What if your hiring strategy were fueled by the largest contingent workforce dataset in the world?

Magnit CEO Chandra Dhandapani joins Technovation to explore how data is reshaping how companies think about talent—from role design to sourcing strategy to real-time labor cost insights. Chandra also shares lessons from her journey from CIO to CEO and offers perspective on why automation—not AI—is the skill trend to watch.

Key topics covered include:

* 12% YoY surge in automation roles vs. 2% in AI
* Data-driven frameworks for balancing contingent and permanent talent
* How Magnit uses GenAI internally via its "Maggi" platform
* Strategic applications of workforce analytics
* Leadership shifts from digital to enterprise-wide responsibility

How can AI be designed from the customer back and not the model forward?

Hari Gopalkrishnan, Chief Technology and Information Officer at Bank of America, joins Peter High to share how one of the world's largest financial institutions grounds its AI strategy in user behavior. From developing Erica to enabling employees with tools like Ask Merrill, Hari explains why every AI solution must begin with real customer or employee friction.

Key topics include:

* The evolution of Erica from NLP to large language models
* How to avoid the trap of "shiny object" AI
* Bank of America’s 3-tier AI architecture: productivity, personas, and platforms
* Why dismantling old workflows is the prerequisite to automation
* Training 200,000+ employees in AI through "The Academy"

What does it take to scale AI from 800 siloed experiments into enterprise-wide impact?

Doug Schmitt, President of Dell Technologies Services and CIO of Dell, joins Peter High to unpack the company’s enterprise AI playbook—a journey from fragmented innovation to four scalable platforms used across software development, customer service, supply chain, and sales.

Highlights from this episode:

* How Dell consolidated 800 AI initiatives into 4 core platforms
* Why Doug sees AI as both tech and business model disruption
* The "customer zero" approach to testing and learning at speed
* Agentic AI examples in field service and internal ops
* How Dell’s AI factory enables rapid experimentation across 3,000+ customers

What does it take to play the long game in innovation?

Venture capitalist Brad Feld has spent four decades answering that question as a founder, mentor, and early-stage investor in companies like Fitbit, MakerBot, and Techstars. In this episode, Feld unpacks the enduring impact of mentorship, the logic behind his "Give First" philosophy, and how startups and enterprises alike can benefit from ecosystem thinking.

Key insights include:

How a childhood visit to Frito-Lay inspired a tech career
What separates peer mentorship from transactional networking
The origin and strategic power of Techstars' "Give First" mantra
How Feld invests in category creation (wearables, 3D printing, cloud)
Why innovation requires emotional resilience and long-term relationships

What if your company’s data could become a public good and a competitive moat?

Beaumont Vance, SVP of Data and AI at Paychex, shares how his team transforms payroll and HR data into real-time economic insight, powering everything from AI copilots to U.S. government response efforts. With 1 in 11 U.S. workers on the platform and 39 million client interactions annually, Paychex treats data as infrastructure.

In this episode, Beaumont and Peter High discuss:

* How Paychex monetizes data responsibly
* Why statistical precision trumps survey-based signals
* Building AI-ready data from unstructured knowledge
* Lessons from growth equity on "data moats"
* What AI agents will unlock next

1025: What does it take to go from CIO to CEO? For Saul Van Beurden, tech leadership was the ideal proving ground.

Now CEO of Consumer, Small, and Business Banking at Wells Fargo, Saul shares how his background in IT helped him lead at enterprise scale. In this episode, he speaks with Peter High about the strategic, operational, and cultural mindset shifts that enabled his rise—and why CIOs are uniquely positioned to lead beyond technology.

Key topics explored:

Translating technology leadership into enterprise-wide strategy
Lessons from operating at scale in risk-heavy environments
Building customer-centric AI and data foundations
Driving channel parity across digital, branch, and contact center
Creating pathways for talent through neurodiversity hiring