Driving Transformation with Data at Amtrak

Judith Apshago, Chief Digital Officer at Amtrak
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Episode Summary

In this episode, Markus Zirn and Judith Apshago explore the dynamic realm of IT leadership and the impact of technology on organizational transformation. Judith takes us on a journey through her illustrious career spanning industries from rail to biotech. Delving into the heart of process innovation, she reveals Amtrak's cutting-edge advancements in predictive maintenance, aimed at revolutionizing operational efficiency and elevating customer experience. She also unveils her unique approach to IT leadership, where business-IT collaboration, agility, and strategic integration of data and AI take center stage. From her groundbreaking work at U.S. Silica to her current role at Amtrak, Judith shares invaluable insights on leveraging technology for transformative impact across many industries.

  • Episode Key Takeaways

    Episode Key Takeaways

    • Start Small and Iterate: When implementing new technologies or processes, begin with a manageable scope. Test the waters, gather feedback, and refine your strategies accordingly to ensure they address pertinent business challenges effectively.

    • Leverage Data and AI: AI can help you extract valuable insights from your data, enhancing decision-making and operational effectiveness. Reimagine processes with innovative, data-driven approaches to drive fundamentally better solutions.

    • Align IT with business goals: Ensure seamless alignment between tech initiatives and overarching business goals. Get IT and business teams in sync, collaborating closely to make sure every tech move delivers real business value.

    • Foster curiosity and innovation: Cultivate a workplace culture that champions continuous learning and inventive problem-solving. Empower your team to explore emerging technologies and brainstorm solutions to address business challenges effectively, fostering a culture of continuous improvement.

  • About Judith

    About Judith

    Judith Apshago has over 25 years of leadership experience in information technology, with an emphasis on process improvement and digital transformation. She currently serves as Chief Digital Officer (CDO) for Amtrak where she is driving a multi-year enterprise-wide digital transformation. Prior to Amtrak, Judith was Vice President and Chief Information Officer of U.S. Silica, as well as various IT leadership roles with Sigma-Aldrich, BioReliance, and Invitrogen, and spent several years as a consultant with ePresence and PricewaterhouseCoopers. Judith is passionate about promoting women in technology. She is a member of Chief, a women’s leadership network, mentor for Inspire CIO’s Next Generation Leader (NGL) program and ITC’s Women in Leadership program, and leads Amtrak’s Women in Technology group. Judith is a two-time recipient of the Enterprise Capital CIO of the Year Orbie Award and the HMG Global Leadership Institute Award.

  • Top Quotes

    Top Quotes

    “So wherever it is, getting out there in the field and getting out where the business is. And really understanding the business and how it works, and not just sitting in the ivory tower of headquarters and making assumptions. I call it the two-in-a-box concept, where it's business and IT working together.”

    “I always talk about the people who are most valuable to me in the organization are the dot connectors who can see things in different places and say, “If that works over here, maybe we can leverage it over there.” And it kind of goes back to that example I gave about the data that we're collecting from the trains and the tracks. So we're doing that for a specific purpose to improve our maintenance processes, but that data is also valuable in other places in the business. So how can I connect dots and see where else might this information be valuable and what other information might be valuable to this process? Dot-connecting is a key skill.”