ServiceNow Series: 'Unlock ServiceNow's Source-to-Pay Potential' with Aavenir's Jesal Mehta

Today's guest is Jesal Mehta, Founder and CEO at Aavenir. Founded in 2019, Aavenir is an AI-powered SaaS platform that streamlines Source-to-Pay processes by automating procurement, vendor onboarding, contract lifecycle, obligations and accounts-payable. Built on ServiceNow, it unifies procurement, legal, finance and compliance teams with real-time insights, scalable workflows and strong security. Aavenir helps enterprises accelerate contract cycles, reduce costs, manage risk and simplify procurement operations globally.Jesal is a seasoned enterprise software executive with deep experience driving product growth through innovative strategies and high-performing teams across India and the USA. He brings strong leadership in Procure-to-Pay and contract management, including ownership of a flagship CLM product and execution of cross-functional strategies for aggressive growth. He has also built and led offshore development centers in India, managing full delivery, services and support while scaling organizations through leading SI partnerships.In the episode, Jesal discusses:0:00 Techie-turned-leader specialising in CLM and platform solutions2:50 Aavenir’s focus on AI-enabled, native ServiceNow source-to-pay solutions with integrated CLM4:16 Becoming a ServiceNow-focused firm delivering modern AI-powered source-to-pay transformations6:28 Complementing ServiceNow by delivering deep, missing source-to-pay capabilities9:12 How he built a remote, domain-expert team trained on ServiceNow11:34 Why domain knowledge and empathy matter more than technology platforms13:58 How AI supercharges products and internal productivity for faster delivery17:00 Why innovation, customer focus and joy drive everything they do

Today's guest is Peter Castillo, Director of Technology Operations Center Platforms at Toyota Financial Services. Founded in 2000, Toyota Financial Services help millions of Toyota customers drive the vehicle of their dreams, thanks to their flexible financing and leasing, voluntary protection products and well-rounded auto insurance offerings. Inspired to always strive for quality, convenience and consistency, one of their main goals is to deliver exceptional customer service that matches the exceptional quality of Toyota vehicles.With over 25 years of engineering experience and 15 years leading and managing critical systems in highly regulated environments, Peter combines technical expertise with thoughtful, strategic leadership. He is a servant leader who strongly believes in the power of conversation, identifying the most efficient path from Point A to Point B, the importance of time and perspective, and rarely is something more important not to stand up and turn the vinyl record to Side B.In the episode, Peter discusses:0:00 His career journey from odd jobs to ServiceNow expert3:42 Toyota Financial Services as world’s largest auto lender, focusing on vehicle financing5:21 His role to focus on scaling and modernizing Toyota’s mature ServiceNow platform9:04 Balancing stability, technical debt and innovation through thoughtful AI adoption12:41 Promoting ServiceNow’s value, talent development and internship opportunities at Toyota17:21 Offering stability, strong culture and customer-focused innovation

Today's guest is Jason Veiock, Founder & CEO at Bearing. Founded in 2025, Bearing's software solution digitally transforms corporate security on ServiceNow. Their expert team, which spans leadership of converged Global Security programs to the management of Global Security Operations Centers (GSOCs), brings a wealth of firsthand knowledge to address the persistent challenges their clients face. Bearing are committed to delivering transformative solutions that redefine security management for the modern enterprise.Jason is a data-driven and risk-informed security executive with a focus on strategy development, enhanced resilience and business enablement. He is successful in building and leading teams defending against full-spectrum threats spanning the cyber, physical and global security realms. He has a proven track record in managing programs, vendors and budget with on-time execution & delivery. Jason is experienced in both the corporate and government sectors as a seasoned law enforcement, intelligence and security professional.In the episode, Jason discusses:0:00 Ex-law enforcement founder now digitizing corporate security via ServiceNow3:36 As AI is reshaping founders, experience and critical thinking matter5:04 Solving physical security inefficiencies through practitioner-led workflow automation9: 19 Unifying corporate security and operations natively on ServiceNow12:18 Using AI on ServiceNow to detect workplace threats and support HR17:10 How workflow automation boosts security efficiency, consistency and ROI19:28 Why balancing AI agents versus scripted workflows is key startup challenge22:10 Driving Bearing’s success by balancing security expertise with ServiceNow skillsTo find out more about all the great work happening at Bearing, check out the website www.getyourbearing.com

