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Award-Winning CIO & GTM Strategist | Driving Digital Innovation & Revenue…
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The Meaning of Life - Making a Positive Impact
The Meaning of Life - Making a Positive Impact
Last summer, my youngest son nonchalantly asked me, “What is the meaning of life?”. Wasn’t expecting such a deep…
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Mike Anderson, NACD.DC shared thisHonored to share that I’m being inducted into the CIO Hall of Fame. I’m grateful for the teams, mentors, peers, and business partners who have been part of this journey. Recognition like this is never about one person. It reflects the people you learn from, work beside, and build with over time. I’ve always believed the CIO role is about more than technology. It is about enabling the business, developing people, driving meaningful impact, and giving back to the community. Thank you to everyone who has been part of the journey. I’m proud of what we’ve built together and excited for what’s ahead. Congratulations to all of this year’s 2026 CIO 100 award winners and Hall of Fame inductees. #CIO100 #Leadership #CIO #TechnologyLeadership CIO OnlineMike Anderson, NACD.DC shared this🎉 Congratulations to Netskope Chief Digital & Information Officer Mike Anderson on being inducted into the 2026 CIO Hall of Fame. Joining this exclusive group of world-class CIOs is one of the profession’s highest honors. It recognizes leaders who have shaped the future of IT and mentored the next generation of talent. 🔗 Learn more at https://lnkd.in/e22kYD4M CIO Online #CIO100 #CIOHOF
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Mike Anderson, NACD.DC shared thisI’m on my way to RSAC Conference, and one of the areas I’m most interested in this year is secure AI adoption, especially agentic architectures and how organizations are solving for the non-human identity of agents. As AI moves from assistants to more autonomous systems, we’ll need better ways to establish trust, enforce policy, and ensure traceability as agents interact with enterprise data, tools, models, and other agents. I’m looking forward to engaging with security leaders across the community and learning how they are thinking about these challenges, as well as the governance, data protection, and architectural controls needed to support AI safely at scale. If you’ll be at RSAC, there are a number of great ways to engage with Netskope and our team throughout the week: https://lnkd.in/g3cGZkyz If you want to compare notes, I’d love to connect. What are you most interested in seeing or learning at RSAC this year? #RSAC #RSAConference #AISecurity #AI #AgenticAI #Cybersecurity
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Mike Anderson, NACD.DC shared thisI know that many people are trying to figure out their architecture for agents. In my view, organizations will need an agentic broker that acts as a proxy for agents — providing traceability, auditability, and policy enforcement as they interact with enterprise data, tools, models, and other agents. That’s why I’m excited about Netskope’s latest AI security innovations, from visibility and control for agentic workflows to secure app-to-LLM interactions, runtime guardrails, red teaming for private AI, and stronger protection for data across the AI ecosystem. If you’ll be at RSAC Conference, come see it in action at Booth #1127 in Moscone South: https://lnkd.in/g3cGZkyz #RSAC #AI #AgenticAI #Cybersecurity #Netskope
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Mike Anderson, NACD.DC shared thisMarch 1 marked five years at Netskope. I've been sitting with that a little this week. Five years ago, I joined because I believed the problem we were solving mattered. I had no idea how right that would turn out to be — or how much the landscape would evolve. What AI is doing to our industry, and what it means for our customers, makes this one of the most fascinating times to be doing this work. Last week's SKO in Las Vegas — themed "All In" — was a great reminder of that. The energy in the room was something else — a full team locked in, aligned, and genuinely fired up. Those moments don't happen by accident. They're built by the people in the room, and I couldn't be more proud to be on this team. A personal highlight was sitting down for a fireside chat with two leaders who brought real-world honesty and perspective: Nancy Avila, former CIO of Analog Devices and board member at Haleon, and Christopher Ashby, Global Head of Cybersecurity Architecture & Strategy at Fresenius Medical Care. Candid, grounded, no fluff — exactly the kind of conversation that sharpens your thinking and keeps you connected to what customers are actually navigating. Five years in, I'm more grateful than ever — for the people, the mission, and the work ahead. Let's go. #AllIn
