Jennifer Charters's guest appearances

Jennifer Charters

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

Diva Tech Talk Podcast

You, Me, and Your Top Three

Mamatha Chamarthi

Sangy Vatsa

Jane Sydlowski

Seth Godin

Ralph Lauren

Marc Lore

Estee Lauder

Scott Galloway

Larry Sanger

Pat Grady

Simon Sinek

Scott Adams

Peter Zeihan

Stanley McChrystal

Kanika Tolver

OwlTail

586: In this interview, Jennifer Charters, CIO of Flagstar Bank, focuses on how Flagstar is expanding its digital capabilities and how it remained resilient during the pandemic. Jennifer speaks on the coopetition between traditional brick-and-mortar banks and FinTech firms and how smaller banks can benefit greatly from developing ecosystems to leverage FinTech’s digital capabilities. Additionally, Jen describes the investments Flagstar has made in its own digital capabilities including cloud infrastructure and various platforms. She gives her perspective on the culture of IT, growing the opportunities for women in technology, the advantages of Flagstar’s announced merger with New York Community Bancorp, and trends she foresees.   Also available on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PylOxpDe0o8

586: In this interview, Jennifer Charters, CIO of Flagstar Bank, focuses on how Flagstar is expanding its digital capabilities and how it remained resilient during the pandemic. Jennifer speaks on the coopetition between traditional brick-and-mortar banks and FinTech firms and how smaller banks can benefit greatly from developing ecosystems to leverage FinTech’s digital capabilities. Additionally, Jen describes the investments Flagstar has made in its own digital capabilities including cloud infrastructure and various platforms. She gives her perspective on the culture of IT, growing the opportunities for women in technology, the advantages of Flagstar’s announced merger with New York Community Bancorp, and trends she foresees. Also available on YouTube: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PylOxpDe0o8" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PylOxpDe0o8</a>

Flagstar Bank CIO Jennifer Charters on Driving an Innovative Culture

During this episode, You Me and Your Top Three host, Gregg Garrett, speaks with Jennifer  Charters, executive vice president and CIO at Flagstar Bank. She discusses how leaders can use the power of storytelling to drive clarity of purpose and consistency of transformation. Jennifer also shares how she has honed this superpower as a chief-of-staff to a global executive before embracing this same method to take on her own corporate officer role. She shares her Top Three including her spouse who creates a safe-zone to question the right way of doing things to bosses who help mold her perspective to current colleagues who give her the space to truly move her organization from good to great and to her fellow Women in Technology who, with her, continue to shape the landscape for women in the IT profession. Lastly, you must hear what she has to say about building intentional habits.  About Jennifer Charters  Jennifer Charters joined Flagstar Bank in June 2018 as executive vice president and chief information officer. In her new position, she is responsible for providing overall executive leadership and strategic direction for the IT organization, including the successful delivery of technology initiatives and management of IT operations. Previously, she was chief information officer, Corporate Technology, at Ally Financial. She is an experienced professional with 24 years of experience in IT financial services and telecommunications. She serves as vice president of the Michigan Council of Women in Technology.  Show Highlights  Segment 1: Overview 1:18      Influential leadership vs. control leadership 8:18      Jennifer Charters’ career and the positive impact of successful storytelling Segment 2: The “Top Three” 9:20     Charters reflects on the impact being able to play and explore from an early age played on her career 15:54   “What do I want to do for the next 12 years?” 16:49   “Not wanting to close too many doors too quickly” 19:38   Charters’ “Top Three” starters with her husband Jim Charters who serves as an understanding, sounding board for problem solving 22:43   Charters’ “Top Three” builds with the former leaders she has worked for including Cheryl Railey who highlighted the importance of relationships and managing up 27:40   Charters’ “Top Three” continues with Michael Baresich who emphasized the impact successful storytelling can have on strategy and purpose 34:40   Charters’ “Top Three” expands with current leaders she works with including  Alessandro DiNello who challenged her to see technology as an enabler to the business model 39:37   Charters’ “Top Three” also includes  Lee Smith who gives her freedom and has established trust for her to do what she needs to successfully execute the technology 45:02   Charters’ “Top Three” conclude with Jane Sydlowski and John Bonapace who brought her into the Michigan Council of Women in Technology Segment 3: Impact of Technology and Lessons Learned from the Financial Services Industry 49:28   “What advice do you give to leaders to get closer to the mindset of industry service with technology serving as an enabler?” 51:02   “If you don’t feel like you’re continuing to learn… grow and like the organization is not continuing to invest in you, you might want to think about if you’re in the right place.” 52:10   Today’s increase in technology acceleration Segment 4: Wrapping Up 53:34   Building the right habits to be a better, braver leader 55:56   How to stay in contact with Jennifer  Additional Information  Contact Jennifer Charters:  Jennifer’s LinkedIn  Contact Gregg Garrett:  Gregg’s LinkedIn Gregg’s Twitter Gregg’s Bio  Contact CGS Advisors:  Website LinkedIn Twitter 

