Rethinking Customer Experiences with AI-Driven Conversations - with Alan Ranger of Cognigy
Release Date: 06/05/2025
Building Trusted AI Systems in Financial Services From Strategy to Scale - with Zar Toolan of Edward Jones
The AI in Business Podcast
Today’s guest is Zar Toolan, General Partner and Head of Data & AI at Edward Jones, joining Emerj Senior Editor Matthew DeMello to explore how AI can be strategically aligned with corporate goals in financial services. Zar shares his perspective on overcoming barriers to AI adoption, the critical build-versus-buy-versus-partner decisions, and the human-centered change management required for scalable AI transformation. He also discusses the importance of responsible AI principles, leveraging data as a competitive asset, and evolving talent strategies to thrive in today’s intelligence...
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How AI Partnerships Make Security a Strategic Advantage - with Bryan Willett of Lexmark
The AI in Business Podcast
Today’s guest is Bryan Willett, Chief Information Security Officer. Bryan discusses how organizations can shift security from a reactive compliance task to a strategic advantage by leveraging AI partnerships and transparent communication. He explains how proactive security packages and AI-driven tools streamline vendor due diligence and RFP responses, reducing bottlenecks and improving cross-team collaboration. Bryan also emphasizes the importance of evaluating vendor development hygiene and maintaining developer awareness as key components to managing evolving AI-enabled cyber threats. This...
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Responsible AI That Scales Across Customer Workflows - with Miranda Jones of Emprise Bank
The AI in Business Podcast
Today’s guest is Miranda Jones, SVP of Data & AI Strategy at Emprise Bank. Miranda returns to discuss the evolving reality of responsible AI in the financial services sector. As generative and agentic systems mature, Jones emphasizes the importance of creating safe, low-risk environments where employees can experiment, learn prompt engineering, and develop a critical understanding of model limitations. She explores why domain-specific models outperform generalized foundational models in banking—where context, compliance, and communication style are essential to trust and performance....
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Why Service Teams Outgrow DIY AI Solutions - with Neil Bhandar of Generac
The AI in Business Podcast
Today’s guest is Neil Bhandar, Chief Data Analytics Officer for Generac. Neil brings decades of experience in artificial intelligence, from academic research to enterprise-scale implementation across manufacturing and financial services. He joins Emerj Managing Editor Matt DeMello to explore the hidden costs of building AI in-house, the risks of over-relying on large models, and how service organizations can deploy GenAI to improve efficiency and preserve institutional knowledge. Neil shares how GenAI is helping field teams access hard-to-find information in real-time — reducing the need...
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Inside the AI Playbook for Scientific Discovery and Optimization - with Brian Lutz of Corteva
The AI in Business Podcast
As global food demand accelerates, the agricultural sector faces rising pressure to innovate faster, safer, and more sustainably. Today’s guest on the ‘AI in Business’ podcast is Brian Lutz, the Vice President of Agricultural Solutions at Corteva Agriscience, the world’s leading pure-play seed and crop protection company. Brian joins Emerj Senior Editor Matthew DeMello to discuss their partnership with Deloitte to drive AI for discovery across biology and chemistry in agriculture. He explains how Corteva integrates AI into every phase of R&D — from genetic optimization in seeds...
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Why Immutable Snapshots Matter for Compliance and AI - with Neil Bhandar of Generac
The AI in Business Podcast
Neil Bhandar, Chief Data Analytics Officer for Generac. Generac is a U.S.-based industrial manufacturer that designs and produces a wide range of power solutions—including portable, residential standby, commercial, and industrial generators, along with automatic transfer switches and related accessories. Neil joins Emerj Editorial Director Matthew DeMello on today’s show to explore how companies can make smarter decisions around compute and storage—without falling into the trap of overbuilding for marginal gains. Drawing from his deep background in both business and analytics, Bhandar...
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AI for Driving Quality Customer Interactions in Distributor Models - with Joshua Haddock of Herbalife
The AI in Business Podcast
Today’s guest is Josh Haddock, Director of Contact Center Technology at Herbalife. Herbalife is a global health and wellness company that develops and sells nutritional products, personal care items, and weight management solutions through a network of independent distributors. With operations in over 90 countries, Herbalife combines direct selling with a strong focus on community, personal coaching, and customer education. Josh joins the program to share how his team is redefining customer and distributor support in a highly relationship-driven business. Josh explains why adopting AI in the...
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Breaking the Doom Loop in IT Service Management - with Phil Christianson of Xurrent
The AI in Business Podcast
Today’s guest is Phil Christianson, Chief Product Officer at Xurrent. Xurrent is an IT service management platform that helps large organizations coordinate incident response and improve system reliability. They serve clients across healthcare, government, and financial services and are known for their focus on post-incident accountability and automation. Phil joins Emerj Editorial Director Matthew DeMello on today’s episode to explore how AI can help break this cycle and build lasting resilience, drawing from years of experience in fintech, e-commerce, and enterprise IT. Phil outlines how...
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Turning Healthcare Innovation into Real Patient Impact - with Brad Kennedy of Orlando Health
The AI in Business Podcast
Today’s guest is Brad Kennedy, Senior Director of Business Solutions Strategy at Orlando Health — a not-for-profit healthcare organization headquartered in Florida. With years of experience leading innovation and patient experience programs in hospital systems, Brad joins Emerj Managing Editor Matthew DeMello on the show today to explore how healthcare leaders can turn emerging technologies into measurable improvements for patients and clinical teams. He explains how federal policy has elevated patient experience to a top-level business concern and why small, incremental wins —...
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From Control Checks to Enterprise Strategy with AI in Audit - with Itumeleng Masunyane of Amicorp
The AI in Business Podcast
Today’s guest is Itumeleng Masunyane, Senior Vice President of Internal Audit at Amicorp Group. Amicorp provides corporate management, financial markets, and fund administration services with a strong presence in emerging markets. Itumeleng joins Emerj Editorial Director Matthew DeMello on the show to discuss the expanding role of AI in internal audit — moving beyond compliance into broader strategic influence across the enterprise. She shares how AI is enabling real-time risk monitoring, automating routine audit tasks, and helping internal audit teams generate timely insights for business...
info_outlineWith customer expectations at an all-time high, even one broken interaction can result in permanent brand damage. In this episode of ‘AI in Business,’ Cognigy Chief Marketing Officer Alan Ranger joins Emerj Editorial Director Matthew DeMello to explore how conversational, generative, and agentic AI are reshaping contact center strategy across telecom, retail, and financial services. Cognigy is a leading provider of AI-powered customer service solutions, offering an advanced platform that enables businesses to deliver instant, personalized, and multilingual support across various channels. Throughout the episode, Alan outlines the evolution from chatbots to co-pilots to fully agentic systems—and explains how these technologies are shifting enterprise workflows from task-based to value-driven service. Want to share your AI adoption story with executive peers? Click emerj.com/expert2 for more information and to be a potential future guest on the ‘AI in Business’ podcast! This episode is sponsored by Cognigy. Learn how brands work with Emerj and other Emerj Media options at emerj.com/ad1.