The Global Human Capital Journal

Visions for Technology Leadership

After Gary Forsee's luncheon address, a diverse panel of executives took the stage to discuss global technology leadership. Hardik Bhatt, CIO of the City of Chicago, Steve Goldman, Director of Architecture, the Chicago Mercantile Exchange, Raymond Spencer, CEO of Kanbay International, and David Weick, Global CIO of McDonald's, shared their visions for Chicago's global role in the world. Janet Kennedy, Midwest General Manager of Microsoft, gracefully moderated the panel discussion. The Executives' Club of Chicago's quarterly Technology Conference took place March 8 at the Chicago Hilton.

"Getting global" can mean many things, and panelists hit the issue from many directions. I'll venture that, more than anything, it means changing one's mindset, focus and approach, all of which are difficult to measure. All panelists represented organizations that had had international operations for decades, so how is global different?

How Sprint Nextel is Betting Its Future on a New Wired Society

Gary D. Forsee, Chairman and CEO, Sprint Nextel Corporation, set the stage for the Executives' Club of Chicago's Technology Conference by outlining Sprint's wireless strategy and a new vision for global community at the March enterprise CEO luncheon at the Chicago Hilton.

Sprint's long history reflects the transformation of the U.S. telecoms market. The company has had a key role in remaking the U.S. telecoms industry during its privatization. It competed as a competitive local exchange carrier (CLEC) and once earned most of its revenue from long distance services, which are now essentially free. After its 2005 merger with Nextel, virtually all its revenue comes from wireless services.

Moreover, Mr. Forsee promised that Chicago would be one of two pilot cities for Sprint's WiMAX initiative later this year. Chicagoans will be among the first in the U.S. to try 4G network services.