In this episode, we’re unpacking the remarkable cultural transformation of Guardian Life, a 165-year old insurance company that’s embracing startup thinking to drive innovation. Hear from Erin Culek, Head of Financial Protection and Retirement Solutions at Guardian, as she discusses how combining AI solutions with customer-centric innovation has dramatically improved the company’s service delivery, reducing four-week processes to near-instant results. Drawing from her experience leading both strategy and business operations, Culek shares how Guardian's "test and learn" culture combined with Amazon’s “two-pizza team” approach is accelerating digital transformation across the enterprise. From fostering a culture of experimentation to implementing transformative AI initiatives, this episode offers essential insights for leaders navigating legacy transformation. Don’t miss this inspiring conversation about turning institutional wisdom into competitive advantage through startup thinking.
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The Evolution of Digital Trust: From Passwords to AI
Examine the evolving landscape of digital trust and identity security with Jacob DePriest, VP of Security and CISO at 1Password. Drawing from his diverse experience at the NSA, GitHub, and 1Password, DePriest shares best practices for managing shadow AI, implementing confidential computing, and addressing the emerging challenges of agentic AI. He emphasizes the critical balance between enabling innovation and maintaining robust security measures in an AI-driven world. From securing credentials with advanced authentication to navigating the complexities of AI governance, this episode examines how to build trust and security in an era where AI is reshaping digital identity management.
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From Setbacks to Silver: A Leadership Journey
Join Olympic silver medalist Jenna Strauch as she shares powerful insights from her remarkable journey to Olympic success. Drawing parallels between elite sport and business leadership, Strauch reveals how data-driven decision-making, constructive feedback, and a focus on process over outcomes drives high performance. She discusses building resilient teams, managing setbacks, and fostering a culture where failure leads to growth. Her experience as part of the Australian Dolphins' leadership team demonstrates that true success comes from valuing people and mentoring the next generation of leaders. This episode is essential listening for leaders looking to empower high-performance teams through times of high-stress and transformation.
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A CTO’s POV: Speaking With Your CEO About Agentic AI
Join AWS Enterprise Strategists Arvind Mathur and Matthias Patzak as they explore how technology leaders can effectively engage with their CEOs about agentic AI. Drawing from a LinkedIn blog Matthias recently published, this episode reveals five essential steps for success: focusing on business impact over technology, building cross-functional transformation teams, picking the right use case, running parallel pilots at scale, and measuring real business outcomes. Learn why CTOs must proactively experiment with emerging technologies like agentic AI before C-suite conversations arise. Whether you're a technology leader looking to drive 10X value from your AI implementations or a business executive exploring AI’s transformative potential, this discussion offers valuable insights for navigating the agentic AI revolution.Watch on AWS Executive Insights
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Smarter Tech Investing: How to Make Your CFO Your Strongest Ally
Master the art of strategic technology investment with AWS Enterprise Finance Strategist Chris Hennesey as he reveals how to transform your CFO relationship from gatekeeper to strategic partner. As a former IT CFO drawing from decades of financial services leadership, Hennesey shares insider perspectives on how technology leaders can effectively champion initiatives while demonstrating exceptional fiscal stewardship. He emphasizes that success isn't about securing bigger budgets, but about strategic resource optimization and compelling value communication. From evaluating generative AI opportunities to presenting to the board, this episode delivers invaluable insights for technology leaders looking to strengthen their financial partnerships. Don't miss this masterclass in building the technology-finance relationships that drive digital transformation!
The Executive Insights podcast, brought to you by AWS (Amazon Web Services), features peer-to-peer conversations between business executives on innovating for growth, building resiliency, and shaping the future of their organizations.Learn more at AWS Executive Insights and follow us on LinkedIn. For video versions of these and other conversations, subscribe to our YouTube playlist.
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