Kathleen Kay

Recent appearances

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  How a Fortune 500 CIO Is Winning the AI Race: Kathy Kay | Apoorv Agarwal | Earn The Right Podcast #7

  April 20, 2026 · 📺 Earn The Right Podcast

  Kathy Kay has led technology through some of America's biggest crises. From the Great Recession to California wildfires to a global pandemic, she was the person building systems that kept companies and people afloat. As EVP and CIO at Principal Financial Group, she brings a battle-tested instinct for building technology through disruption. She has done it at General Motors, PG&E, Comerica, and SunTrust Bank. Every role sharpened her approach to innovating with compliance. That cross-industry depth is exactly what makes her perspective on scaling enterprise AI worth listening to right now. In…

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  Kathy Kay: Building Possibilities and Enabling Growth at Principal Financial Group

  January 21, 2025 · 📺 Ouellette & Associates Consulting, Inc.

  This episode we’re shining the light on Kathy Kay, a leader whose name is synonymous with “building” — and she is a builder in every sense of the word. Kathy not only excels at developing high-performance teams, she extends that builder mindset across multiple areas in both her personal and professional lives. In a wide-ranging conversation, Kathy is sharing how she applies her philosophy of building to her current role as EVP & CIO at Principal Financial Group. We’ll explore her strengths in building courage, collaboration, community, innovation, and family as she lives out a leadership styl…

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  Principal Financial CIO Kathy Kay on balancing traditional AI and genAI

  May 15, 2024 · 📺 CIO

  Kathy Kay, CIO at Principal Financial, joins host Maryfran Johnson for this CIO Leadership Live interview. They discuss balancing traditional AI vs. genAI, serving customers holistically (not just digitally), nurturing an inclusive company culture and more.

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  Inside Principal Financial Group's Focus on Flexibility

  November 17, 2022 · 📺 CIO

  When a company relies on complex systems that haven’t been integrated, it’s difficult to present a simple interface with customers. That insight has informed the work of Principal Financial Group CIO Kathy Kay, who began her job in the early days of the coronavirus pandemic and has not only had to establish herself as a leader remotely but chart important projects like developing a strategy to modernize and simplify technology across the company. Join us to learn her strategy for building flexible teams as well as a look inside Principal’s digital journey. Follow CIO for more Business Strateg…

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