MetLife [NYSE: MET]

Bill Pappas is Head of Global Technology and Operations at MetLife, and is a Corporate Officer and a member of the company's Executive Leadership Team. Bill has been a key leader at three Fortune 50 companies, including GE and Bank of America. He is leveraging this unique background to help orchestrate instrumental change for MetLife and the insurance industry at large – one that is not typically known for innovation. 

Bill directs a global team of more than 43,000 people and is responsible for leading a 155-year-old company through its digital transformation and adoption of emerging technologies, while striking the right balance between high-tech and high-touch for its customers. Under Bill’s leadership, MetLife has continuously improved its digital self-servicing options and launched new offerings to meet changing customer expectations. 

What role does technology play at MetLife?

Technology is an integral part of how we deliver MetLife’s purpose—always with you building a more confident future— by meeting customers how, when and where they want to be met. It empowers us to be at the intersection of what customers need, expectand want in order to create and deliver innovative and secure solutions. We combine high-tech solutions to improve speed and efficiency for transactional business, with high-touch care so we can be there for customers during the times that matter most in their lives. An important function of technologyisto be the creator and protector of customer and company trust. At MetLife, we’re constantly cultivating a culture of innovation, building a contemporary workforce that drives our purpose forward.

 At MetLife, we’re constantly cultivating a culture of innovation, building a contemporary workforce that drives our purpose forward 

By embracing the potential of technology, and creating a customer-centric approach to innovation, we're continuouslyexploring new avenues to deliver greater value to our customers. It empowers us to be agile, responsive, and forward-thinking, enabling us to better serve the needs of our customers and communities worldwide.

What’s the most important aspect for technology leaders to consider when delivering new technologies?

When it comes to delivering new technologies, leaders must keep the customer at the center of everything they do. The goal should be delivering seamless experiences that elevate their entire journey.

Businesses that place customers at the core of their strategy are able to build resilient and lasting customer relationships. In a world where customer preferences and sentiments are ever-changing, lifelong customer advocates are extremely beneficial. From there, companies that can balance being highly digital, while still being present for their customers (through cross-channel experiences, customer service, etc.), will come out ahead when it comes to tech transformation and operational resiliency.

What does it take to create a culture of innovation?

Innovation doesn’t happen in a silo. Cultivating a culture of innovation means creating an environment where collaboration and continuous learning are at the forefront.

At MetLife we recognize that innovation thrives on diverse perspectives. To encourage sharing ideas, we’ve implemented several initiatives to promote collaboration and continuous learning. For example, we recently hosted our first annual global Hackathon where more than 2,700 employees participated to develop and showcase over 300 unique solutions. We also created a global Experimentation fund, whichgives all employees the opportunity to submit ideas for experimentations within MetLife.

Technology leaders must spotlight and invest in employees. Your culture needs to include workforce upskilling and reskilling so you’re always prepared for new technologies and giving employees the opportunity to learn and grow.

How should other technology leaders approach their digital transformation process?

Digital transformation is not about checking an innovation box or incorporating the newest and most exciting emerging technology on the market. Technology changes should be intentional and customer centric. The bottom-line goal is bringing new and improved value to customers – that’s what defines success for innovation.

As technology professionals, part of our role is to stay on top of the latest trends and emerging technologies, both inside and outside of our organizations. Cross-industry networking plays a vital role here as dialogue around the future of tech innovation is critical for learning, growing and successfully implementing new tech.

What new technologies are you most excited about?

While not entirely new, artificial intelligence is rapidly evolving and equally exciting. The true power of AI lies in how humans and machines can bolster each other’s strengths.MetLife recently hosted our 5^th annual Triangle Tech X conference at our global tech hub in Cary, North Carolina; New York; and in Mexico City, which convened top leaders and newsmakers for discussion around achieving STEM equity in the AI era. With a focus on industry accountability when it comes to gender equity, these discussions broke ground on considerations all business leaders should account for in their digital transformation.