Why CIOs Make Great CEOs: Saul Van Beurden’s Leadership Playbook

Technovation with Peter High (CIO, CTO, CDO, CXO Interviews)

1025: What does it take to go from CIO to CEO? For Saul Van Beurden, tech leadership was the ideal proving ground.

Now CEO of Consumer, Small, and Business Banking at Wells Fargo, Saul shares how his background in IT helped him lead at enterprise scale. In this episode, he speaks with Peter High about the strategic, operational, and cultural mindset shifts that enabled his rise—and why CIOs are uniquely positioned to lead beyond technology.

Key topics explored:

• Translating technology leadership into enterprise-wide strategy
• Lessons from operating at scale in risk-heavy environments
• Building customer-centric AI and data foundations
• Driving channel parity across digital, branch, and contact center
• Creating pathways for talent through neurodiversity hiring