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Mike Anderson, NACD.DC shared thisHonored and humbled to be named a finalist for the Inspire Leadership Network National ORBIE Awards in the Corporate CIO category. This recognition reflects the incredible work of the Netskope team. You demonstrate #GRIT (Guts, Resilience, Integrity, and Tenacity) every day, and I’m grateful to be part of what we’re building together. Special thanks to our CEO, Sanjay Beri, for his trust in me. Congratulations to all the finalists. Looking forward to celebrating together at #Converge26 in San Jose.Mike Anderson, NACD.DC shared thisAND THE FINALISTS ARE… The National ORBIE Awards stage is officially set. Join Inspire members from across North America on the final night of Converge26 in the Bay Area to celebrate this year’s finalists and recognize exceptional C-suite leaders for their impact, innovation, and leadership excellence. View the full list of finalists and event details: https://lnkd.in/emRcv-vG #InspireLeadershipNetwork #NationalORBIEAwards #Converge26
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Mike Anderson, NACD.DC shared thisAppreciate being part of the conversation in CIO Online’s “10 Top Priorities for CIOs in 2026.” Thanks to John Edwards for capturing where CIO focus is heading. Security, data protection, and simplification are clearly top priorities as AI accelerates. In my contribution, I shared that beyond AI, CIOs need to invest in the foundations that drive agility, trust, and scale. Identity, data, and integration must now support both people and AI through zero trust and least privileged access. One theme I’m hearing more and more: teams are excited about AI, but also anxious about how it changes roles and skills. Upskilling, clarity, and trust will matter just as much as the technology. How are you helping your teams adopt AI with confidence, not fear? 👉 https://lnkd.in/gkFMAhAW
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Mike Anderson, NACD.DC shared thisIt was great spending time in Japan this week visiting partners and customers in Osaka and Tokyo. I also enjoyed connecting with our Netskope teams in both cities, including hosting an all-hands with our entire Japan team alongside Mario Puras. A big thank you to everyone involved, and especially to Yuichi Gonda, for hosting us and making it such a productive and enjoyable visit.
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Mike Anderson, NACD.DC shared thisIt was great spending time with our growing team in Manila last week, celebrating the opening of our new Netskope office and seeing how strong our culture is in Manila. I appreciated being there with our Chief People Officer, Patsy Gilmore, and the rest of the team that made the trip.
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Mike Anderson, NACD.DC shared thisGreat case study from BDO UK on how a modern platform strategy accelerated their adoption of Gen AI while strengthening security. I love how Stuart Walters called out the importance of real-time user coaching. It’s one of my favorite capabilities we use internally at Netskope —helping employees become better digital citizens by guiding safe, smart decisions in the moment as Gen AI adoption grows. Case Study: https://lnkd.in/ggpBnVyV Video: https://lnkd.in/guYUuF7G Thank you Nik Miller and Stuart for taking the time to share your insights in the case study and on video—great perspectives on what it takes to enable secure innovation. #GenAI #Leadership #DigitalTransformation #CloudSecurity #DigitalCitizenshipBDO Brings Together Networking and Security to Protect a Cloud-First, AI-Friendly InfrastructureBDO Brings Together Networking and Security to Protect a Cloud-First, AI-Friendly Infrastructure
Mike Anderson, NACD.DC commented on a post
4d
Congratulations on the well deserved promotion, Tito! I know you will crush it.
Mike Anderson, NACD.DC commented on a post
1w
Congratulations, Aamir! They are fortunate to have you.
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Mike Anderson, NACD.DC liked thisMike Anderson, NACD.DC liked thisSuper proud and excited. Brice's first year at Cal Berkeley, playing for the National title this weekend vs. Navy a strong competitor. Amazing team and lendendary coaches Jack Clark and Tom Billups. 24 National titles, looking to make it 25! Go Bear's!
