It’s the&nbsp;Transformers&nbsp;podcast’s first birthday! In this special anniversary episode, host Ann Funai takes on a series of rapid-fire questions from the production team. From personal advice and Midwest sayings to favorite songs, holiday traditions and reflections on transformation, this episode is packed with humor, honesty and heart. It’s a fun, candid look behind the mic as we celebrate one year of&nbsp;Transformers. The opinions expressed in this podcast are solely those of the participants and do not necessarily reflect the views of IBM or any other organization or entity.&nbsp;

Celebrate the first anniversary of Transformers, a Think podcast, with a rapid-fire Q&amp;A featuring personal stories, advice, Midwest sayings, favorite music and heartfelt reflections on transformation, joy and impact.

Transformers Turns One: Rapid Fire with Ann Funai

Season 2 of&nbsp;Transformers&nbsp;tackled the big challenges—and big opportunities—facing today’s leaders. From naming the elephants in the room to embracing AI agents as part of the workforce, this recap distills the most powerful insights from CXOs, tech leaders and innovators. If&nbsp;you’re&nbsp;navigating&nbsp;a&nbsp;transformation,&nbsp;big or small,&nbsp;this survival guide is for you.&nbsp; Chapters&nbsp;&nbsp;00:00 –&nbsp;Season 2:&nbsp;Let’s&nbsp;recap&nbsp;00:53&nbsp;–&nbsp;AI is a partner, not a replacement&nbsp;03:26&nbsp;–&nbsp;Empower your front lines&nbsp;05:22&nbsp;–&nbsp;The human side of leadership&nbsp;07:13&nbsp;– Facing the elephants in the room&nbsp;09:15&nbsp;– Data + People + Governance = Real AI Impact&nbsp;11:55&nbsp;– The future of work: Humans + AI agents&nbsp;16:29&nbsp;– What does transformation mean?&nbsp;19:44&nbsp;– Wrapping up the season 2 recap&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;The opinions expressed in this podcast are solely those of the participants and do not necessarily reflect the views of IBM or any other organization or entity.&nbsp;

Explore IBM’s Transformers Season 2 recap: How CXOs can face tough challenges, embrace AI agents, and lead human-centered transformations with confidence. 

From Elephants to AI Agents: A CXO Survival Guide

In this episode, Shibani Ahuja&nbsp;joins&nbsp;Ann Funai&nbsp;to&nbsp;cut through the AI hype, unpack the future of enterprise transformation,&nbsp;and&nbsp;outline what&nbsp;really&nbsp;matters&nbsp;to CIOs.&nbsp;They dive into the human side of AI, why&nbsp;Adaptability Quotient (AQ)&nbsp;should be&nbsp;the new leadership metric, and how agentic AI will reshape the digital workforce.&nbsp;&nbsp; Discover practical strategies for CIOs building an adaptable tech stack, balancing innovation with governance, and driving real ROI with AI. Whether&nbsp;you're&nbsp;leading digital transformation or shaping enterprise AI strategy, this episode delivers the clarity and candor today's leaders need. Tune in for bold insights, actionable&nbsp;frameworks&nbsp;and a fresh perspective on what it really takes to lead in the age of intelligent enterprise.&nbsp; Chapters&nbsp;&nbsp;00:00 –&nbsp;Meet&nbsp;Shibani Ahuja,&nbsp;Salesforce’s&nbsp;SVP&nbsp;of&nbsp;Enterprise IT Strategy&nbsp;and&nbsp;CIO persona expert&nbsp;03:55&nbsp;–&nbsp;Transformation is not just technical:&nbsp;Navigating&nbsp;change in&nbsp;the CIO’s&nbsp;landscape&nbsp;&nbsp;05:55&nbsp;–&nbsp;Implementing AI:&nbsp;Necessary changes and&nbsp;how to avoid&nbsp;AI&nbsp;panic traps&nbsp;&nbsp;09:22&nbsp;–&nbsp;Patterns across CIOs: Data challenges, ROI&nbsp;and when to use&nbsp;different types&nbsp;of AI&nbsp;13:30&nbsp;–&nbsp;Autonomous Agentic AI: The third wave of AI&nbsp;14:30&nbsp;–&nbsp;“Trust cannot be bolted on”:&nbsp;Balancing&nbsp;innovation&nbsp;and&nbsp;the&nbsp;governance&nbsp;of&nbsp;AI&nbsp;17:37&nbsp;–&nbsp;Using&nbsp;AI for&nbsp;human enhancements&nbsp;and&nbsp;the&nbsp;future&nbsp;of AI impacts on the&nbsp;workforce&nbsp;&nbsp;21:30&nbsp;–&nbsp;The&nbsp;new C-Suite&nbsp;role:&nbsp;Chief AI Officer&nbsp;23:50&nbsp;–&nbsp;Pivotal career&nbsp;moments:&nbsp;Shibani’s POV&nbsp;on embracing&nbsp;experimental&nbsp;transformation&nbsp;&nbsp;26:41&nbsp;–&nbsp;Adaptability Quotient (AQ) is the edge&nbsp;CIOs&nbsp;need for success with AI&nbsp;27:57&nbsp;–&nbsp;Shibani’s&nbsp;unfiltered leadership guide for taking risks&nbsp;and&nbsp;building authentic teams&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;The opinions expressed in this podcast are solely those of the participants and do not necessarily reflect the views of IBM or any other organization or entity.&nbsp;

