ServiceNow Series E221: Transforming Release Management with ServiceNow DPR with Bank of America's Hanz Shawel

Today's guest is Hanz Shawel, VP ServiceNow Delivery at Bank of America. Founded in 1904, Bank of America is one of the world’s leading financial institutions. Headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina, it provides banking, investment, wealth management and risk management services to individuals, businesses, corporations and institutions. The company combines an extensive global presence with digital capabilities to help clients manage their finances, achieve their goals and navigate an evolving financial landscape.Hanz is a technology and operations executive with over 25 years of experience leading enterprise transformation across finance, retail, healthcare and telecoms. He combines deep technical expertise with operational leadership, overseeing global teams, budgets and complex regulated programs. His achievements include delivering $49 million in savings, improving throughput by 400% and leading a $110 million pharmacy transformation. In his role, Hanz scales enterprise platforms, strengthens governance and turns strategic investment into measurable business resultsIn the episode, Hanz talks about:0:00 His journey from developer to ServiceNow leader, driving enterprise transformation and standardization2:32 Implementing ServiceNow DPR (Digital Product Release) to transform release management for regulated organizations4:12 Introducing DPR to improve release rigor, control and infrastructure coordination5:58 How ServiceNow DPR orchestrates release processes, ensuring consistency and traceability7:38 Simplifying complex technology concepts to secure executive buy-in10:00 Why a successful DPR implementation requires expertise, partnerships, funding and organizational change13:26 Prioritizing passionate, strategic thinkers with strong architectural mindsets16:15 How release management is evolving toward automated, decentralized, product-led operating models19:53 Why ServiceNow enables faster transformation through automation, standardization and flexibility

Today's guest is Ian Naccarella, CEO and Co-Founder at 83 Sciences. Founded in 2026 and backed by Y Combinator, 83 Sciences is an AI materials discovery company that transforms unpublished experimental data into searchable scientific knowledge. Its platform captures information from laboratory notebooks, voice notes and scientific instruments, helping researchers optimize experiments, accelerate materials discovery and turn overlooked data into publications, patents, commercial products and industry-academic partnerships.Prior to co-founding 83 Sciences, Ian was an entrepreneurial fellow at MIT focused on commercializing new climate technologies with professors. He was also a strategy manager at battery materials company Sila Nanotechnologies and a consultant with Boston Consulting Group, focusing on areas such as Climate and Sustainability, Cleantech, Consumer Tech, Public Sector and Financial Institutions. Ian also holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees in Chemical Engineering from Stanford University and an MBA from Harvard Business School.In the episode, Ian talks about:0:00 His journey from engineering and consulting to an AI materials startup3:48 Turning frontier AI discoveries into synthesizable real-world materials5:21 How AI discovers enabling materials that accelerate core battery innovation7:17 How Frontier AI links material synthesis, structure and properties10:42 Scaling experimental data pipelines to automate materials discovery12:53 The opportunity to build an AI science company and team from scratchTo find out more about all the great work happening at 83 Sciences, check out the website www.83sciences.ai

Today's guest is Josh Builder, Chief Technology Officer at Datavant. Founded in 2017, Datavant is a healthcare data collaboration platform that makes health data secure, accessible and actionable. Its technology connects fragmented health data, enabling compliant information exchange across providers, payers, life sciences companies and government agencies. This unified network supports faster insights, better decision-making and new AI-driven healthcare applicationsJosh is a senior technology and product leader who solves complex business challenges through advanced technology and data. He has worked alongside founders and CEOs to turn ambitious ideas into scalable solutions, drive growth and navigate significant change. Combining strategic vision with deep technical and operational expertise, Josh translates complex concepts into practical outcomes and builds diverse, high-performing teams that promote innovation and operational excellence.In the episode, Josh talks about:0:00 Driving technology-driven transformations across music, fashion, fitness and healthcare3:55 Why technology should enhance human experiences, not replace them9:29 Helping Rent the Runway evolve from event rentals to everyday workwear subscriptions11:32 Using technology to securely connect fragmented healthcare data for better patient care15:27 His focus on AI governance, developer autonomy and evaluation-driven engineering at Datavant18:09 How AI reshapes engineering teams around evolving business needs19:59 How AI will transform engineering, but experience, mentorship and fundamentals remain critical24:03 Plans to scale the AI-native engineering teams in Galway, Ireland25:18 How Datavant connects, secures and unlocks healthcare data insightsTo find out more about all the great work happening at Datavant, check out the website www.datavant.com