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Mike Anderson, NACD.DC liked thisMike Anderson, NACD.DC liked thisNext week, Metis Strategy will convene senior technology and digital executives in Silicon Valley for our next Metis Strategy Summit. This gathering reflects a core part of who we are: a consulting firm built specifically for digital and technology leaders operating at the intersection of business, technology, and innovation. Across industries, CIOs, CDOs, CTOs, and other senior executives are navigating a period of extraordinary change, from AI and data strategy to operating model transformation, cybersecurity, digital product, and the evolving role of technology leadership. The Summit creates space for peer-level dialogue on those issues among leaders who are not just studying the change, but actively leading through it. We’re grateful to the executives joining us for a high-caliber day of insight, connection, and practical discussion. Events like this are one way Metis Strategy brings its ecosystem together, helps technology leaders learn from one another, and supports them as they move their organizations forward with confidence.
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Mike Anderson, NACD.DC liked thisMike Anderson, NACD.DC liked thisWe just had the strongest quarter in Nooks history 📈 • 50% ARR growth since Jan • 5x AI Sequencing ARR • Signed 300 new customers • Closed our biggest ever 7-figure customer • Agent usage growing 3× MoM • ~50 incredible new hires across eng, product, and GTM It’s easy to look at numbers like this and miss what it actually takes to get here. Always grateful to the dream team: Hannah Willson, Nikhil Cheerla, Charlie Wiebe, Rohan Suri, Peter Mollins, Andon Cowie, Sandy White, Alex Zhang, Melanie Smith, Sahil Mehra, Chloë McNab, Colin Danaher, Jesse Zhang, Viktoriya Doroshenko and Justin King. Excited for the Q2 ahead 🚀
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Mike Anderson, NACD.DC liked thisMike Anderson, NACD.DC liked thisDFW showed up and showed out. ⚡ This past Thursday’s Spring Event brought one of our biggest turnouts yet, and the energy in the room never let up. From start to finish, it felt like something special was happening. Our new CISO Boot Camp made a strong debut, creating a space for focused learning, real conversations, and meaningful takeaways around the fundamentals of the CISO role. At the same time, the launch of our Startup Stage added a fresh dynamic by spotlighting innovation, new voices, and live exchanges between CISOs and builders shaping what’s next. We closed the day on a high note with raffles, great moments across the floor, and most importantly, giving back by donating $20,000 to local DFW charities and organizations! A huge thank you to our speakers, sponsors, and volunteers who showed up, poured into this community, and made the entire experience possible. This doesn’t happen without you. Grateful for everyone who was part of it and made this one unforgettable. Cecil Pineda Jaimin Shah Randy Potts
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Mike Anderson, NACD.DC liked thisMike Anderson, NACD.DC liked thisI spent two days in New York last week with an extraordinary cohort of CIOs and board members at World 50 Group. One line from those two days hasn't left me. "We cannot pass the fear of AI onto our people." — Ayanna Howard, Dean of Engineering at Ohio State, board member at Autodesk and Motorola Solutions It sounds simple. It isn't. In 4 years, 80% of jobs will require AI proficiency. We're at 30% today. The urgency is real — but the leaders who win this moment will be the ones who bring their people with them, not the ones who sound the loudest alarm. Fear is not a change management strategy. — What made this gathering rare wasn't just the quality of the speakers. We were given time to reflect on our own ambitions — where we want to go, what we're truly building toward. And then challenged by the cohort to sharpen that vision. Invaluable doesn't quite cover it. Three ideas I'm taking back to the office: — On building the right foundation for change: "You have to Establish, Engage, Enable and Empower — in that order. You can't jump to empowerment if your people don't understand the why." — Mark Weinberger, former Global Chairman of EY, board member at JPMorgan, J&J and MetLife Most transformation efforts fail because they start at empowerment and skip the first three steps. The sequence matters as much as the intent. — On upskilling your people: Reskilling is no longer optional as AI and robotics escalate. Academia partnerships may be one of the most undertapped strategies to stay ahead of emerging capabilities before they go mainstream. Look beyond your walls. — What does our 10-year future actually look like? Ayanna pointed to the movies - Minority Report, The Matrix and Surrogate as her closest cultural references. Possibilities and warnings in equal measure. But even in those worlds — human judgement remains nonnegotiable. That's the story worth telling. Not doom and gloom. A story your employees, your communities and your kids can hold onto. What's your story of hope? #Leadership #AI #ChangeManagement
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Mike Anderson, NACD.DC liked thisMike Anderson, NACD.DC liked thisI had the opportunity to serve as a guest judge for this year’s T Challenge, and it did not disappoint! What stood out: bold ideas from outside innovators who aren’t limited by “how it’s always been done.” That’s why this kind of forum matters. When you create space for builders to experiment, challenge assumptions and move quickly, you unlock a different level of innovation. No single company has all the answers and bringing in fresh perspectives like this makes all of us better. Congratulations to the winning teams of the 2026 T Challenge: Stanford University, CUBIG, Daisytuner and zTouch Networks, Inc. Excited to see how these powerful ideas evolve from here!