Shibani Ahuja is a seasoned executive serving as Senior Vice President,
Enterprise IT Strategy at Salesforce. With extensive experience across multiple
disciplines and geographies, Shibani has held various roles globally,
encompassing business and corporate functions such as digital, HR, finance,
and product development.
In her current role, Shibani leverages her expertise to drive go-to-market
strategies that position Salesforce as the foremost provider of a flexible,
agentic AI platform tailored for enterprise CIOs. Her leadership is dedicated
to aligning technology solutions with business objectives, ensuring both
seamless integration and continuous innovation across the organization
Shibani is recognized for her commitment to diversity and inclusion, having
received international recognition as one of the top Outstanding LGBT+
Emerging leaders globally. She continues to advocate for inclusive practices in
the tech industry, fostering environments that support diverse talent and
perspectives.
Prior to joining Salesforce, Shibani held significant roles at TD Bank, where
she served as Vice President and Executive Product Owner, leading teams in
technology and customer engagement strategies. Her experience includes
expatriate assignments in Asia with Manulife, further enhancing her global
perspective and leadership skills

Shibani Ahuja

SVP, Enterprise IT Strategy, Salesforce

Shibani Ahuja and Ann Funai explore AI leadership, the Adaptability Quotient, and how CIOs can drive ROI, trust and transformation in the intelligent enterprise.  

Adaptability Quotient: The CIO edge in an AI world

In this episode of Transformers, Ann Funai sits down with Mark Polyak, Chief Product &amp; Technology Officer at MINT.ai, to explore how multimodal AI and intelligent automation are reshaping the future of work, marketing and human innovation.&nbsp; Drawing from his background in counterterrorism and real-time data systems, Mark shares how data integrity, transparency and human oversight are essential to successful AI implementation. The conversation explores the shift to prescriptive analytics, the rise of agentic AI and how multimodal systems are driving workflow automation, a creative production boom, and business ROI.&nbsp; Chapters&nbsp;&nbsp;00:00 –&nbsp;From conflict zones to campaigns: Using data to get closer to truth&nbsp;04:52 – Why data integrity matters: Guardrails, transparency and trust in AI systems &nbsp;06:35 – Beyond descriptive: Unlocking prescriptive analytics for smarter business decisions&nbsp;12:34 – Adapt or stagnate: The rise of multimodal AI and intelligent automation &nbsp;15:33 – AI and the workforce: How technology is reshaping labor trends &nbsp;21:20 – 3 ways AI is changing marketing: Automation, creativity and ROI&nbsp;25:00 – Most AI solutions are failing: The role of trusted partners in driving real results&nbsp;28:55 – The ‘glue’ role: Why business translators are essential to success with AI&nbsp;31:44 – Responsible innovation in action: Building multiagentic AI with guardrails&nbsp;36:20 – Spotting AI hype: How to tell real value from empty promises &nbsp;39:55 – Team of Teams: Leadership lessons from high-security environments&nbsp; &nbsp;The opinions expressed in this podcast are solely those of the participants and do not necessarily reflect the views of IBM or any other organization or entity.&nbsp;

