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As a proven C-level technology and transformation executive, I partner with CEOs, boards,…
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Mike Maresca shared thisMost companies have an AI program. Fewer have changed how the work actually gets done. The gap is not the model. It is the operating model. Most companies still treat agentic AI as a better copilot. It isn’t. A copilot helps a person do the old job faster. An agent owns a goal, uses tools, and taps a human when judgment is required. That is an operating-model change, not an IT upgrade. If you drop agents onto the current org chart, you get demos. If you rebuild a process end-to-end, you get a different company. Three things have to move together: Strategy. Pick one or two value streams, not fifty use cases. Ask what outcome the process exists to produce, then decide which steps are no longer needed. Operating model. Work organizes around the outcome, not the department. Humans sit on the loop: set the goal, define what can fire, take the exceptions. Accountability stays with a named owner. “The agent did it” is not a control. AI-native functions. Some work should not be “AI-assisted marketing.” It should be a marketing function redesigned around the decision, with people "on the loop". Same for store labor, item data, fraud, service. Policy, data, and stop rules get built in, not bolted on. The constraint is no longer capacity. It is governance. When execution is cheap and fast, the scarce skill is deciding what must never run unsupervised. I have spent the last several years on this problem in large retail and healthcare. The companies that will win are not the ones with the most agents. They are the ones willing to reimagine the work. #AI #AgenticAI #Transformation
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Mike Maresca shared thisThank you so much to ChicagoCIO and Inspire Leadership Network for this incredible honor. I’m truly grateful to be recognized by this esteemed community that understands the important role technology plays in shaping business, culture and the experiences we create for the people we serve. This recognition is really a reflection of the talented teams and partners I’ve had the privilege to work alongside at Ulta Beauty. Their curiosity, collaboration and commitment to innovation have helped push the business forward in meaningful ways, and I’m incredibly proud of what has been built together. What has always excited me about technology is its ability to create more human, connected and intuitive experiences. Whether through data, AI, personalization or the platforms that help teams work smarter, the opportunity is not technology for technology’s sake – it’s using technology to solve real problems, create value and make experiences better for guests, associates and the business. Lastly, congratulations to all of the finalists and winners. #ChicagoOrbie #Orbie #CIOMike Maresca shared thisCongratulations 2026 ChicagoCIO #ORBIE Finalists & Winners! | https://lnkd.in/eAhSrfTg Leadership Anuj Gaur, Marmon Holdings, Inc. Global Ramesh Kollepara, Kellanova (fmr) Large Enterprise Mike Maresca, Ulta Beauty Enterprise Susan Goodson, Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago Large Corporate CASEY HOSSA, Health New England Corporate Michael McDonnell, Amsted Rail Nonprofit/ Public Sector Anthony L. McPhearson, MBA, DuPage County Media Partner Crain's Chicago Business Inspire Leadership Network Christa Ogilvy
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Mike Maresca shared thisMost enterprise AI conversations start with the platform. That's the first mistake. Yesterday at Adobe Summit, Kelly Mahoney and I talked about what it takes to move from AI experimentation to real customer experience impact. My honest answer: it takes a foundation most enterprises are still trying to build - and a way of operating on it that keeps the guest at the center. At Ulta Beauty, that means every project starts with a guest or associate problem we're trying to solve. It means marketing and technology working as one team…which is why Kelly and I shared that stage. And it means a data and orchestration layer, built with Adobe, that turns what we know about the guest into what we actually do in the moment. Here's the measure of whether it's working: does the guest feel it? In the second half of 2025, AI-driven shopping on Ulta.com grew 115%. Behind that number is something more important…the guest is opting in. When AI is working the way it should, it stops feeling like AI. It just feels like we know her. Agentic is the next chapter, and we're moving fast. But the foundation is why we can. Grateful to Adobe and Sunil Menon for the stage, and to Kelly, who keeps the technology we build in service of the guest. #UltaBeauty #AdobeSummit #AgenticAI
