Technovation with Peter High (CIO, CTO, CDO, CXO Interviews)

Professional services is undergoing its biggest transformation in decades, and AI is only part of the story.

In this episode of Technovation, Peter High speaks with Jim Peko, CEO of Grant Thornton Advisors LLC, about how the firm is redefining the professional services model through private equity, platform consolidation, strategic acquisitions, and a $1 billion technology investment. Jim explains why incremental change is no longer enough, why data will become the true competitive differentiator, and how firms can balance innovation with the trust that clients expect.

You’ll also hear Jim’s perspective on AI governance, agentic AI, the future of talent, evolving pricing models, and why professional services firms must rethink their operating model to remain competitive in an era of rapid technological change.

This episode is presented by Celonis — Give AI the context it needs. Learn more at celonis.com/technovation

Most companies don’t have a technology problem. They have a complexity problem.

In this episode of Technovation, Peter High speaks with Gus Shahin, EVP of Business Technology and Operations at NetApp, about consolidating IT, operations, global security, and enterprise process under a single leader. Shahin joined NetApp in 2024 after 24-plus years at Flex, where he served as CIO and led global supply chain. He argues that transformation stalls on change management, not technology, and that the real goal of enterprise AI is not a handful of pilots but an AI-first culture.

Key Highlights:

Why consolidating four functions under one leader beats siloed CIO, CDO, and CTO roles

How NetApp launched 29 AI projects and deliberately killed 11 to 12 mid-year

Why the shift to inferencing makes storage performance the new bottleneck

How “fail fast” became a transformation lever, not a slogan

Where buy-versus-build is shifting, and the hidden cost of building your own

This episode is presented by Celonis — Give AI the context it needs. Learn more at celonis.com/technovation

What happens when a technology provider can see patterns across 244 million account holders and thousands of financial institutions?

In this episode of Technovation, Peter High speaks with Keith Fulton, Chief Data Officer at Jack Henry, about how data science and AI are transforming community banking. Keith explains how Jack Henry is leveraging industry-scale data to help banks reduce fraud, predict customer churn, identify hidden revenue opportunities, and prepare for an agentic AI future. He also shares how the company is democratizing innovation through citizen development, AI adoption programs, and enterprise-grade governance for employee-built applications.

Key Highlights:

Building the data foundation required for agentic AI

Using consortium-scale data to uncover insights individual banks cannot see

Predicting customer churn and identifying hidden commercial customers

Applying AI to fraud prevention and customer protection

Scaling innovation through AI adoption and citizen development

This episode is presented by Celonis — Give AI the context it needs. Learn more at celonis.com/technovation

As AI agents gain access to enterprise systems, identity security is becoming the control layer for responsible AI adoption.

In this episode of Technovation, Peter High speaks with Sree Kancharla, CIO of SailPoint, about how identity governance is evolving from managing human access to securing machine identities, AI agents, and autonomous workflows. Sree discusses SailPoint’s role as “Customer Zero,” the growing challenge of shadow AI, the importance of governance that enables innovation, and how organizations can balance productivity gains with responsible risk management. He also shares his perspective on persona-based AI experiences, human-led agents, and the workforce implications of AI for the next generation of technology professionals.

Key topics include:

Why AI agents require a new approach to identity security

How SailPoint manages shadow AI across the enterprise

The role of Customer Zero in driving product innovation

Moving from human-in-the-loop to human-led agents

Preparing future technology talent in an AI-driven world

This episode is presented by Celonis — Give AI the context it needs. Learn more at celonis.com/technovation

Cybersecurity leadership isn’t ultimately about technology, it’s about judgment, influence, and the ability to lead through uncertainty.

In this episode of Technovation, Peter High speaks with Stephen Ward, cybersecurity executive, investor, and former security leader at several large enterprises. Stephen reflects on his unconventional journey from government service to corporate cybersecurity leadership and ultimately technology investing. Along the way, he shares lessons on building security organizations, navigating risk, developing executive influence, and preparing for a future increasingly shaped by AI.

Key discussion topics include:

The transition from cybersecurity operator to executive leader

Building trust while transforming security organizations

Lessons learned from leading large-scale security programs

Why leadership skills matter as much as technical expertise

The evolving relationship between AI and cybersecurity

What separates enduring technology companies from the rest