Mark Polyak is the Chief Product Technology Officer of MINT, where he drives the company’s product and technology strategy, with a strong focus on Agentic models, AI-driven analytics, and seamless data integration. Leveraging his deep expertise in real-time data processing and intelligent automation, he is shaping MINT’s next-generation solutions for global advertisers. 
Prior to this role, Mark Polyak was President and Head of Global Data Management at Ipsos. In this role, he was responsible for modernizing data architecture, analytics and technical change management across 90+ countries in which Ipsos operates. Prior to this, Mark held multiple executive roles at Ipsos, including as President and Head of analytics for North America, focusing on developing solutions and products for the financial sector, big tech and international organizations navigating risk. 

Polyak spent over 15 years building data analytics and visualization platforms and has three U.S. patents focused on real-time data integration of streaming multi-sensor data. In addition to MINT AI, he also teaches at Columbia University. He is based in Washington, DC. 

Mark Polyak

Chief Product Technology Officer, MINT.ai

Ann Funai interviews Mark Polyak on how multimodal agentic AI, intelligent automation, and data integrity are transforming marketing, leadership, and the future of work. 

The business case for multimodal AI and automation

Tax is a business game changer. Yes, really.&nbsp;&nbsp;What happens when tax meets cutting-edge technology like AI? Transformation.&nbsp; In this episode of Transformers, host Ann Funai is joined by Martin Fiore, EY Americas Vice Chair – Tax, and Kanthi Morrissey, IBM’s Chief Tax Officer, to explore how AI, automation and strategic partnerships are revolutionizing tax and reshaping business operations.&nbsp;&nbsp; Whether you're a CIO, CFO, tech strategist or business leader, this conversation will reshape how you think about tax, data and the future of enterprise transformation.&nbsp; Chapters&nbsp;&nbsp;00:00 — Tax touches everything; it needs a tech transformation, too.&nbsp;05:58 — Transformation optimism: The balance of human talent and AI augmentation&nbsp;10:17 — Data, process, then AI: Getting full value from transformation takes time&nbsp;13:48 — Getting from proof-of-concept to commercially viable solutions&nbsp;16:48 — Prioritize partnerships: Use your ecosystem for future success&nbsp;18:58 — EQ, IQ, AQ and the broad skillsets that leaders want from the future workforce&nbsp;25:29 — Learn every day and go where your purpose resides.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;The opinions expressed in this podcast are solely those of the participants and do not necessarily reflect the views of IBM or any other organization or entity.&nbsp;

Martin Fiore is the EY Americas Vice Chair — Tax, leading a talented group of more than 20,000 professionals. Martin is responsible for driving growth, managing resources, developing people and ensuring the Tax team provides exceptional, digitally enabled service to clients across North, Central and South America and Israel.  ​
Martin previously served as Deputy Vice Chair — Tax and as Talent Leader for the Americas Tax Service Line at EY. Throughout his career, Martin has been a member of the Americas Tax Leadership team, Tax Operating Committee, Americas Tax Partner Forum and Americas Inclusiveness Advisory Council. Martin also serves as the leader of EY Tax University and the Visionary Leadership Forum, and he is the Executive Sponsor of the Robotics Process Automation (RPA) market strategy for Americas Tax.
Additionally, Martin has held many practice leadership positions at the firm: Regional Tax Leader for the former US-East Region, Global Compliance & Reporting Leader, Business Tax Service practice leader, and Tax Accounting & Risk Advisory Services. Martin also served 15 years in the International Tax Services practice, specializing in quantitative modeling for US and multinational organizations.
Further, Martin is a frequent business-media interview subject and thought leader on the future of business, technology and talent topics. His book, Humanity Reimagined, was published in 2021.
In his free time, Martin is an active marathon runner, enjoys skiing with his family and is a proud Notre Dame football fan.

