Welcome to the Fear and Greed Business Interview. I'm Sean Almer. Boardrooms and c suites are evolving across ASX listed companies. New faces are joining the executive table not just for their seniority, but for their specialist expertise. Roles like chief AI Officer, chief trust Officer, and chief automation Officer are becoming more common as companies grapple with a major shift in technology as well as client and shareholder expectations. David Areski is the Chief Technology Officer for Asia Pacific and Japan at Boomey BWM I Boomy a global company that works with businesses navigating digital change. David, Welcome to Fear and Greed.

Welcome to the Fear and Greed Business Interview. I'm Sean Almer. Boardrooms and c suites are evolving across ASX listed companies. New faces are joining the executive table not just for their seniority, but for their specialist expertise. Roles like chief AI Officer, chief trust Officer, and chief automation Officer are becoming more common as companies grapple with a major shift in technology as well as client and shareholder expectations. David Areski is the Chief Technology Officer for Asia Pacific and Japan at Boomey BWM I Boomy a global company that works with businesses navigating digital change. David, Welcome to Fear and Greed.

Thank Spading.

Thank Spading.

On the show, Shan so I mentioned things like chief AI Officer, chief trust officer, chief automation officers. Are they buzzwords or are they real gaps in corporate leadership?

On the show, Shan so I mentioned things like chief AI Officer, chief trust officer, chief automation officers. Are they buzzwords or are they real gaps in corporate leadership?

Definitely not buzzwords. So I mean we're seeing a shift and moor droom design across companies, as you said in your introduction, But it's not about overhauling the C suite, as many of those traditional functions still bring a lot of value. But to your point, it's around revolutionizing it for a modern and changing world. So the new sweet Swee roles that you mentioned, they're reflecting a change in focus and priorities within organization and new fields that require specialized oversight, depth of expertise that will drive the next level of innovation and success in a business.

Definitely not buzzwords. So I mean we're seeing a shift and moor droom design across companies, as you said in your introduction, But it's not about overhauling the C suite, as many of those traditional functions still bring a lot of value. But to your point, it's around revolutionizing it for a modern and changing world. So the new sweet Swee roles that you mentioned, they're reflecting a change in focus and priorities within organization and new fields that require specialized oversight, depth of expertise that will drive the next level of innovation and success in a business.

Okay, so maybe fifteen years ago we went from the head of human resources to the chief people officer, but to me, that was just a job title change. What we're talking about is actually a real change in functions needed at that top level. Is that right?

Okay, so maybe fifteen years ago we went from the head of human resources to the chief people officer, but to me, that was just a job title change. What we're talking about is actually a real change in functions needed at that top level. Is that right?

That's correct, because you know, to your point, we've had about the last ten to fifteen years many of these businesses on digital transformation journeys. They've been using integration and automation technologies, data management technologies and other tools to digitize a lot of their processes. But the last three years, especially since chet GPT exploded onto the scene, we're seeing the shift from digital transformation to agentic transformation, and boards and c suites are trying to understand how do I bring in roles and expertise and other capabilities and would to not be able to meet this new world of a GENTERKI but use those tools and technologies to actually pull ahead of the competition in the market.

That's correct, because you know, to your point, we've had about the last ten to fifteen years many of these businesses on digital transformation journeys. They've been using integration and automation technologies, data management technologies and other tools to digitize a lot of their processes. But the last three years, especially since chet GPT exploded onto the scene, we're seeing the shift from digital transformation to agentic transformation, and boards and c suites are trying to understand how do I bring in roles and expertise and other capabilities and would to not be able to meet this new world of a GENTERKI but use those tools and technologies to actually pull ahead of the competition in the market.

Now. I think agentic is the word of the year for mine Gentic. When we're talking about agentic, it's about using technology and AI almost as the digital employee. Am I right in.

Now. I think agentic is the word of the year for mine Gentic. When we're talking about agentic, it's about using technology and AI almost as the digital employee. Am I right in.

That, that's right. The AI agents represent essentially a new digital labor force, so using them to automate complex and cross functional work across your organization, potentially at scale.

That, that's right. The AI agents represent essentially a new digital labor force, so using them to automate complex and cross functional work across your organization, potentially at scale.

Okay, so AI has driven the shift in the last three years or so, or chat GPT specifically, is there anything outside AI that's driving I mean, is it a natural evolution? I suppose I'm saying parking AI for a moment.

Okay, so AI has driven the shift in the last three years or so, or chat GPT specifically, is there anything outside AI that's driving I mean, is it a natural evolution? I suppose I'm saying parking AI for a moment.

