Built for Change: Rewiring a 175-Year-Old Company for the AI Era

What does successful leadership look like in the age of AI, constant disruption, and accelerating change? In this episode, Dan Roberts sits down with Sears Merritt, CIO at MassMutual. Rather than chasing headlines, Sears has spent more than a decade building systems, teams, and cultures that consistently deliver impact, all while staying deeply grounded in purpose, accountability, and policyholder-first service.

We are unpacking Sears’ leadership playbook to learn how MassMutual approaches innovation inside a 175-year-old institution, why adaptability is becoming a timeless leadership skill, and how organizations can create environments where breakthrough thinking naturally emerges.

Connect with Sears: https://www.linkedin.com/in/searsmerritt/

MassMutual: https://www.massmutual.com/

Listen to learn valuable leadership insights, including:

• Why impact matters more than recognition or promotion
• How to create long-term trust and consistency with customers
• The most important leadership skills in the age of AI
• How to adapt your “learning rate” in periods of rapid change
• How focusing on outcomes instead of solutions can unlock innovation
• The value of a strong CEO-CIO partnership

Featuring submitted questions from:

• Sharmila Ramar, CTO & Global Head of Enterprise Infrastructure Services, MassMutual
• Manoj Vallam, Head of HR Consulting, Enterprise Technology, & Experience, MassMutual
• Sara Biller, Co-Founder, FinTech Sandbox, Board Member
• Azer Bestavros, Associate Provost for Computing & Data Sciences, Boston University
• Josh Alwitt, Leadership & Organization Coach, Josh Alwitt Leadership