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Mike Anderson, NACD.DC liked thisMike Anderson, NACD.DC liked thisThis week I had the chance to present at Marriott's Technology & Digital Academy Conference in Guangzhou, China. It was my first time to China, one of many firsts for me while I was there: -my first proper "hot pot" restaurant (delicious!) -my first drink of baijiu liquor (and my second, third....) -my first visit to a Chinese KFC (not too bad!) ...but what sticks with me the most as I'm traveling home today is the time I got to spend with the amazing people on the China Technology team...many I've worked with for years but don't see frequently enough, and also many other new friends that I met this week. Special thanks to Koo Chee Kuan and Jerry Zhang for everything that each of you did to make the conference such and amazing experience. And extra special thanks to Klein Pan for all the support you gave me. It truly wouldn't have been possible with out you. Transform - Drive - Accelerate
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Mike Anderson, NACD.DC liked thisMike Anderson, NACD.DC liked thisI was a new CIO when someone broke my forcefield. It happened in a routine one on one. The leader across from me said I could be a great leader. But I was not brave enough to give honest feedback to my team. I was a peacemaker and I avoided confrontation. I told myself I was protecting people, protecting relationships, protecting the work. I had built an identity around being the steady, agreeable one in the room. That conversation cracked it open. And here is what surprised me most. Avoiding the conflict took more effort than addressing it. The energy I was burning to dance around hard conversations, manage everyone's feelings, replay tense exchanges at midnight. It was exhausting. Saying the real thing was lighter than carrying the unsaid thing. My team noticed. Their commitment to performing well skyrocketed. Not because I had become harsh, but because I had become honest. I never looked back. I tell the full version of that story in my new book, Beyond the Algorithm: Lead What Machines Can't. I share it here because I see versions of it every week in the leaders I coach. Most clients arrive with their forcefield up. Polished, prepared, ready to explain and ready to defend. A boss, a 360, a peer, a spouse. Someone told them they needed to change, and they show up ready to perform the version of themselves they have been performing for years. Nothing changes until the forcefield drops. Until the performance ends. Until they look at their own performance with openness and honesty. Until they admit that under pressure they turn into someone they do not want to be. Until they say out loud that they are emotionally expensive to the people around them. Until they acknowledge their team does not trust them and they know exactly why. That is the moment the directed client becomes the hungry one. If someone has suggested you work with a coach, the question is not whether you need it. The question is whether you are ready to drop the forcefield. What is on the other side is lighter than what you are carrying now. This is the work we do at CIO Mentor. Helping leaders drop the forcefield and step into the version of themselves their teams have been waiting for. If this resonates, send it to someone who needs to read it.
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Mike Anderson, NACD.DC liked thisMike Anderson, NACD.DC liked thisI’ve been sharing our AI journey at Workato publicly for a while now. The 1010% increase in LLM adoption by our employees (with little cost increase). The $1M in additional quarterly revenue from Enterprise MCP. The 57% of employees who willingly gave up licenses thanks to our License Genie. The weekly AI enablement sessions we run for the entire company. Next week I'm putting all of it together in one place. I'm speaking at the AI Deployment Summit on how we turned AI experiments into full production deployments, and the playbook our Business Technology team runs every week. Join me May 7: https://lnkd.in/eM9hFZFM #EnterpriseMCP #AgenticAI #CIO Workato
Experience & Education
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Netskope
View Mike’s full experience
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Licenses & Certifications
Volunteer Experience
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Executive Director
Mckenna's Grace, Inc.