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Mike Maresca reposted thisHiring on my team at Ulta Beauty! If you’re a ServiceNow pro who loves building scalable solutions and enabling teams to do more with the platform, this one’s worth a look. Come join us. 👉 Apply here: https://lnkd.in/e8w39SDd #Hiring #ServiceNow #UltaBeauty #OpenToWorkMike Maresca reposted thisJoin the team at Ulta as a Tech Lead, ServiceNow (Citizen Development) in Bolingbrook, IL. If you’re passionate about Information Technology and love creating meaningful guest experiences, this role is your chance to grow, shine, and make an impact every day. https://bit.ly/4co6ov7 #beautywithoutlimits #ITJobsTech Lead, ServiceNow (Citizen Development) in Bolingbrook, ILTech Lead, ServiceNow (Citizen Development) in Bolingbrook, IL
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Mike Maresca shared thisEnergized and inspired by the Ulta Beauty Field Leadership Conference! 🌟 There is nothing quite like the energy of being in a room with 1,500 of our incredible field leaders. It was an incredibly impactful few days of connecting, celebrating, and building momentum together. For the Technology and Digital Transformation team, “Unleashed” means more than just speed. It is about removing friction and creating seamless experiences that empower our 60,000 associates to do what they do best: serve our guests with heart and expertise. Whether through technology innovation in our stores or scaling the systems that power our growth, we are committed to building a future where technology enables more meaningful human connections and elevated guest experiences. Excited to carry this momentum forward! 🚀 #UltaBeauty #FieldLeadership #FLC2026 #BeautyUnleashed #UBTech
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Mike Maresca shared thisExcited to be featured in BeautyMatter discussing how agentic AI is transforming beauty discovery—from intent-driven recommendations to truly personalized guest experiences. As Chief Technology and Transformation Officer at Ulta Beauty, I believe: “Being at the forefront of agentic commerce allows us to meet guests where they are and deliver personalized experiences that feel seamless, relevant, and undeniably Ulta Beauty.” Grateful for the opportunity to share Ulta Beauty’s perspective on this shift. What are your thoughts on agentic AI in retail? Read the full article here: https://lnkd.in/gGf2Dzmx #AgenticAI #BeautyTech #DigitalTransformation #UltaBeauty #AIinRetailAgentic AI in Beauty: How ChatGPT Is Reshaping Discovery, Trust, and ConversionAgentic AI in Beauty: How ChatGPT Is Reshaping Discovery, Trust, and Conversion
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Mike Maresca reposted thisMike Maresca reposted thisCalling all trendsetters! At Ulta Beauty, we seek trend-obsessed individuals to drive innovation in our dynamic industry. Join me in leading the way in setting new trends in retail and beauty! 💡 https://bit.ly/3PAVqLg #beautywithoutlimits #ITCareersLead IT Engineer - Merchandise Technology in Bolingbrook, ILLead IT Engineer - Merchandise Technology in Bolingbrook, IL
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Mike Maresca reposted thisMike Maresca reposted thisPassionate about making a positive impact? At Ulta Beauty, I'm committed to empowering our communities and fostering change. Join me in our mission to uplift lives through beauty. Get involved by applying for this new opening: https://bit.ly/4bZw7eA #ITCareers #beautywithoutlimitsLead IT Engineer - Merchandise Technology in Bolingbrook, ILLead IT Engineer - Merchandise Technology in Bolingbrook, IL
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Mike Maresca reposted thisMike Maresca reposted thisUnlock your potential with Ulta Beauty! I'm dedicated to your growth and development, offering enriching experiences to propel your career forward. Let's chart your course together! 🚀💼 Apply now: https://bit.ly/4bI5MBD #IT #ITCareersSenior Director of Product Management, Merchandising Technology in Bolingbrook, ILSenior Director of Product Management, Merchandising Technology in Bolingbrook, IL
Mike Maresca replied to a comment
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Sheena Larson the decision that gets harder is what the agent is not allowed to do. If it only recommends a markdown, a bad call is a meeting. If it writes that markdown into the price file, a missing no is the price in every store. Write the never-list first: it can replenish, it cannot reprice. Default is let the process run. A human has to explicitly save an override. You can govern that on one or two real processes.
Mike Maresca replied to a comment
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RamBhupal Kandula yes. The model is not the unlock. The companies that pull ahead are the ones willing to change how work actually happens, not the ones with the most pilots.
Mike Maresca replied to a comment
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Surekha Durvasula that is the cost most AI programs hide. Demo loops and POCs feel like progress until you add them up. Appreciate you telling it how it is.
