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

How does a 177-year-old industrial company maintain startup speed while preparing for technologies that may not mature for another decade?

In this episode of Technovation, Peter High speaks with Vishwanath Hegadekatte, Director of Innovation at Freudenberg Technology Innovation (FTI), about building an internal innovation engine designed to identify, test, and scale emerging technologies across a global manufacturing enterprise. Vishwanath explains how Freudenberg combines strategic foresight, AI-driven research, external partnerships, and startup-style experimentation to help its business units prepare for opportunities years before they become mainstream. The conversation explores humanoid robotics, agentic AI, advanced materials, and the organizational structures required to turn innovation into measurable business impact.

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

Most digital transformation stories begin with customer-facing technology. Chipotle’s began by redesigning operations.

In this episode of Technovation, Peter High speaks with Curt Garner, President, Chief Strategy & Technology Officer at Chipotle Mexican Grill. Curt shares how Chipotle evolved from accepting fax orders in 2015 to operating a $5 billion digital commerce engine today. He explains why solving operational challenges before customer adoption proved critical to scaling digital growth and how cloud architecture, dedicated digital kitchens, rewards, personalization, and AI-enabled supply chain capabilities continue to drive innovation across the business.

Key topics discussed include:

Building a digital commerce platform capable of operating at web scale

Scaling from 20% to 85% digital ordering during COVID

Designing dedicated digital kitchens to eliminate fulfillment friction

Using rewards and personalization to deepen customer engagement

Applying AI to forecasting, inventory management, and supply chain operations

Balancing technology innovation with human hospitality

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

Southwest Airlines has spent the last several years modernizing one of the most complex operational environments in the world. In this episode of Technovation, Lauren Woods, EVP and CIO of Southwest Airlines, shares how the company transformed a period of operational disruption into a catalyst for long-term technology modernization and resilience.

Lauren discusses Southwest’s investments in modern data platforms, predictive analytics, cloud infrastructure, AI-enabled operations, cybersecurity, and customer experience transformation. She also explains the technology behind major commercial changes, including assigned seating, new fare structures, and evolving digital experiences.

Key topics include:

Building operational resilience through proactive analytics

Creating the data foundation required for AI at scale

Leveraging machine learning across airline operations

Modernizing legacy systems while maintaining reliability

Leading large-scale organizational and cultural transformation

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

How do you apply AI to one of the world’s most perishable supply chains?

In this episode of Technovation, host Peter High speaks with Sankar Chinnathambi, CIO of Driscoll’s, the world’s largest berry company. With operations spanning more than 30 growing regions and products sold in approximately 60 countries, Driscoll’s faces a unique challenge: moving billions of berries from harvest to consumers while preserving freshness and quality.

Sankar discusses how Driscoll’s is using AI, predictive analytics, and digital platforms to improve grower collaboration, supply forecasting, pricing optimization, and supply chain visibility. He also shares the company’s broader modernization strategy, including ERP transformation, BerryGPT, and technology initiatives designed to accelerate innovation while supporting growth, sustainability, and resilience.

Key discussion topics include:

Building an AI-powered digital agronomist

Modernizing forecasting in a supply-constrained business

Creating a global digital backbone with Oracle Fusion

Using real-time monitoring to preserve product quality

Accelerating agricultural innovation through technology

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

Artificial intelligence is changing how knowledge work gets done, and AI agents may be the next major leap.

In this episode of Technoventure, Peter High speaks with Arpan Shah, General Partner at Spark Capital, about how AI is reshaping research, investing, software development, and enterprise productivity. Arpan shares how he uses AI agents to accelerate diligence, synthesize information, and expand his own capacity as an investor, while also exploring the future of AI infrastructure, model competition, security, and stablecoins.

Key topics include:

How AI agents are transforming knowledge work

Why AI demand may outpace compute supply for years

The evolution of token economics and enterprise AI adoption

Security challenges created by increasingly capable AI systems

How stablecoins could reshape global financial infrastructure