Today's guest is Dianne Kokotoff, Executive Director, Enterprise Solutions and Automation at Wellstar Health System. Founded in 1993, Wellstar is one of the largest nonprofit healthcare systems in the Southeast, serving communities across Georgia through more than 400 care locations, including 11 hospitals. With more than 35,000 team members, Wellstar provides comprehensive, patient-centered care across a wide range of specialties, while also investing in innovation, research, technology and community health.Dianne is an experienced technology executive with a strong track record across financial services and healthcare. She leads ServiceNow and Automation teams, driving IT operational excellence, platform strategy, governance and continuous improvement across ITSM, ITOM, ITBM and SecOps. Her expertise also spans Robotic Process Automation, Agile transformation, enterprise architecture, process improvement and requirements analysis, with a focus on delivering technology strategies aligned with business goals.In the episode, Dianne talks about:0:00 Her journey from military communications to pioneering ServiceNow leadership5:04 Transforming ServiceNow adoption across Wellstar Health System6:32 How strong processes and quality data drove ServiceNow success10:58 Expanding ServiceNow into an enterprise-wide transformation platform12:53 Getting stakeholder buy-in to drive successful technology implementations15:47 How her lean ServiceNow team delivers enterprise-scale success17:45 Expanding ServiceNow with AI agents and innovation

Today's guest is Paul Collins, Regional Information Security Officer, Europe at U.S. Bank. Founded in 1863, U.S. Bank is one of the largest commercial banks in the United States, providing a broad range of financial services to individuals, businesses and organizations. With a strong focus on innovation, digital banking, payments and customer experience, U.S. Bank serves millions of customers across the U.S. and internationally, including through its global payments business, Elavon.Paul is an experienced Information Security leader with over 35 years in IT and cybersecurity, including more than 20 years in CISO and senior security roles within international financial services. He has worked closely with financial regulators and industry bodies across Europe and the U.S. Currently part of the U.S. Bank Information Security Services leadership team, Paul is responsible for information security across all U.S. Bank business lines in Europe. He is passionate about cybersecurity, collaboration and knowledge sharing.In the episode, Paul talks about:0:00 His 35 year journey of tech evolution and cybersecurity insights2:56 How curiosity drove his cybersecurity career as internet security evolved4:09 His role at U.S. Bank Europe within payments security and operations 5:11 Seeing financial cyber threats focus on money, ransomware, suppliers and regulation7:30 Underestimating supplier risk in banking cybersecurity8:46 How AI is accelerating cyber attacks and lowering the barrier for threat actors11:24 The need for training, vigilance and realistic phishing awareness14:03 How organized cybercrime forces security to balance friction and experience16:38 Global security leadership relies on daily collaboration and communication19:38 Cyber careers need experience, internships and practical skills over certifications

Today's guest is Clare Hickie, Chief Technology Officer, EMEA at Workday. Founded in 2005, Workday is a leading enterprise software company that provides cloud-based solutions for human capital management (HCM), finance, planning and AI-powered business operations. Workday serves more than 11,500 organizations worldwide, including over 65% of the Fortune 500. Workday helps businesses streamline operations, improve workforce management and make faster, data-driven decisions through its secure, intelligent cloud platform.In her role with Workday, Clare partners with senior business and technology leaders to help organizations transform how they manage people, finance and AI. With more than 30 years of experience in enterprise technology, Clare began her career on the customer side, spending 15 years at GSK before joining Workday in 2018. She is a recognized leader in responsible AI, cloud transformation and enterprise innovation, with a strong focus on building trusted, human-centered AI solutions that deliver measurable business impact.In the episode, Clare discusses:0:00 How AI conversations evolved from skepticism to agentic productivity5:51 Co-creating with customers to deliver proven AI outcomes7:19 How Workday’s AI agents deliver significant productivity gains9:06 Creating consistent AI experiences built on a unified platform12:46 Responsible AI requires governance, transparency and risk management17: 33 How trust and responsible AI drive lasting customer adoptionTo find out more about all the great work happening at Workday, check out the website www.workday.com

Today's guest is Wessel van Enk, two-time ServiceNow MVP and Tech Lead ServiceNow HR at KLM. Founded in 1919, KLM Royal Dutch Airlines is the national airline of the Netherlands and the world’s oldest airline. As part of the Air France–KLM Group and the SkyTeam alliance, KLM connects passengers to hundreds of destinations worldwide through its hub at Amsterdam Schiphol Airport, offering passenger, cargo and engineering services with a strong focus on customer experience and more sustainable aviation.Wessel is a two-time ServiceNow MVP (2025 & 2026) and ServiceNow Rising Star (2024) with more than a decade of experience helping organisations transform manual processes into efficient, automated workflows. Combining strategic business insight with deep technical expertise, he delivers practical solutions that improve operations and employee experiences. Wessel excels in global environments, bringing cross-cultural collaboration, calm leadership and a pragmatic approach to complex ServiceNow implementations.In the episode, Wessel talks about:0:00 His journey from service desk agent to Employee Workflows specialist2:38 Joining KLM to help lead its Employee Workflows transformation4:12 Earning two MVP awards through community leadership and content creation7: 04 Giving back to the ServiceNow community through knowledge sharing8:27 How Hands-on learning and scripting skills accelerated career growth9:45 Navigating complex global HR transformations across countries and cultures11:44 How AI accelerates ServiceNow adoption and empowers teams13:56 Excited about AI making ServiceNow more human-centered and efficient

