The Heller Report: Leading the AI Conversation: A CIO’s Guide to Engaging the Board

AI has quickly become a board-level priority, yet few members have knowledge or experience to make strategic decisions about its use – a dynamic that presents an important opportunity for CIOs, writes veteran IT executive Christopher Desautel. In this article, he explains how CIOs can engage board members with expertise about risks and opportunities that elevates discussion beyond technology details to focus on strategy.

In this interview for Heller’s “Cyber Means Business” series, veteran CISO Jim Routh, argues that  effective security leadership isn’t about building walls—it’s about building consensus. This includes rethinking AI governance, to emphasize its use as a foundation for innovation instead of a risk barrier, says Routh, whose career includes leadership roles at Aetna, MassMutual, and JPMorgan Chase. 

Mark Sewards, a Labor member of Parliament who represents an area near Leeds, England, unveiled an AI chatbot using his voice to respond to constituents’ questions online. While experts noted the application could put off some citizens – one political scientist told the BBC it risks making people feel “less heard” – Sewards said he wanted to experiment with the technology developed by a company in his district. "We have to embrace the opportunities that are represented by AI and what better way to learn about it then to become it," he said.

Heller was recently retained to recruit a Chief Information Officer for AI Fire, a Blackstone Group portfolio company. AI Fire is a leading provider of fire and life safety services. They offer national account services via their vendor network at Academy Fire and serve local and regional customers through Impact Fire’s employed technicians. For this role, we identified Mike Marchetti, who most recently served as Chief Information Officer for TESSCO Technologies. Prior to TESSCO, Marchetti was Chief Information Officer for Wastequip. He earned a B.S. from Purdue University and an MBA from Indiana Wesleyan University. Best of luck, Mike!