Insights from The Tech Leaders Podcast with guest, Cathy Mauzaize, President of EMEA at ServiceNow
In episode 128 of The Tech Leaders Podcast, Gareth speaks with Cathy Mauzaize, President, EMEA at ServiceNow, about what it takes to make AI deliver real value, and why many organisations are still struggling to get there.
From leadership and culture to governance, resilience and the realities of enterprise IT, the conversation highlights a simple truth: technology is moving fast, and most organisations are still catching up.
Leadership starts with mindset
For Cathy, strong leadership today is not just about delivery. It is about how you think, learn and support others.
“When you lead with true empathy and really caring about what you do and the impact on people, combined with a huge willingness to learn, that’s truly what great leadership means to me.”
That mindset was shaped in part by her time at Microsoft, where she saw a major cultural shift under Satya Nadella (CEO at Microsoft).
“Moving from ‘we know it all’ to ‘we learn it all’.”
In a world where technology is constantly evolving, that shift from certainty to curiosity is critical. Without it, leaders risk falling behind as new tools, platforms and ways of working emerge.
AI is everywhere, but execution is the real challenge
AI is now firmly on the agenda in boardrooms across every industry.
“AI is everywhere.”
But while the intent is there, execution is where organisations are falling short. A lot of organisations are experimenting with AI right now, but very few have figured out how to make it work at scale.
The reason comes down to fundamentals:
“AI is only as good as the platform it is built on, only as good as the data you’re using, and only as good as the workflow it is embedded into.”
AI on its own does not solve problems. It needs to be built into the structure of the organisation, connected to reliable data and embedded into real workflows.
Resilience is now non-negotiable
One of the most striking points from the conversation is the importance of resilience.
“If you haven’t built a resilient organisation, you’re screwed.”
It is a blunt statement, but it reflects the pressure many organisations are under. Markets are changing faster, risks are increasing, and the ability to respond quickly is becoming a competitive advantage.
Resilience is often misunderstood as simply maintaining legacy systems or IT infrastructure . Cathy challenges that idea.
“Resilient doesn’t mean on prem. Resilient means having the right systems that are all interconnected.”
In practice, that means having visibility across your environment and the ability to act quickly when things change.
Governance is becoming the real challenge
As organisations adopt AI and new technologies, complexity increases. Without control, that complexity quickly turns into risk.
“Then you create some shadow IT, shadow AI, and it’s going to be ungovernable.”
This is where many organisations are starting to feel the pressure. Teams move quickly, tools are adopted rapidly, and visibility is often lost.
Cathy describes a shift towards a more connected and structured model.
“The world of tomorrow is a world where you add data, LLMs, workflow and you need governance rulebook.”
This is no longer about managing individual systems. It is about managing how everything works together.
AI will change how organisations hire
There is also a lot of discussion around the impact of AI on jobs. Cathy’s view is more balanced than many.
“I don’t see them hiring less. We see them hiring differently.”
As AI becomes more embedded in day-to-day work, the skills within organisations will change. Technical capability will still matter, but so will judgment and the ability to work alongside AI.
“Judgment will be critical even more.”
The organisations that succeed will be those that effectively combine technology with strong decision-making.
What this means for technology leaders today
This episode makes one thing clear. AI alone does not create value. Control, visibility and governance do.
As organisations look to scale platforms like ServiceNow and adopt AI more widely, having a clear understanding of their technology estate becomes critical. Without that, it becomes almost impossible to govern usage, manage risk or get real value.
That is where disciplines like IT Asset Management play an important role, giving organisations the visibility and control needed to support AI, manage cost and reduce risk.
It is also a challenge we see come up time and time again at bedigital, helping organisations get a clear view of their technology estate and make better decisions about how it is used and managed.