Today's guest is Martin Duffy, Head of GenAI at PWC Ireland. Founded in 1866, PwC Ireland is one of the country's leading professional services firms, providing audit, tax, consulting, deals and technology services. By combining deep industry expertise with a global network, PwC helps organisations drive transformation, solve complex business challenges and create sustainable value in an increasingly digital world.Martin is a senior data and analytics consultant with over 30 years of experience helping organisations harness data to drive better business outcomes. He specialises in analytics strategy, building high-performing analytics functions and advancing organisational analytics maturity. With extensive experience across the financial services, public sector and manufacturing industries, Martin helps organisations unlock the full value of their data and make smarter, data-driven decisions.In the episode, Martin discusses:0:00 His journey from early neural networks to modern GPT scale AI evolution2:08 How their Client Zero AI journey shifted to human-centric trust approach3:42 Their focus on automating tasks to drive AI adoption and trust7:05 How Personal AI wins drive adoption and organisational growth choices9:48 Top AI leaders combine governance, responsibility and growth mindset11:00 How AI success blends leadership and grassroots adoption12:01 Irish firms lag due to caution, process redesign and operating model maturity13:21 The need to choose mindset, lead visibly and prioritise people change

Today's guest is Sumeet Vaidya, Co-Founder and CEO at Crafting. Founded in 2021, Crafting is an AI infrastructure platform that enables engineering teams to deploy autonomous coding agents in secure, production-like environments. Designed for enterprise organizations, the platform allows AI agents to write, test, validate and ship software using real infrastructure, data and dependencies. Crafting helps businesses accelerate software delivery while maintaining enterprise-grade security, reliability and operational control.Sumeet is an experienced engineering leader and entrepreneur focused on solving complex challenges that improve productivity. He has built and scaled high-performing teams across developer tools, consumer products, marketplaces and enterprise integrations. As an angel investor and advisor, he helps founders achieve product-market fit, strengthen their technology and business strategies, and build scalable companies. Sumeet is passionate about enabling teams to solve meaningful problems and create lasting impact.In the episode, Sumeet talks about:0:00 His journey from big tech roles to startup founder2:27 Crafting’s shift from improving developer tooling to now enabling AI agents4:43 Betting on AI agents despite industry skepticism7:36 Building an enterprise-first AI agent infrastructure for scaling globally11:57 Why Agents need real testing capabilities to succeed15:43 Why engineering leaders are caught between AI hype and practical execution pressure19:46 The need for engineers to focus on outcomes and founders to understand motivationTo find out more about all the great work happening at Crafting, check out the website www.crafting.dev

Today's guest is Kim Beene, Solution Sales Executive- Federal ITx at ServiceNow. Founded in 2003, ServiceNow is a leading enterprise cloud platform that enables organizations to automate, optimize and transform digital workflows across IT, HR, customer service and business operations. By connecting people, processes and technology on a single platform, ServiceNow helps businesses improve efficiency, eliminate manual tasks, enhance employee and customer experiences, and accelerate digital transformation at scale.Kim is a ServiceNow and IT Service Management leader with over 17 years’ experience in the ServiceNow ecosystem and more than 20 years in ITSM. Kim played a key role in the growth of Highmetric (now NewRocket), supporting ServiceNow solution delivery, customer success and platform adoption. Passionate about empowering teams, improving processes and building strong client relationships, Kim combines deep technical expertise with the ability to translate complex technology into meaningful business outcomes.In the episode, Kim discusses:0:00 Her career journey from service desk analyst to 1,000+ ServiceNow implementations2:25 Helping Army and Air Force modernize projects and assets3:39 Why successful implementations require leadership, change management and clear goals5:41 Advice to create internal champions by using the platform from day one7:28 Why empathetic leadership builds stronger teams and lasting professional relationships11:06 Successful AI adoption depends on people, training and change management14:24 Her advice to believe in yourself and build a career that helps others17:19 Great leaders inspire others through empathy, learning and knowledge sharing19:50 Finding work/life balance to prioritize family, time and life’s moments23:14 Excitement for ServiceNow growth, leadership and future opportunities