Yeah, it's a natural evolution around where technology is going because you know that change in C suite structure. It's a quiet shift, but it's an important one. And some companies, as they're trading in that operational pedigree for domain fluency in those areas like AI and other capabilities that are shaping the future of their organization, they're looking at it from not necessarily taking a bold approach and formally appointing these special executives, but sometimes opting for a more flexible approach, so inviting specialist advice is to provide that strategic council without completely altering at full c SUREAE and that to give you an example, that's something we've done at Booming. So we've brought in a Head of Enterprise AI as an example, So not necessarily a C suite role, but Luke Hagstrand and our team his primary responsibilities are to lead any AI initiatives as he sees it across the business, ensure these governance compliance because a lot of these new things that are coming up, especially around technology, require legal and privacy considerations. He focuses on innovation and how these technologies are going to create value for the business, and sort of the last pieces around employee activation and adoption. How do we engage with the employees in an organization to bring them along on this new journey.

Yeah, it's a natural evolution around where technology is going because you know that change in C suite structure. It's a quiet shift, but it's an important one. And some companies, as they're trading in that operational pedigree for domain fluency in those areas like AI and other capabilities that are shaping the future of their organization, they're looking at it from not necessarily taking a bold approach and formally appointing these special executives, but sometimes opting for a more flexible approach, so inviting specialist advice is to provide that strategic council without completely altering at full c SUREAE and that to give you an example, that's something we've done at Booming. So we've brought in a Head of Enterprise AI as an example, So not necessarily a C suite role, but Luke Hagstrand and our team his primary responsibilities are to lead any AI initiatives as he sees it across the business, ensure these governance compliance because a lot of these new things that are coming up, especially around technology, require legal and privacy considerations. He focuses on innovation and how these technologies are going to create value for the business, and sort of the last pieces around employee activation and adoption. How do we engage with the employees in an organization to bring them along on this new journey.

Do these roles class with some of those other roles, So the traditional CEO, C you know, chief marketing officer, chief information officer, is there clashing or do we need all these people around the table.

Do these roles class with some of those other roles, So the traditional CEO, C you know, chief marketing officer, chief information officer, is there clashing or do we need all these people around the table.

I think we still need them all. Everybody provides a unique perspective and you know when I look at some of those roles, you know they might provide a perspective. If you're thinking about c suite roles around say HR or diversity, they still may be part of some of the technological discussions because they have to understand, you know, how does ethics and bias and some of our data and approaches have a part to play. Again in AI, as an example, you have chief enterprise officers or customer officers. Especially that second one we're seeing a lot of because there's a lot more around customer attention. What do we do more for our customers? How to increase the value there we're seeing out of our organization, whether that's through a technological means or some other means. So everybody has a part to play here. And yes, as part of the example, I gave a far ahead of Enterprise AI. It may not officially be a sea level title, but it does roll up under the CIO and feeds into the broader sea level discussion.

I think we still need them all. Everybody provides a unique perspective and you know when I look at some of those roles, you know they might provide a perspective. If you're thinking about c suite roles around say HR or diversity, they still may be part of some of the technological discussions because they have to understand, you know, how does ethics and bias and some of our data and approaches have a part to play. Again in AI, as an example, you have chief enterprise officers or customer officers. Especially that second one we're seeing a lot of because there's a lot more around customer attention. What do we do more for our customers? How to increase the value there we're seeing out of our organization, whether that's through a technological means or some other means. So everybody has a part to play here. And yes, as part of the example, I gave a far ahead of Enterprise AI. It may not officially be a sea level title, but it does roll up under the CIO and feeds into the broader sea level discussion.

Okay, stay with me, David, we'll be back in a minute. My guest this morning is David Eriski from BURME. You would gave the example of your organization introducing these new roles. Are we seeing ASX listed companies formally embed these roles into their executive teams. Are they moving quickly enough? I suppose it's my question.

Okay, stay with me, David, we'll be back in a minute. My guest this morning is David Eriski from BURME. You would gave the example of your organization introducing these new roles. Are we seeing ASX listed companies formally embed these roles into their executive teams. Are they moving quickly enough? I suppose it's my question.

It's definitely a mixed bag. I hosted around Table recently for a number of senior leaders from some of the said businesses, and some have plowed ahead with these roles or they have transition roles. So a great example of that is taking what was typically the chief Data and analytics officer and giving them the title of Chief AI Officer. And you know, you take a step back and think about that and go, you know, on the forefront, that makes sense. You know, something like AI has a lot to do with data. You neque good data liquidity and quality, so it makes sense to put someone in who was in the data space in that role. But sometimes a full goes that. You know, that discussion also requires a lot of allrorimation on the front end. So some of those roles are abe evolving, some of them need to be still rescored up. But it's definitely an emerging space because even other businesses at that particular luncheon around Table were still grappling with traditional digital transformation and things that some of the other businesses that sold five or ten years ago.

It's definitely a mixed bag. I hosted around Table recently for a number of senior leaders from some of the said businesses, and some have plowed ahead with these roles or they have transition roles. So a great example of that is taking what was typically the chief Data and analytics officer and giving them the title of Chief AI Officer. And you know, you take a step back and think about that and go, you know, on the forefront, that makes sense. You know, something like AI has a lot to do with data. You neque good data liquidity and quality, so it makes sense to put someone in who was in the data space in that role. But sometimes a full goes that. You know, that discussion also requires a lot of allrorimation on the front end. So some of those roles are abe evolving, some of them need to be still rescored up. But it's definitely an emerging space because even other businesses at that particular luncheon around Table were still grappling with traditional digital transformation and things that some of the other businesses that sold five or ten years ago.

