Transforming a Technology Organization for the Future: Starbucks’s Gerri Martin-Flickinger

Transforming a Technology Organization for the Future: Starbucks’s Gerri Martin-Flickinger

Author: MIT Sloan Management Review January 25, 2022 Duration: 28:24
Me, Myself, and AI
TechnologyBusinessEducation
Why does how you describe your team — down to its name — matter? Gerri Martin-Flickinger, former executive vice president and CTO at Starbucks, joins Me, Myself, and AI to describe some of the technology initiatives the coffeehouse chain has been able to pursue since rebranding its technology team and articulating its mission. In her conversation with Sam and Shervin, Gerri recaps a decades-spanning career working in technology leadership roles at Chevron, McAfee, and Adobe, then explains some recent employee- and customer-facing projects Starbucks has undertaken using AI and machine learning. Read the episode transcript here. Me, Myself, and AI is a collaborative podcast from MIT Sloan Management Review and Boston Consulting Group and is hosted by Sam Ransbotham and Shervin Khodabandeh. Our engineer is David Lishansky, and the coordinating producers are Allison Ryder and Sophie Rüdinger. Stay in touch with us by joining our LinkedIn group, AI for Leaders at mitsmr.com/AIforLeaders. Read more about our show and follow along with the series at https://sloanreview.mit.edu/ai. Guest bio: As executive vice president and CTO at Starbucks, Gerri Martin-Flickinger led the Starbucks Technology team through a transformation into a best-in-class retail technology organization. She was the passionate leader behind the technology strategy that plays a critical role in propelling the Starbucks mission — “empowering partners and delighting customers, globally.” Before joining Starbucks in 2015, Martin-Flickinger was senior vice president and CIO at Adobe, where she led portions of its technology transformation to a cloud-based subscription services business. Previously, she served as CIO at Verisign, McAfee, and Network Associates and held numerous senior leadership roles at Chevron, where she began her career. Martin-Flickinger currently sits on Charles Schwab’s board of directors and serves as a member of Arizona State University’s Fulton School of Engineering Advisory Board, Sierra Ventures’ CIO Advisory Board, and The Wall Street Journal CIO Network. We encourage you to rate and review our show. Your comments may be used in Me, Myself, and AI materials. We want to know how you feel about Me, Myself, and AI. Please take a short, two-question survey.

Ever wondered how some organizations manage to turn artificial intelligence from a buzzword into a genuine engine for growth, while others struggle to move beyond the pilot phase? Me, Myself, and AI, a production from MIT Sloan Management Review, goes straight to the source to find out. Instead of theoretical discussions, this podcast features candid conversations with the people who are actually building and implementing AI systems at scale. You'll hear directly from leaders at prominent companies like YouTube, Cisco, and Hugging Face as they recount their journeys-not just the polished successes, but the real-world challenges, strategic decisions, and sometimes surprising lessons learned along the way. Each episode digs into the practicalities of creating measurable business value, cutting through the noise to reveal what effective AI leadership and integration truly look like. It’s a focused exploration for anyone in technology, business, or education who wants to understand the human and operational stories behind the algorithms. Tune in for an unvarnished look at the future being built, one practical application at a time.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 100

Official website RSS
instagramyoutubelinkedinspotify
Me, Myself, and AI
Podcast Episodes
Precision Medicine in Pharma: Sanofi’s Frank Nestle [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 24:42
Frank Nestle, Sanofi’s global head of research and chief scientific officer, was inspired to enter the health sciences field after reading an Albert Camus novel and realizing his calling was to help others. In his curren…
Me, Myself, and AI Season 5 Trailer [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 2:08
Me, Myself, and AI returns on Tuesday, August 2. Hear what others are saying about the show — and leave us a review! (Your review comments may be used in Me, Myself, and AI materials.) Stay in touch with us by joining ou…
The Beauty of AI: Estée Lauder's Sowmya Gottipati [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 23:31
It might seem like cosmetics and perfume are products shoppers need to try out in person before buying, but artificial intelligence is opening up new avenues for reaching and understanding consumers — as well as new ways…
AI in Aerospace: Boeing’s Helen Lee [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 24:10
As Boeing China’s regional director of airspace and airport programs, Helen Lee is helping the aerospace giant work toward improving airport and airspace operational efficiency and enhancing flight safety for its aviatio…
The Collaboration Muscle: LinkedIn’s Ya Xu [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 31:00
Over the course of her nine-year tenure at LinkedIn, Ya Xu has held technology roles with increasing responsibility. Today, she heads the data function for the online professional networking platform. Ya joins hosts Sam…
Turning Sound Into Information: Warner Music Group's Kobi Abayomi [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 25:45
Specialized teams — particularly technology teams — often face challenges as they strive to work cross-functionally, especially at legacy organizations. For Kobi Abayomi, vice president of data science at Warner Music Gr…
From Journalism to Jeans: Levi Strauss & Co.’s Katia Walsh [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 29:45
Katia Walsh began her career as a journalist in her native Bulgaria and is now the global chief strategy and AI officer at retailer Levi Strauss & Co. Over the course of her career, she has developed a passion for three…
AI in Your Living Room: Peloton’s Sanjay Nichani [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 21:57
Consumers have invited AI into their lives with voice-activated personal assistants like Siri and Alexa, but how do they feel about computer vision technologies that can provide visual coaching and feedback in their home…
Extreme Innovation With AI: Stanley Black and Decker's Mark Maybury [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 31:28
Stanley Black & Decker is best known as the manufacturer of tools for home improvement projects, but it also makes products the average consumer seldom notices, like fasteners to keep car parts secure and the electronic…

«1...5678910»