Unlocking the Predictive Value of AI in Retail - with Levi’s Chief AI Officer Katia Walsh

Today’s guests are Arkestro Founder & Chief Strategy Officer Edmund Zagorin and Johnson & Johnson Chief Procurement Officer Len DeCandia. Arkestro is an AI-driven startup in the procurement space with broad partnerships across the automotive, construction, and manufacturing sectors, including Johnson & Johnson and Koch Industries. Together, the two discuss procurement from a distinct leadership perspective and the broad range of challenges, from keeping talent ahead of scaling to the post-pandemic realities of recovering supply chains. If you’ve enjoyed or benefited from some of the insights of this episode, consider leaving us a five-star review on Apple Podcasts, and let us know what you learned, found helpful, or liked most about this show!

Today’s guest is Chris Helsel, Senior Vice President of Global Operations and Chief Technology Officer at The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company. Despite the disparity in the predictions about self-driving cars that were made a decade ago, the era of automated transportation is close at hand. Chris joins the podcast today to discuss the enormous implications of the transition for numerous industries, from consumer goods to manufacturing and retail, and every industry that touches on transportation. To access Emerj’s frameworks for AI readiness, ROI, and strategy, visit Emerj Plus at emerj.com/p1.

Today’s guest is Dr. John Almasan, Head of AI & Emerging Technologies at TIAA. TIAA, or the Teachers Insurance and Annuity Association of America-College Retirement Equities Fund, is a US-based insurance provider specializing in retirement services in areas like academia, research, healthcare, and government. Dr. Almasan joins Emerj CEO and Head of Research Daniel Faggella on today’s podcast to discuss AI in insurance with a focus on governance, talent, and innovation. Together, they cover practical use cases in customer experience, fraud detection, and marketing throughout the episode. If you've enjoyed or benefited from some of the insights of this episode, consider leaving us a five-star review on Apple Podcasts, and let us know what you learned, found helpful, or liked most about this show!

Today’s guest is Shreyas Becker, Head of AI & Data Products, Manufacturing & Supply at Sanofi. Shreyas joins Emerj Senior Editor Matthew DeMello on today’s podcast to talk about alleviating pain points for supply chain leaders in life sciences spaces. From building systems that deliver “real world evidence” to the subject matter experts and managers who need it to the pros and cons of sharing sensorial data with big tech data storage platforms like Amazon Web Services – Shreyas helps the executive podcast audience understand how problems are both viewed and solved through the lens of data, from no matter where they arise. If you’ve enjoyed or benefited from some of the insights of this episode, consider leaving us a five-star review on Apple Podcasts, and let us know what you learned, found helpful, or liked most about this show!

Today’s guest is Daniel Ferrante, AI Leader in R&D and Data Strategy at Deloitte. Together with Emerj CEO and Head of Research Daniel Faggella, they delve into the complex challenges in AI adoption that major pharmaceutical firms encounter with cultural shifts, technological complexities, and the difficulties in monetizing data and aligning teams efficiently. Additionally, the pair explores the future landscape of phenotypical drug discovery, drawing insights from the context of COVID-19. Their focus underscores the critical importance of collecting and analyzing data to yield actionable insights, especially in the healthcare sector and amidst global health crises. If you've enjoyed or benefited from some of the insights of this episode, consider leaving us a five-star review on Apple Podcasts, and let us know what you learned, found helpful, or liked most about this show!

Today’s guest is Bikalpa Neupane, Head of AI/GenAI and Natural Language Processing at Takeda. Bikalpa returns to the program to talk about the difference between a legacy enterprise culture and a data-based enterprise culture, showing how legacy leaders in sectors as diverse as healthcare, financial services, manufacturing, and beyond can make the transition in today’s AI-driven global economy along the way. Later, he and Emerj Senior Editor Matthew DeMello pull apart challenges for large enterprises as more open-source AI tools become available to individuals, eroding the traditional and structural advantages legacy firms have long held in the marketplace. If you’ve enjoyed or benefited from some of the insights of this episode, consider leaving us a five-star review on Apple Podcasts, and let us know what you learned, found helpful, or liked most about this show!

Today’s guest is Craig Mackereth, Executive Vice President of Global Service Delivery at Rimini Street. Rimini Street is a publicly traded company specializing in third-party support for mission-critical systems for financial services organizations and beyond. Craig joins Emerj Senior Matthew DeMello on today’s program to discuss the most significant challenges currently facing financial services leaders when it comes to driving the IT systems and infrastructure necessary to take advantage of data-heavy generative AI use cases. To discover more AI use cases, best practice guides, white papers, frameworks, and more, join Emerj Plus at emerj.com/p1.

Today’s guests are Anton Kornienko and Ben Webster of NLP Logix, where Anton serves as Data Science Platform Architect and Ben serves as Modeling and Analytics Team Lead. NLP Logix is a fast-growing AI services firm based in Florida that serves both the public and private sectors. Ben and Anton join us on today’s program to offer Emerj’s executive podcast audience advice on the essentials of turning large language models into business value. Throughout the episode, the pair underscore what they see as the biggest misconceptions about LLMs in the media hype cycle and how leaders can find a balance between foundational and bespoke models for different workflows. This episode is sponsored by NLP Logix. Learn how brands work with Emerj and other Emerj Media options at emerj.com/ad1.

Today’s guest is Nadeem Saeed, Corporate Vice President of Digital Transformation and Operational Excellence at Verizon. He joins Emerj Senior Editor Matthew DeMello on this week’s podcast to discuss the biggest challenges that telecom leaders face when it comes to driving infrastructure advances from a consumer and carbon standpoint. Later, they take a closer look at the lessons that startups can learn from more prominent telecom players and vice versa when it comes to strategizing AI deployments in the enterprise. A quick note that the views Nadeem expresses on today’s show are entirely his own and not a reflection of the opinions or views of Verizon as an organization. If you’ve enjoyed or benefited from some of the insights of this episode, consider leaving us a five-star review on Apple Podcasts, and let us know what you learned, found helpful, or liked most about this show!

Today’s guest is Anuj Maniar, a principal at Deloitte specializing in financial services. He joins Emerj CEO and Head of Research Daniel Faggella on today’s podcast to discuss the dynamics of balancing customer expectations in channel strategy for financial institutions. Later, they discuss emerging AI use cases throughout the multichannel space, including after-call work in customer service. This episode is sponsored by Deloitte. Learn how brands work with Emerj and other Emerj Media options at emerj.com/ad1.