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Mike Maresca liked thisI am proud of our entire Zebra team for their relentless focus and execution this quarter. Our results are a direct reflection of the trusted relationships we have with our suppliers, partners, and customers. As the pace of digitization, automation and AI accelerates, the edge of the enterprise remains the most critical place for transformation. We are empowering the frontline with the intelligent solutions they need to make faster, better decisions when it matters most.Mike Maresca liked thisWe delivered results exceeding our Outlook, driven by our team’s execution and positive demand trends across our portfolio. We had strong performance across all segments and regions, with double-digit growth in our retail, manufacturing and healthcare end-markets. Our solutions capture data at the frontline, turn that data into insights, and enable customers to take action in real time. AI strengthens this ongoing process by enabling faster decision-making, greater automation, and continuous workflow improvement. With our integrated portfolio, we meet customers where they are today in their automation journey, while also continuing to expand our value as their operations evolve. We have significant runway for growth with our clear and differentiated value proposition, supported by trends in automation, digitization, and AI across a $35 billion dollar served market. Our customers are leveraging Zebra's AI-powered portfolio of solutions to improve productivity, visibility and decision-making and we remain focused on driving long-term profitable growth and shareholder value. https://lnkd.in/eKbgtv6Y
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Mike Maresca liked thisMike Maresca liked thisBret Taylor and I are excited to announce that Julia Brau Donnelly will be joining Sierra as our Chief Financial Officer. Julia has seen companies from almost every side: as an investment banker, a private-equity investor, an operator at Wayfair, and as CFO of Pinterest. That range of experience and adaptability is so valuable in an industry that is changing at a pace none of us have seen before. Most of all, Julia embodies our culture: low ego, high agency, and excited to roll up her sleeves to get the work done. And there’s a lot of building to do. Just two and a half years since launch, Sierra has become the leading customer-facing conversational AI platform. The business is growing much faster than even our most optimistic predictions, hitting $100M in ARR in just seven quarters and $200M in nine quarters. We now work with over 40% of the Fortune 50, one in three of the leading banks, five out of 10 of the largest healthcare companies in the world, and 25% of the IBEX 35. With the shift from one-and-done service agents to revenue-aligned long-horizon agents, the opportunity for Sierra just got much, much bigger. Julia — welcome to Sierra! We’re all so excited to have you on the team.
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Mike Maresca liked thisMost companies have an AI program. Fewer have changed how the work actually gets done. The gap is not the model. It is the operating model. Most companies still treat agentic AI as a better copilot. It isn’t. A copilot helps a person do the old job faster. An agent owns a goal, uses tools, and taps a human when judgment is required. That is an operating-model change, not an IT upgrade. If you drop agents onto the current org chart, you get demos. If you rebuild a process end-to-end, you get a different company. Three things have to move together: Strategy. Pick one or two value streams, not fifty use cases. Ask what outcome the process exists to produce, then decide which steps are no longer needed. Operating model. Work organizes around the outcome, not the department. Humans sit on the loop: set the goal, define what can fire, take the exceptions. Accountability stays with a named owner. “The agent did it” is not a control. AI-native functions. Some work should not be “AI-assisted marketing.” It should be a marketing function redesigned around the decision, with people "on the loop". Same for store labor, item data, fraud, service. Policy, data, and stop rules get built in, not bolted on. The constraint is no longer capacity. It is governance. When execution is cheap and fast, the scarce skill is deciding what must never run unsupervised. I have spent the last several years on this problem in large retail and healthcare. The companies that will win are not the ones with the most agents. They are the ones willing to reimagine the work. #AI #AgenticAI #Transformation
Experience & Education
Volunteer Experience
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Member of the Board of Advisors
Chicago Innovation
- Present 4 years
Our mission is to create a thriving innovation ecosystem in the Chicago region by educating, connecting and celebrating innovators.
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Official Member
Forbes Technology Council
- Present 4 years
Sharing insights on health and retail with the Forbes Technology Council, an invitation-only organization for successful senior-level technology executives.
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Member
ChicagoCIO
- Present less than a year
Member of the peer leadership network for CIOs in the Chicagoland region, part of the Inspire CIO Leadership Network. Focused on executive leadership development, peer collaboration, and best practices among senior technology leaders.
Honors & Awards
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Chicago ORBIE CIO of the Year
Inspire Leadership Network
The premier technology executive recognition program in the United States, honoring Chief Information Officers (CIOs) and Chief Information Security Officers (CISOs) who have demonstrated excellence in leadership and innovation.
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CIO 100 Award
Foundry
The CIO 100 Award is a prestigious, global recognition program that honors 100 organizations and the teams within them for using information technology in innovative ways. Often called the "Oscars of the IT industry," it celebrates enterprise excellence, operational efficiency, and transformative business value.
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