Modernizing Legacy Systems with AI with Shelia Anderson of Aflac

In this episode, Shelia Anderson, CIO at Aflac, discusses how the company is using AI to modernize while handling legacy systems. Shelia highlights key initiatives such as digital claims processing, establishing an AI center of excellence, and transforming internal operations.

About the Guest:

Shelia Anderson is an information technology executive with extensive Fortune 100 CIO, services, and consulting experience, particularly in Financial Services and Insurance. Partnering with C-level stakeholders, she drives business change and digitally enables organizations through multi-million dollar technology strategies, agile development, and support initiatives for applications and infrastructure. She is well-versed in a range of technologies, from legacy systems to cloud, AI, and LLMs, focusing on maturing organizations through cloud migration, agile transformation, and digital enablement. With a significant passion and proven results in mentoring and developing talent in STEM, supporting women in technology, and building exceptional teams, Shelia has demonstrated organizational leadership over 2000+ employees across multiple global locations and managed budgets exceeding $600 million.

Guest Highlights:

“[When it comes to AI] start with your business. Simple, really. Understand your business, your business challenges, and your business opportunities. Always start with ‘why’ and anything that you deliver from there, the closer you can tie the work that you’re doing to the business value, the more successful both you and your company will be at the end of the day.”

Timestamps:

*(01:40) – Aflac’s AI Journey

*(03:55) – AI at Scale: Transforming Aflac

*(09:00) – Building Automation and Innovation into Culture 

*(26:15) – Leadership Insights and Advice

*(31:15) – Future Trends and Strategies

Links & Resources:

• Ian Faison on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/ianfaison
• Shelia Anderson on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/sheliaanderson
• Learn more about Aflac’s services: www.aflac.com
• Check out the My Special Aflac Duck®: myduck.sproutel.com
• Hungry for more tech talk? Check out these past episodes:
  • Ep 50 – Powerful Partnerships That Push CIOs to the Next Level
  • Ep 49 – Investment Priorities for the Transformative CIO
  • Ep 48 – The Future of Employee Experience
• Learn more about Caspian Studios: www.caspianstudios.com

Can’t get enough AI? Check out The New Automation Mindset Podcast for more in-depth conversations about strategies leadership in AI, automation, and orchestration. Brought to you by the automation experts at Workato. Start Listening: www.workato.com/podcast