The Maven Report provides pragmatic, actionable advice from industry experts who have led large teams through periods of serious disruption. Our Mavens believe no business problem is insurmountable if you leverage smart people who know how to harness the power of better technologies.
Our Mavens come from diverse backgrounds and organizations, and are not compensated in any way for thought leadership contributions to this publication.
The word disruption implies anomaly, an abrupt and marked departure from the usual, predictable and expected. That definition might need an update given the unrelenting waves of crises, upheaval and profound transformation we’ve experienced over the past several years. In this issue, our Mavens offer pragmatic advice for leading and thriving through what is starting to feel like the norm, not the exception.
Scott Grossman kicks things off with a reminder of the major catalysts that have hit the global market since The Maven Report was launched in 2022, as well as an antidote to their business impact: a full-force focus on financial and operational agility, executed with an athlete’s instinct for adaptation. As he says, “in this whiplash-inducing economic climate, there is no more important financial or operational muscle to strengthen.”
M&A has proven itself a consistent growth driver through recent economic ups and downs, but the post-deal IT landscape is rarely smooth sailing for those tasked with architecting it. Greg Schlimm offers IT leaders a new playbook that can yield better integrations while also elevating their position as a strategic business partner.
ServiceNow has been at the leading edge of AI adoption both in their products and among their people. Kevin McBride walks Maven Editorial Director Sheila Lothian through the huge benefits his team has experienced in their daily work—and delivered to the broader business—through their early, ambitious and wholehearted embrace of AI tools.
The news is rife with examples of companies woefully unprepared for the disruptions that hit them. Dan Johnson outlines a business continuity and disaster recovery (BCDR) plan test that can help ensure your organization is as ready as possible when the unexpected strikes—which, as we know, it will.
Speaking of M&A, the 2023 Broadcom acquisition of VMware sparked serious concerns for many customers about how the changes would affect their business. Ensono was one such customer and Duan Van Der Westhuizen shares the 8-step process his team followed to minimize business risks and costs and get the most out of the platform.
Finance is such a pivotal player in times of volatility. In this issue’s Ask a Maven, Stephanie Siu offers some sage guidance for finance teams who want to deliver substantial, impactful business value even in the absence of a perfect technological solution by which to do so.
Disruption offers two choices: sink or swim. You’ll find a host of lifelines in the pages that follow, so dive in.
Cheers! JB, Editor-in-Chief
8 ASK A MAVENAchieving quick finance wins when transformation is slow
Editorial Board
Jonathan BumbaEditor-in-Chief
Violette SieczkaManaging Editor
Sheila LothianEditorial Director & Content Strategist
Justin GoodeSenior Designer
Brianna BoyntonDigital Designer
Sibu KuttyWorldwide Tech Leader, GTM Programs, Amazon Web Services
Paolo PelizzoliEVP Realtime Payments, Mastercard
Robert ChristiansenFounder & CEO, Motive for Life and The Durable Innovator