Martin Fiore

Americas Vice Chair, Tax, EY

Kanthi’s professional background is rooted in IBM and specifically the tax department of IBM.  She joined IBM in February 2004 in Bangalore, India and had a long and scenic route to the headquarters location in Armonk, NY.  As the Chief Tax Officer, she leads a team of high performing tax professionals to manage all tax matters for IBM globally. She is passionate about running a best-in-class tax function that embraces AI and contributes to IBM’s growth.  Her team is dedicated to providing exceptional tax support on a daily basis to each of IBM’s business units and all customers both internal and external.  She and her team are very focused on tax legislative and policy matters around the world.  Prior to joining IBM, Kanthi spent 3 years in the tax services division of PricewaterhouseCoopers, Bangalore, India. 

Kanthi has her undergraduate degree in business and accounting from Bangalore University, is a member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India and has a Master of Science in Taxation from Fordham University, NY. 

On the personal front, she lives in Pound Ridge, NY with her husband and their nine-year-old daughter who keeps life young and interesting.        


Kanthi Morrissey

Chief Tax Officer, IBM

Think tax is boring? Think again. EY &amp; IBM show how AI, automation and strategic partnerships are transforming tax into a business superpower.  

Partners, tech & taxes: Driving transformation with EY & IBM

Ann Funai welcomes Miha Kralj, CTO of IBM Consulting’s Microsoft practice, to explore how AI is reshaping enterprise technology. From digital workers and agentic AI to shifting talent pipelines and evolving software roles, this episode dives into the future of work and the skills needed to thrive.&nbsp;&nbsp; Miha shares insights from his experience at IBM, Microsoft, AWS and Accenture, highlighting how progressive companies are deploying AI agents to handle tasks like testing, documentation and code fixes—while traditional enterprises struggle to keep pace.&nbsp; They also discuss the rise of low-code/no-code tools, the changing definition of software engineering, and the growing need for resilient systems and cross-functional talent. Whether you're a business leader, technologist or strategist, this episode offers a candid look at what’s next in enterprise transformation.&nbsp; 00:00 – Meet Miha Kralj, CTO of the Microsoft practice for IBM Consulting&nbsp;04:25 – Strategic and system integration partners&nbsp;05:34 – “Faster”: The business f-word impacting every innovation, organization and skilled workforce baseline&nbsp;11:40 – AI tools and adoption: Exploring start-up expectations and enterprise reluctance&nbsp;13:39 – Transforming mindsets around system architecture resiliency&nbsp;15:57 – Smarter business trends around AI&nbsp;&nbsp;18:44 – Today’s critical skills in software engineering and product development&nbsp;21:55 – IT academia, entry-level skills and the rise of the Universalist employee&nbsp;30:55 – Over-hyped speed and over-estimated technologies&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;The opinions expressed in this podcast are solely those of the participants and do not necessarily reflect the views of IBM or any other organization or entity.  &nbsp;

Miha is the Chief Technology Officer of the Microsoft Practice at IBM Consulting, where he leads the global strategy and technical vision for IBM’s collaboration with Microsoft. With a career spanning over two decades in cloud transformation, enterprise modernization, and AI innovation, Miha plays a pivotal role in shaping how IBM Consulting delivers Microsoft-aligned global solutions across industries. His work focuses on accelerating AI adoption through intelligent agent development, platform modernization, and engineering-led delivery—pillars he sees as essential to unlocking enterprise value in the upcoming transformational era.