Today's guest is David Petrou, Founder & CEO at Continua AI. Founded in 2023, Continua has brought the power of LLMs to group chat. Most AI tools today operate in “single-player” mode, but we’re social creatures, inspired and motivated through group conversation. So Continua asked: what if AI could be a quiet, helpful member of the group? That question led to Social AI - technology that fades into the background, acting not as a demanding interface but as a shared layer of intelligence that strengthens human connection.David and his team are building AI that helps people feel more connected, not less. He believes technology should strengthen empathy and relationships, not compete for attention. Previously, David was a Distinguished Software Engineer (L9) at Google, where he helped create Google Goggles and Google Glass, and led efforts to bring machine intelligence to Pixel and Android. His career centers on exploring how technology can understand context and quietly enhance meaningful human connection.In this episode, David talks about:0:00 His journey from Google veteran to AI entrepreneur founding Continua AI2:20 How AI has evolved from single-user tools to collaborative group intelligence5:58 How Continua adds socially intelligent AI to everyday group chats10:23 Expanding from group chat AI to real-time group collaboration13:10 Simplifying coordination and strengthens real-world social connections15:51 Building complex group-AI tech through strong, collaborative teamwork18:41 How Continua pursues social AI toward AGI, with strong team and hiring

Today's guest is Annette Muldowney, Vice President - ServiceNow Manager at MidWestOne Bank. Founded in 1934, MidWestOne Bank is a relationship-driven community bank that provides comprehensive financial solutions, including personal and business banking, lending, trust services and wealth management. Guided by values of integrity, teamwork and impact, MidWestOne Bank aims to generate meaningful outcomes for both their customers and communities.Annette is a resourceful and innovative leader with over 20 years of technical management, project implementation and customer experience expertise across private, public and Fortune 500 sectors. As a ServiceNow Platform Owner, Annette oversees roadmap creation, governance and adoption strategies to ensure seamless user experiences and measurable results. She is recognized for a collaborative leadership style, commitment to excellence and ability to deliver impactful, technology-driven organizational change.In the episode, Annette talks about:0:00 Driving financial innovation with ServiceNow for efficiency, transparency3:06 Her role driving service management transformation at MidWestOne3:52 Focusing on FSO, CSM, and emerging GRC initiatives5:32 How her team is leveraging partners to manage ServiceNow implementation8:02 Driving a phased ServiceNow implementation using crawl, walk, run approach10:56 How Executive support and right vendor critical for ServiceNow success13:12 Why building personal connection with vendors, fit and vision matter most14:35 Advice to lead by example, stay fact-based, and measure what matters18:03 The need to deeply understand the business to drive long-term platform success

Today's guest is Scott Livingston, Director, IT Service Strategy, Transition and Improvement at enGen. Founded in 2014, enGen - a subsidiary of Highmark Health - transforms healthcare through technology-driven operations. Serving over 11 million members, it integrates people, processes and systems via its TechOps approach. Its platforms, including the EHS administrative system, Predictal™ care management and Providius provider tools, enhance efficiency, improve outcomes and simplify the healthcare experience.Scott is an accomplished IT executive leading a 115-person international Platform and Service Management organization with a ~$14M annual budget. He drives strategic initiatives across Service Management, including generative AI adoption, ServiceNow ITSM/ITOM implementation and ITSM analytics. Known for building strong stakeholder relationships, Scott delivers operational efficiency, cost savings and measurable business value by aligning technology, strategy and high-performing teams to organizational objectives.In the episode, Scott discusses:0:00 His journey as an IT leader blending service management with healthcare technology4:27 Choosing ServiceNow for innovation, scalability, and future readiness8:28 Pursuing zero service desk and zero incident vision11:23 Their rapid ServiceNow adoption, now advancing with generative AI17:43 Balancing self-implementation with a strong partner collaboration for growth21: 23 Investing in AI-driven automation to transform healthcare efficiency and outcomes