Do we have enough talent in this jailia to fill some of these specialized positions.

Do we have enough talent in this jailia to fill some of these specialized positions.

It's a really interesting question because it's something even we look at within Boomy, you know, where we're looking at the workforce going forward. They're definitely putting a focus on leveraging new technology as part of their role to increase productivity. And so it's more so to a lot of these corporations around understanding how do we train staff up, how do we reskill them, how do we take the initiative to make these skills that replaceable in our team. But equally, when you look at young workers, they need to be ready to work in two more strategic level roles, which means we potentially need a shift in the way we educate our younger workface, how we do workforce development, how we focus on things like critical thinking, emotional intelligence, digital literacy, decision making problems solving. All of those come to the fore in this technological shift as well.

It's a really interesting question because it's something even we look at within Boomy, you know, where we're looking at the workforce going forward. They're definitely putting a focus on leveraging new technology as part of their role to increase productivity. And so it's more so to a lot of these corporations around understanding how do we train staff up, how do we reskill them, how do we take the initiative to make these skills that replaceable in our team. But equally, when you look at young workers, they need to be ready to work in two more strategic level roles, which means we potentially need a shift in the way we educate our younger workface, how we do workforce development, how we focus on things like critical thinking, emotional intelligence, digital literacy, decision making problems solving. All of those come to the fore in this technological shift as well.

I dare say that there needs to be a cultural shift then for this to work.

I dare say that there needs to be a cultural shift then for this to work.

It does indeed, because obviously there's a lot of concern around things like AI potentially replacing people, but we see more that AI is going to make you superhuman and a lot of the businesses we talk to to talk to when they go through that cultural shift, they see that these new technological capabilities are actually enhancing your role and you're actually freeing yourselves from some of that lower level work and giving yourself time to focus on higher value tasks for the business, which will hopefully provide new routes to revenue, allow the business to be more innovative and more competitive as they move forward in this new world.

It does indeed, because obviously there's a lot of concern around things like AI potentially replacing people, but we see more that AI is going to make you superhuman and a lot of the businesses we talk to to talk to when they go through that cultural shift, they see that these new technological capabilities are actually enhancing your role and you're actually freeing yourselves from some of that lower level work and giving yourself time to focus on higher value tasks for the business, which will hopefully provide new routes to revenue, allow the business to be more innovative and more competitive as they move forward in this new world.

So what's the benefit of doing it, or perhaps I should say what's the cost of not doing it? You will fall behind as a business if you don't.

So what's the benefit of doing it, or perhaps I should say what's the cost of not doing it? You will fall behind as a business if you don't.

Do it, That's right. I think we're moving into this new agenda era where it's the next wave of growth, margin and innovation that's going to come from AI agents acting on our behalf, and if you don't join that journey, you are going to be left behind. But it's okay as well to say I'm just starting that today because many businesses are still looking around going it's not just AI. There's a wide range of other technological capabilities. Where do I start? How do I incorporate these into my business? Because honestly, I'm still grappling with digital transformation I'm still doing legacy application modernization. I'm still trying to understand where my data is let alone do something like AI. So it's okay to understand that. But that's where it's really good for businesses to not only look at their peers and see where they are going with technology and what they are doing, but also look at partners and government as well. You know, some of the things that are happening not just in Australia but throughout the Asia Pacific region around roadmaps and legislation and upskinning of workforces is really exciting to see as well.

Do it, That's right. I think we're moving into this new agenda era where it's the next wave of growth, margin and innovation that's going to come from AI agents acting on our behalf, and if you don't join that journey, you are going to be left behind. But it's okay as well to say I'm just starting that today because many businesses are still looking around going it's not just AI. There's a wide range of other technological capabilities. Where do I start? How do I incorporate these into my business? Because honestly, I'm still grappling with digital transformation I'm still doing legacy application modernization. I'm still trying to understand where my data is let alone do something like AI. So it's okay to understand that. But that's where it's really good for businesses to not only look at their peers and see where they are going with technology and what they are doing, but also look at partners and government as well. You know, some of the things that are happening not just in Australia but throughout the Asia Pacific region around roadmaps and legislation and upskinning of workforces is really exciting to see as well.

Fantastic David, thank you for talking to Fearing Greed.

Fantastic David, thank you for talking to Fearing Greed.

Thank you very much for your industry.

Thank you very much for your industry.

That was David Ereski, chief Technology Officer for Asia Pacific and Japan at Boome. This is a Fear and Greed business interview. Join us every morning for the full episode of Fear and Greed Business news you can use. I'm Sean elmar Enjoy your day.

That was David Ereski, chief Technology Officer for Asia Pacific and Japan at Boome. This is a Fear and Greed business interview. Join us every morning for the full episode of Fear and Greed Business news you can use. I'm Sean elmar Enjoy your day.