During this episode, You Me and Your Top Three host, Gregg Garrett, speaks with Jennifer <a href="https://www.flagstar.com/about-flagstar/leadership/jennifer-charters.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> Charters</a>, executive vice president and CIO at <a href="https://www.flagstar.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Flagstar Bank</a>. She discusses how leaders can use the power of storytelling to drive clarity of purpose and consistency of transformation. Jennifer also shares how she has honed this superpower as a chief-of-staff to a global executive before embracing this same method to take on her own corporate officer role. She shares her Top Three including her spouse who creates a safe-zone to question the right way of doing things to bosses who help mold her perspective to current colleagues who give her the space to truly move her organization from good to great and to her fellow Women in Technology who, with her, continue to shape the landscape for women in the IT profession. Lastly, you must hear what she has to say about building intentional habits. About Jennifer Charters Jennifer Charters joined Flagstar Bank in June 2018 as executive vice president and chief information officer. In her new position, she is responsible for providing overall executive leadership and strategic direction for the IT organization, including the successful delivery of technology initiatives and management of IT operations. Previously, she was chief information officer, Corporate Technology, at Ally Financial. She is an experienced professional with 24 years of experience in IT financial services and telecommunications. She serves as vice president of the Michigan Council of Women in Technology. Show Highlights Segment 1: Overview 1:18      Influential leadership vs. control leadership 8:18      Jennifer Charters’ career and the positive impact of successful storytelling Segment 2: The “Top Three” 9:20     Charters reflects on the impact being able to play and explore from an early age played on her career 15:54   “What do I want to do for the next 12 years?” 16:49   “Not wanting to close too many doors too quickly” 19:38   Charters’ “Top Three” starters with her husband <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/jimcharters/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Jim Charters</a> who serves as an understanding, sounding board for problem solving 22:43   Charters’ “Top Three” builds with the former leaders she has worked for including <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/cherylcrailey" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Cheryl Railey</a> who highlighted the importance of relationships and managing up 27:40   Charters’ “Top Three” continues with <a href="https://media.ally.com/leadership-baresich" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Michael Baresich</a> who emphasized the impact successful storytelling can have on strategy and purpose 34:40   Charters’ “Top Three” expands with current leaders she works with including <a href="https://www.flagstar.com/about-flagstar/leadership/alessandro-dinello.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> Alessandro DiNello</a> who challenged her to see technology as an enabler to the business model 39:37   Charters’ “Top Three” also includes <a href="https://www.flagstar.com/about-flagstar/leadership/lee-smith.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> Lee Smith</a> who gives her freedom and has established trust for her to do what she needs to successfully execute the technology 45:02   Charters’ “Top Three” conclude with <a href="https://mcwt.org/about/advisory/list/Jane-Sydlowski" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Jane Sydlowski</a> and <a href="https://www.secure-24.com/about/leadership/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">John Bonapace</a> who brought her into the Michigan Council of Women in Technology Segment 3: Impact of Technology and Lessons Learned from the Financial Services Industry 49:28   “What advice do you give to leaders to get closer to the mindset of industry service with technology serving as an enabler?” 51:02   “If you don’t feel like you’re continuing to learn… grow and like the organization is not continuing to invest in you, you might want to think about if you’re in the right place.” 52:10   Today’s increase in technology acceleration Segment 4: Wrapping Up 53:34   Building the right habits to be a better, braver leader 55:56   How to stay in contact with Jennifer Additional Information Contact Jennifer Charters: <ul> <li>Jennifer’s <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/jencharters/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">LinkedIn</a></li> </ul> Contact Gregg Garrett: <ul> <li>Gregg’s <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/greggorygarrett/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">LinkedIn</a></li> <li>Gregg’s <a href="https://twitter.com/GreggoryGarrett" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Twitter</a></li> <li>Gregg’s <a href="https://www.cgsadvisors.com/team_member/gregg-garrett/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Bio</a></li> </ul> Contact CGS Advisors: <ul> <li><a href="http://www.cgsadvisors.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Website</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.linkedin.com/company/cgs-advisors-llc/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">LinkedIn</a></li> <li><a href="https://twitter.com/cgsadvise" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Twitter</a></li> </ul>

