they work with… because AI and the use of it and finding those high value use cases, it's gonna take folks in the CIO org to be a lot more knowledgeable about how the company operates and processes.”“Obviously, certain roles are going to change much more than others, but I think across the board, roles are going to change.”“As these changes come, how do you reorient the organization—the humans in the organization—to be able to find that higher value work?”Get Connected:Eric Johnson on LinkedInIan Faison on LinkedInResources:Learn more about PagerDuty: www.pagerduty.comHungry for more tech talk? Check out these past episodes:Ep 59 - CIO Leadership in AI Security and InnovationEp 58 - AI-Driven Workplace TransformationEp 57 - The CIO Roadmap to Executive LeadershipLearn more about Caspian Studios: caspianstudios.comCan’t get enough AI? Check out The New Automation Mindset Podcast for more in-depth conversations about strategies leadership in AI, automation, and orchestration. Brought to you by the automation experts at Workato. Start Listening: www.workato.com/podcast Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Siroui Mushegian, CIO at Barracuda, shares how she’s building a smart, secure foundation for AI—-from setting up an AI council, to governing agents, and creating employee guidelines that protect innovation. She also shares how AI is transforming IT operations and unlocking new levels of productivity across the enterprise.About the Guest: Siroui Mushegian is the Chief Information Officer (CIO) at Barracuda. Siroui joined Barracuda most recently from BlackLine, where she was responsible for all aspects of BlackLine's internal corporate IT. Before BlackLine, she held executive IT leadership roles at PBS’s WNET New York Public Media, the NBA, Ralph Lauren, and Time, Inc. Bringing more than 20 years of executive and IT leadership experience, Siroui has successfully built strong operational environments that eliminate technology silos, elevated the maturity and impact of technology within her enterprises and delivered measurable and scalable business outcomes. Siroui holds a Master of Business Administration in Management and Strategy from Fordham University’s Gabelli School of Business and a bachelor’s in mathematics and finance from University of Connecticut.Timestamps:*(04:10) -  Skills for Future CIOs*(07:00) -  Barracuda’s AI and Automation Projects*(08:50) -  Tips for AI Security *(33:25) -   The Importance of Community and CollaborationGuest Highlights:“ A lot of people are worried they are going to work themselves right out of a job. It remains very important for us to keep our position as thought leaders to hold that mantle high.”“ Your partnerships with your colleagues and leaders across the enterprise will help you get more done than any AI agent will.”“ I love the concept of the education we're getting ready to roll out  in a curated way to people who are going to take these tools and come up with solutions that I could never in my life think of because I don't sit in their shoes every day.”Get Connected:Siroui Mushegian on LinkedInIan Faison on LinkedInResources:Learn more about Barracuda: barracuda.comHungry for more tech talk? Check out these past episodes:Ep 58 - AI-Driven Workplace TransformationEp 57 - The CIO Roadmap to Executive LeadershipEp 56 - Best Proactive Cybersecurity Strategies for CIOsLearn more about Caspian Studios: caspianstudios.comCan’t get enough AI? Check out The New Automation Mindset Podcast for more in-depth conversations about strategies leadership in AI, automation, and orchestration. Brought to you by the automation experts at Workato. Start Listening: www.workato.com/podcast Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Saket Srivastava is the Chief Information Officer at work management platform Asana. Saket oversees Asana's IT organization, including optimizing technology systems and processes, connecting technology strategy to overarching business strategy, and ensuring that technology infrastructure supports organizational goals. Previously, Saket held executive positions at Square, Guidewire Software, and other leading technology companies. Saket holds a Master of Computer Applications (MCA) from the Institute of Management Technology, Ghaziabad, and an MBA from UC Berkeley's Haas School of Business.Timestamps:*(01:30) -  Asana's Impact and Internal Operation*(08:15) -  AI and Employee Experience*(13:25) -  Collaboration and Cross-Departmental Partnership*(19:05) -  Future Trends and SkillsGuest Highlights:“When you add business understanding with technology understanding, that makes a deadly combination where you can serve and help move the needle for your business.”“The reality is we get sold all the time, every day. When you show up as a practitioner, as a peer, and you're ready to talk about the good, the bad, the ugly, there's a lot of power.”