What Manufacturing Can Teach You About Scaling Enterprise AI with Ben Davis of Cambria
CIO Classified is back! More CIO secrets. More battle-tested IT wisdom. Straight from leading CIOs across a wide range of industries. In this episode, host Ian Faison and co-host Yousuf Khan dive into the deep end of technology leadership in manufacturing. Ben Davis, Executive Vice President of IT at Cambria, joins the show to talk about his sweeping digital transformation at the quartz manufacturing leader, and shares how his startup past helped him turn IT from a reactive function to a trusted business advisor. Plus much more:How Cambria is leveraging AI in demand forecastingHow to optimize supply chains and improve customer experience How to do it all while managing a legacy infrastructure and cybersecurityThis episode is a must-listen for the modern CIO looking to bridge the gap between traditional industries and modern technologies without sacrificing security or business continuity. About the Guest: Ben Davis, EVP IT, Cambria, is a technical leader who is passionate about introducing new technology, improved processes and unexplored data sets to businesses in a manner that allows them to achieve scalable revenue growth. He does this by helping business-minded technologists use automation, prioritization and critical thinking to deliver technology, process improvement and data in a high-value, cost-effective way. Timestamps:02:30 – From startups to manufacturing: Applying entrepreneurial DNA07:00 – Communicating tech value across the organization09:30 – Why AI in manufacturing is a game-changer15:00 – Cybersecurity training, scorekeeping, and zero-trust realities17:30 – Modernizing legacy infrastructure in manufacturing23:00 – AI adoption vs. business architecture readiness26:00 – Staying close to the customer experience as CIO28:00 – Building, retaining, and empowering high-impact IT teams31:00 – Governance, shadow IT, and the rise of internal agents35:00 – AI tooling, data gaps, and minimizing technical debt38:00 – Manufacturing success, excitement, and the human side of techGuest Highlight:“ I think everybody underspends on cybersecurity. If I had an unlimited budget, I’d put the money towards that. I would also spend the money on data scientists, data modeling, data governance, mass data management to ensure that our data was ready to really take advantage of AI.”Get Connected:Ben Davis on LinkedInYousuf Kahn on LinkedInIan Faison on LinkedInHungry for more tech talk? Check out past episodes at ciopod.com: Ep 60 - Why the Smartest CIOs Are Becoming Business StrategistsEp 59 - CIO Leadership in AI Security and InnovationEp 58 - AI-Driven Workplace TransformationLearn more about Caspian Studios: caspianstudios.com
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