Telling the Right Story (wsg Jennifer Charters)

Diva Tech Talk interviewed Jennifer Charters, Chief Information Officer of Corporate Technology for Ally Bank (www.ally.com), one of the very first online-only financial institutions in the United States.  Jennifer’s technology fascination began in middle school. “My family purchased a VIC 20,” she said. “It basically looked like a keyboard, that you connect into your television.”  At first, Jennifer played with inbuilt pre-programmed applications but then began to create her own programs. In high school, she moved on to use Apple IIe (www.apple.com) computers and recognized “I had a knack for the logical nature of coding. It came easy for me.”  She matriculated to Michigan State University (www.msu.org) as one of “less than a handful of women” in the computer science program and also minored in psychology and business because “technology, just for technology’s sake, doesn’t necessarily make sense.  When you apply technology to a problem,” it does. In college, Jennifer was fortunate to obtain internships at IBM (www.ibm.com) with her first summer in North Carolina, second in Rochester, Minn. and third in Chicago, Illinois. “I got experience trying all these different companies.” Also, as a member of the Society of Women Engineers, she was fortunate to have numerous recruiters swarming. “One of the companies was Accenture (www.accenture.com),” Jennifer said. “That idea of being a jet-setter and traveling all over the world and getting that opportunity to explore different areas really appealed to me. I started off as a programmer,” she said. “It evolved into project and program management; and gave me a lot of exposure to a lot of different companies, and roles within companies.” She began in the telecommunications vertical market, then specialized in the field of Internet service providers. “That gave me the chance to work globally,” with stints at Deutsche Telekom (https://www.telekom.com/en) in Germany and Grupo Telecom (http://www.telecomitalia.com/tit/en.html) in Italy.  Jennifer then focused on other startups including Focal Communications --- later acquired by Broadwing, which was then acquired by Level 3 Communications (http://www.level3.com/en/), in an acquisition flurry.  She then moved to a project at AT&amp;T, in New Jersey, right after the World Trade Center was decimated by the events of 9/11; worked on that for two years; then decided to move back from Chicago to Michigan. “Ultimately, I got pregnant,” and both she and her husband landed jobs in Michigan. Jennifer switched to an insurance industry project Accenture  with The Automotive Club Group (www.aaa.org).  “What I was most interested in was staying local, then” said Jennifer.  This assignment became her entrée into the fascinating world of fintech. “Then I got pregnant with my daughter,” and had an epiphany. Her emphasis shifted to achieving a work/life balance. “I began to look for other opportunities” outside of Accenture. Jennifer obtained a project manager position at GMAC, the financing arm of General Motors (www.gm.com). “It was an interesting change of pace,” she said.  She had her second child after having joined GMAC, and when she returned from maternity leave, GM had sold the financing arm to Cerberus, (http://www.cerberuscapital.com/),  a private equity company. “Fast forward another year and a half, and the worldwide financial crisis hit. I felt like I was in the crosshairs of it all. It was a financial company linked to the automotive industry, and those were the industries most affected. We were in real trouble, on the verge of bankruptcy.” The U.S. government bailed out GMAC reinventing the entity as a bank holding company.  “It meant we had more regulations, but it also gave us the opportunity to start a bank --- an online bank: Ally Financial.” The key lesson for Jennifer? “In crisis, transformation happens.” Jennifer was promoted to program manager and then a director. Eventually, she took her current promotion to Chief Information Officer, Corporate Technology, with responsibility for seven direct reports, and a large organization numbering over 180 colleagues.  “Banks had not always been very friendly.” With pride, Jennifer feels that Ally fundamentally has changed that. “We care about our customers. Our motto is ‘do it right’. Customers are really responding.” “When I try to hire people,” Jennifer said, “one of the things I look for is learning agility: somebody who has curiosity, is continually ‘sharpening the saw,’ and looking for opportunities to stay fresh. In technology, it’s constant change.”  In her volunteer life, she is on the Advisory Board for the Michigan Council of Women in Technology (www.mcwt.org). She also coaches her daughter’s 12-week “GIRLS ON THE RUN” program, where she meets weekly with groups of girls “teaching them to be leaders, to be collaborative with each other, to be kind.  At the same time, they also learn to run.” At the end of the period, they run a 5K race. Jennifer, herself, has recently pushed herself to complete two Iron Man Triathlon Races. Key lessons that Jennifer has learned through her career:  “Relationships are key.” Take time to develop them and maintain them. “Having people, you can talk to” is essential. “Understand what your priorities are. Take time for them.” It’s ok to take a step back. (“You actually learn quite a bit,” from taking the occasional break.) “Managing people is a whole different skill-set and experience. You use influence. It requires trust; and that you have a good team around you.” “Recognize that your career is your own, it is what you make of it. Follow your dreams.”  For the full blog write up, make sure to check us out on online at www.divatechtalk.com, on Twitter @divatechtalks, and on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/divatechtalk. Follow our show and tell us what you like with an online review.