“ Good news is bad news being delivered early. It's so important to be able to create a healthy environment where you can talk about those risks.”Get Connected:Saket Srivastava on LinkedInIan Faison on LinkedInResources:Learn more about Asana: http://asana.com/Hungry for more tech talk? Check out these past episodes:Ep 57 - The CIO Roadmap to Executive LeadershipEp 56 - Best Proactive Cybersecurity Strategies for CIOsEp 55 - Engineering Leadership for Scale, Agility, and MomentumLearn more about Caspian Studios: caspianstudios.comCan’t get enough AI? Check out The New Automation Mindset Podcast for more in-depth conversations about strategies leadership in AI, automation, and orchestration. Brought to you by the automation experts at Workato. Start Listening: www.workato.com/podcast Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Rich Horwath, CEO of Strategic Thinking Institute and best-selling author, shares strategies that help CIOs to elevate their strategic thinking—providing a roadmap for transitioning from technical leaders to visionary business executives. Drawing from his advisory work with top-tier technology leaders, Horwoth breaks down the critical skills needed to move beyond operational management and position themselves as strong CEO candidates.About the Guest: Rich Horwath is the founder and CEO of the Strategic Thinking Institute where he facilitates strategy workshops to help executive leadership teams think, plan, and act strategically to set direction, create advantage, and maximize their leadership performance. He is a New York Times and Wall Street Journal bestselling author of eight books on strategic thinking, including his new book: STRATEGIC: The Skill to Set Direction, Create Advantage, and Achieve Executive Excellence. He’s published two articles in the Harvard Business Review this past year and has helped more than one million leaders develop their strategic thinking and planning skills over the past two decades in pursuit of his vision to teach the world to be strategic.Timestamps:*(01:35) - The CIO to CEO Journey*(07:25) - Innovation and Competitive Strategy*(28:45) - Future State Thinking for CIOs*(44:05) - Transitioning from CIO to CEOGuest Highlights:“The great CIOs understand that it's not about copying. It's about creating and innovating by understanding the competition.”"If you're really being strategic, you're going to tick a lot of people off internally and externally."“What are we trying to achieve? And how are we going to do it? So planning can be too complex sometimes, but it boils down to those two questions.”Get Connected:Rich Horwath on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/richhorwathIan Faison on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/ianfaisonResources:Learn more about the Strategic Thinking Institute: www.strategyskills.comHungry for more tech talk? Check out these past episodes:Ep 56 - Best Proactive Cybersecurity Strategies for CIOsEp 55 - Engineering Leadership for Scale, Agility, and MomentumEp 54 - AI Business Strategy for CIOsLearn more about Caspian Studios: www.caspianstudios.comCan’t get enough AI? Check out The New Automation Mindset Podcast for more in-depth conversations about strategies leadership in AI, automation, and orchestration. Brought to you by the automation experts at Workato. Start Listening: www.workato.com/podcast Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Carl Froggett, CIO at Deep Instinct, breaks down the AI-driven disruptions reshaping the cybersecurity landscape. From navigating complex security architectures to busting big data myths, Carl offers strategic advice for CIOs and CISOs on staying one step ahead in a rapidly evolving tech world.About the Guest: Carl Froggett, CIO of Deep Instinct, brings nearly 30 years of experience to the role. Previously, as Head of Global Infrastructure Defense and CISO Cybersecurity Services at Citi, he led risk reduction efforts across devices and networks in 100+ countries. Now, he oversees Deep Instinct’s infrastructure growth, internal systems, security, and processes to support global expansion and strategic partnerships.Timestamps:*(08:10) - The Impact of AI on Cybersecurity*(25:45) - Rising IT Spending and Persistent Breaches*(28:00) - Challenges and Strategies for Modern CIOs and CISOs*(32:10) - The Future of Cybersecurity and Deep LearningGuest Highlights:“It takes a level of leadership to say, ‘Hey, our investment over here has been great for the last 5, 6, 7, or 10 years, but that is no longer good enough. We need to replace, we need to reinvest, and we need to retrain.’”“We need to be more aggressive on the front-foot as the defenders. Just protecting your endpoint is not enough—your endpoint's the last resort. If your endpoint fails, game over.”“When opportunity knocks, you say, ‘Come on in.’ It doesn't matter if it’s a role that you were hired to do and it's outside of that role, say yes and get involved. More experience leads to you knowing more people.”Get Connected:Carl Froggett on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/carlfroggettIan Faison on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/ianfaisonResources:Learn more about Deep Instinct: www.deepinstinct.comHungry for more tech talk? Check out these past episodes:Ep 55 - Engineering Leadership for Scale, Agility, and MomentumEp 54 - AI Business Strategy for CIOsEp 53 - Business-First IT in the AI EraLearn more about Caspian Studios: www.caspianstudios.comCan’t get enough AI? Check out The New Automation Mindset Podcast for more in-depth conversations about strategies leadership in AI, automation, and orchestration. Brought to you by the automation experts at Workato. Start Listening: www.workato.com/podcast Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Jason LaFollette, CTO at Yext, shares his product-driven approach to leading agile teams, maintaining tech debt, and using a “top-down, bottom-up” style to keep productivity and momentum high.About the Guest: Jason LaFollette is Yext's Chief of Technology. Jason joined the company in 2014 and built out the enterprise consulting side of the business before moving over to product engineering and technology. Prior to joining Yext, Jason was CEO and co-founder of Citrrus, a professional services company specializing in mobile app development and wearable devices, which Yext acquired as the company's first acquisition. Timestamps:*(02:30) - Understanding Yext's Business Model*(04:55) - Leadership and Team Management Strategies*(14:20) - Scaling and Technical Debt Management*(24:00) - Adopting New Technologies and AIGuest Highlights:“What I'm looking for is momentum with the teams, momentum with the people, momentum with the systems. If you get fixated on the tactical parts... It's a false sense that you're doing something great, but you’ll hit a ceiling quickly in terms of productivity.”“We only want process when it accelerates us… Once we've proven that we know how to do it manually by keeping smart and talented people in the loop and making good situational decisions is our secret sauce to scale with a lot less pain.”“If something is important to us, the company, or the management team and we aren't measuring and watching it, other people aren't going to value it either. I've come to adopt a mix of top-down and bottom-up leadership where we can't have all-of-one or all-of-the-other, or everything falls apart.”Get Connected:Jason LaFollette on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/jasonlafolletteIan Faison on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/ianfaisonResources:Learn more about Yext: www.yext.comHungry for more tech talk? Check out these past episodes:Ep 54 - AI Business Strategy for CIOsEp 53 - Business-First IT in the AI EraEp 52 - Empowering Citizen Developers and Reshaping Business with AILearn more about Caspian Studios: www.caspianstudios.comCan’t get enough AI? Check out The New Automation Mindset Podcast for more in-depth conversations about strategies leadership in AI, automation, and orchestration. Brought to you by the automation experts at Workato. Start Listening: www.workato.com/podcast Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Naveen Zutshi, CIO at Databricks, shares his strategies for successful AI implementation. This must-listen episode is perfect for tech leaders wanting to learn how to craft an effective AI strategy, bridge gaps in tech teams, and drive innovation in your organization.About the Guest: Naveen Zutshi is the CIO at Databricks, previously CIO at Palo Alto Networks where he managed analytics, applications, and infrastructure. Before that, he was SVP of Infrastructures & Ops at Gap and held roles at a SaaS startup and Cisco.Timestamps:*(04:40) - Cybersecurity and Data Privacy*(20:00) - Ensuring Data Quality and AI Strategy*(28:45) - Future Trends and Innovations in Tech*(31:35) - Advice for CIOs Guest Highlights:“There's a significant amount of pull from CEOs on the CIO to define the AI strategy for their company. As technology leaders… We have an opportunity to actually provide data and AI strategy, and then help influence that strategy towards ultimate business goals.”“Often, we want to move quickly into the AI world but then realize our data set is in bad shape… First and foremost, you need a clear data strategy and you need to execute on the strategy.”“Having business and users buy-in is key — making sure that you are solving for the right problem rather than looking for a problem because you now have a solution.”Get Connected:Naveen Zutshi on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/nzutshiIan Faison on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/ianfaisonResources:Learn more about Databricks: www.databricks.comRead Naveen’s AI insights and more on Forbes: https://bit.ly/4frJ93tLearn more about Caspian Studios: www.caspianstudios.comCan’t get enough AI? Check out The New Automation Mindset Podcast for more in-depth conversations about strategies leadership in AI, automation, and orchestration. Brought to you by the automation experts at Workato. Start Listening: www.workato.com/podcast Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.