- Present 8 years 1 month
Health
Co-founded the non-profit after the tragic suicide of my niece.
Honors & Awards
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CIO Hall of Fame
Foundry / CIO 100
2026 inductee into the CIO Hall of Fame
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DallasCIO ORBIE Corporate CIO of the Year
Inspire Leadership Network
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National Diversity Council - Top 50 CIO
National Diversity Council
The Chief Information/Technology Officer has become the point-person for innovation and the forerunner for change inside today’s organizations, inexorably linked to this information generation of rapid progress. And as the role of technology has shifted, so too has the role of the CIO and CTO. ‘Big Data’ is the watchword, with the volume and importance of information constantly rising. Today’s CIO/CTO must be equipped to leverage that information towards a greater strategy of organizational…
The Chief Information/Technology Officer has become the point-person for innovation and the forerunner for change inside today’s organizations, inexorably linked to this information generation of rapid progress. And as the role of technology has shifted, so too has the role of the CIO and CTO. ‘Big Data’ is the watchword, with the volume and importance of information constantly rising. Today’s CIO/CTO must be equipped to leverage that information towards a greater strategy of organizational growth and success. The National Diversity Council is proud to recognize the executives who are doing just that.
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National Diversity Council - Top 50 CIO
National Diversity Council
The Chief Information/Technology Officer has become the point-person for innovation and the forerunner for change inside today’s organizations, inexorably linked to this information generation of rapid progress. And as the role of technology has shifted, so too has the role of the CIO and CTO. ‘Big Data’ is the watchword, with the volume and importance of information constantly rising. Today’s CIO/CTO must be equipped to leverage that information towards a greater strategy of organizational…
The Chief Information/Technology Officer has become the point-person for innovation and the forerunner for change inside today’s organizations, inexorably linked to this information generation of rapid progress. And as the role of technology has shifted, so too has the role of the CIO and CTO. ‘Big Data’ is the watchword, with the volume and importance of information constantly rising. Today’s CIO/CTO must be equipped to leverage that information towards a greater strategy of organizational growth and success. The National Diversity Council is proud to recognize the executives who are doing just that.
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Constellation Research Business Transformation 150
Constellation Research
The BT150 recognizes the world’s most influential executives across a variety of industries, including entertainment, financial services, healthcare, higher education, pharmaceuticals, public sector, retail and sports, to name a few. Nominations from peers, industry influencers, technology vendors and analysts power the selection process each year.
Organizations
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WSJ Technology Council
Member
- PresentCollectively this group of ambitious leaders employs more than 5.3 million people, generates more than $2.9 trillion in annual revenue and represents 8 countries in a wide cross-section of industries.
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T-Mobile Innovation Advisory Board
Board Member
- PresentMember of the T-Mobile Innovation Advisory Board.
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Gartner CIO Community
Dallas Governing Body Co-Chair & Global CIO Governing Body Member
- PresentBegan as a governing body member during my time at CROSSMARK and then became a co-chair after joining Schneider Electric.
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Society for Information Management (SIM)
Member
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Technology Ball
Executive Host
- PresentThe Technology Ball encompasses a unique series of networking gatherings that brings the technology community together. Proceeds from Technology Ball support initiatives to create future technology leaders through STEM partnerships in the social sector.
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Sigma Chi
Member
- PresentMember of the Sigma Chi Fraternity.
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Samsung Executive Advisory Board
Board Member
-Member of the Samsung Executive Advisory Board focused on their B2B portfolio of products.
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GMA Information Systems Committee
Committee Member
-The Grocery Manufacturers Association (GMA) is a trade association of the food industry. It represents the world's largest branded food, beverage and consumer product companies.
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Nielsen Technical Advisory Board
Board Member
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