Miha Kralj

Chief Technology Officer of the Microsoft Practice at IBM Consulting, IBM

Miha Kralj joins Ann Funai to explore talent shifts, agentic AI and the future of innovation for enterprise tech teams. 

 



Humans, partnerships & AI agents: Is your enterprise ready?

Cyber threats aren’t a matter of “if”—they’re a matter of “when.” In this episode of Transformers, Ann Funai sits down with Mike Gowen, Chief Revenue Officer at Celerity, to explore how sales, cybersecurity and AI are converging—and what executives must do to stay ahead.&nbsp; With over 25 years in tech sales, Mike shares how executive conversations have shifted from product education to strategic enablement. He breaks down the shift toward operational resilience, the urgency of quantum readiness, and the real risks of poor AI implementation.&nbsp;&nbsp; Mike’s leadership insights—shaped by his experience in team sports—offer a fresh take on adaptability, teamwork and transformation. Whether you're a CRO, CIO or business leader, this episode delivers actionable strategies and relatable stories to help you navigate tech-driven change.&nbsp; Chapters&nbsp; 00:00 – Rapid fire kick-off: Meet Mike Gowen&nbsp;01:20 – The evolution of sales, technology, cyber and the C-Suite roles that drive the business&nbsp;03:30 – Protection to recovery: Preparing customers for inevitable cyber threats&nbsp;09:05 – Evaluating technology from table stakes to Quantum&nbsp;11:15 – Intersecting IT and operations to deliver value&nbsp;14:20 – AI: Real ways to use it for value, real missteps you must avoid&nbsp;18:44 – Common myths around cyber and AI&nbsp;20:18 – Partnerships, privacy and a multidiscipline approach to cyber&nbsp;26:55 – Developing high-performing teams with a coach’s mindset&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;The opinions expressed in this podcast are solely those of the participants and do not necessarily reflect the views of IBM or any other organization or entity.&nbsp;

Mike Gowen brings extensive leadership experience and a proven track record in delivering business growth.
Since joining Celerity in February 2023, he has led the company’s revenue strategy, focusing on driving
growth, transformation, and profitability.
Mike’s career spans leadership roles across both large corporates and SMEs, including digital transformation
partner Flow, Daisy, and Dimension Data. He has consistently developed and executed successful revenue
strategies, leveraging his expertise in sales, marketing, and business development to deliver measurable
results.
As CRO, Mike oversees revenue generation and customer acquisition, ensuring Celerity’s continued
expansion and market leadership in its next phase of growth.

Mike Gowen

Chief Revenue Officer, Celerity

Mike Gowen, CRO at Celerity, joins Ann Funai to break down how sales, cybersecurity and AI are converging—and what execs need to do about it. From cyber resilience and quantum readiness to avoiding AI adoption pitfalls, Mike shares real-world strategies and actionable plans for building resilience, enabling transformation and leading with trust. 

AI & cyber resilience: What every C-Suite must know

Information is everywhere. For businesses, information is everything. The roles of CIOs, CTOs and other transformative leaders have evolved to impact all areas of business, from employee experience and digital labor to product development and the customer experience. Hosted by Ann Funai, CIO and VP of Business Platforms Transformation at IBM, Transformers the podcast takes you behind the scenes and screens of these transformative leaders, exploring their real-world challenges, inspiring lessons, and best practices. From personal transformations to the transformative influences around them, Ann and her guests explore what it is to be transformers. Tune in every other Wednesday at 7am EST.

Transformers Turns One: Rapid Fire with Ann Funai

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Today's Host

Ann Funai

Recent Episodes

Transformers Turns One: Rapid Fire with Ann Funai

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Today's Host

Ann Funai

Related Resources

Recent Episodes

From Elephants to AI Agents: A CXO Survival Guide

Adaptability Quotient: The CIO edge in an AI world

The business case for multimodal AI and automation

Partners, tech & taxes: Driving transformation with EY & IBM

Humans, partnerships & AI agents: Is your enterprise ready?

AI & cyber resilience: What every C-Suite must know