Today's guest is Sara Wyman, Founder & CEO at Stackpack. Founded in 2023, Stackpack is an AI-powered platform built for Finance, Operations and IT teams that streamlines spend, vendor and contract management. It delivers fast visibility into where money is going, automates contract renewals and approvals, centralizes vendor data and helps reduce waste - all without a heavy implementation burden. Their mission is to connect the world’s companies with the right partners, at the right time, on the right terms.Inspired by her experience at high-growth companies where vendor and contract chaos slowed teams down, Sara founded Stackpack to create a true system of record for third-party relationships. Under her leadership, Stackpack has raised significant funding, including a $6.3M seed round, to accelerate its growth. Before launching Stackpack, Sara served as Vice President of Strategic Partnerships and Enterprise Sales at Affirm, and held senior sales leadership roles at Etsy.In this episode, Sara talks about:0:00 Her journey from finance to tech, building marketplaces and founding Stackpack2:13 Stackpack’s AI-native platform turning vendor data into cost-saving insights4:06 Streamlining vendor discovery, management, contracts and renewals7:24 Delivering rapid cost savings, visibility and risk reduction10:14 Their small, remote-first team with big-company experience and culture12:19 Advancing their AI assistant by unifying UX and expanding vendor discovery14:59 Hiring in engineering, customer support and go-to-market roles

Today's guest is Matthew Smenos, Principal Programs Manager, Global Veterans Skillbridge at ServiceNow. Matthew focuses on program development and strategy, leading the design and implementation of the Global Veterans Skillbridge program to ensure it reaches diverse veteran communities worldwide. He develops strategies to scale the program globally, identify opportunities for innovation, and continuously enhance its effectiveness and impact.Collaboration is central to Matthew’s work. He partners with internal teams - including HR, Talent Acquisition, and Diversity & Inclusion - to align the program with ServiceNow’s broader workforce initiatives. He also cultivates relationships with external organizations such as veteran advocacy groups, government agencies and educational institutions to amplify the program’s reach and influence.In the episode, Matthew discusses:0:00 His background as military veteran, educator, consultant & program manager dedicated to service08:39 Building veteran career paths through ServiceNow's RiseUp program12:25 Their free 16-week ServiceNow training preparing veterans for tech careers15:02 Success measured by veteran job placement and certifications earned17:25 The story of Josh who became a certified ServiceNow architect23:44 Expanding SkillBridge with AI, scaling veteran training opportunities

Today's guest is Kyle Ryan, Senior Engineering Manager and Principal Engineer at Dune Security. Founded in 2023, Dune Security’s User Adaptive Risk Management solution automatically prevents insider threats in real time. With 90% of breaches starting from human error, traditional phishing simulations and compliance training often fail to reduce real-world risk. Dune addresses this with a unified platform that continuously monitors behavior, tailors interventions and adapts protections around high-risk users.Kyle is highly skilled in AI & Machine Learning research and development, with a specialization in building secure, robust and scalable systems for cutting-edge cybersecurity solutions. He is currently developing advanced technologies to prevent AI-powered social engineering attacks and enable real-time, dynamic risk profiling of employees. Kyle believes that as threat actors evolve, organizations must adapt using data-driven methods to reduce the attack surface and strengthen defenses.In this episode, Kyle talks about:0:00 His journey from early chatbot work to founding engineer at Dune2:19 How Dune Security simulates advanced phishing attacks to train users4:45 How his role evolved from generalist to AI R&D8:17 Delivering authentic threat simulations and risk visibility for organizations11:20 Why future threats will be hyper-personalised, cross-channel and AI-driven14:58 His key advice to stay on AI’s cutting edge and solve hard problemsTo find out more about all the great work happening at Dune Security, check out the website www.dune.security

Today's guest is Yogesh Ailawadi, Head of Products & Innovation - Identity, Safety and Security at Alert Enterprise. Founded in 2007, Alert Enterprise's mission is the seamless convergence of advanced physical access control, identity management and workspace automation. Their solutions are designed to empower businesses with secure, flexible and efficient work environments, catering to the dynamic needs of today’s workforce. They understand that in the digital era, the security of physical and digital assets is paramount.Yogesh leads Alert Enterprise’s global product management and solutions engineering teams and brings over 15 years of experience in information security, identity and access governance across IT, Physical and OT systems. He has led global deployments of PIAM/IAM solutions for Fortune 100/500 customers across various industries. Yogesh is well versed in industry regulatory standards with a deep understanding of engineering concepts and technologies, and their usage in the security domain.In the episode, Yogesh discusses:0:00 An insight into his 20-year career in security, product and innovation3:10 Pioneering physical security governance across critical industries at Alert Enterprise5:27 Expanding physical GRC by integrating with the ServiceNow platform8:04 Seeing a high-demand from large, regulated industries using ServiceNow workflows10:07 Product live on ServiceNow with focus on AI-driven access solutions11:39 Focusing on product innovation, scaling through global partners13:42 Bringing physical security workflows and AI use cases to ServiceNow