Diva Tech Talk interviewed Jennifer Charters, Chief Information Officer of Corporate Technology for Ally Bank (<a href="http://www.ally.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">www.ally.com</a>), one of the very first online-only financial institutions in the United States.  Jennifer’s technology fascination began in middle school. “My family purchased a VIC 20,” she said. “It basically looked like a keyboard, that you connect into your television.”  At first, Jennifer played with inbuilt pre-programmed applications but then began to create her own programs. In high school, she moved on to use Apple IIe (<a href="http://www.apple.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">www.apple.com</a>) computers and recognized “I had a knack for the logical nature of coding. It came easy for me.”  She matriculated to Michigan State University (<a href="http://www.msu.org" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">www.msu.org</a>) as one of “less than a handful of women” in the computer science program and also minored in psychology and business because “technology, just for technology’s sake, doesn’t necessarily make sense.  When you apply technology to a problem,” it does. In college, Jennifer was fortunate to obtain internships at IBM (<a href="http://www.ibm.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">www.ibm.com</a>) with her first summer in North Carolina, second in Rochester, Minn. and third in Chicago, Illinois. “I got experience trying all these different companies.” Also, as a member of the Society of Women Engineers, she was fortunate to have numerous recruiters swarming. “One of the companies was Accenture (<a>www.accenture.com)</a>,” Jennifer said. “That idea of being a jet-setter and traveling all over the world and getting that opportunity to explore different areas really appealed to me. I started off as a programmer,” she said. “It evolved into project and program management; and gave me a lot of exposure to a lot of different companies, and roles within companies.” She began in the telecommunications vertical market, then specialized in the field of Internet service providers. “That gave me the chance to work globally,” with stints at Deutsche Telekom (<a href="https://www.telekom.com/en" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://www.telekom.com/en</a>) in Germany and Grupo Telecom (<a href="http://www.telecomitalia.com/tit/en.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">http://www.telecomitalia.com/tit/en.html</a>) in Italy.  Jennifer then focused on other startups including Focal Communications --- later acquired by Broadwing, which was then acquired by Level 3 Communications (<a href="http://www.level3.com/en/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">http://www.level3.com/en/</a>), in an acquisition flurry.  She then moved to a project at AT&amp;T, in New Jersey, right after the World Trade Center was decimated by the events of 9/11; worked on that for two years; then decided to move back from Chicago to Michigan. “Ultimately, I got pregnant,” and both she and her husband landed jobs in Michigan. Jennifer switched to an insurance industry project Accenture  with The Automotive Club Group (<a href="http://www.aaa.org" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">www.aaa.org</a>).  “What I was most interested in was staying local, then” said Jennifer.  This assignment became her entrée into the fascinating world of fintech. “Then I got pregnant with my daughter,” and had an epiphany. Her emphasis shifted to achieving a work/life balance. “I began to look for other opportunities” outside of Accenture. Jennifer obtained a project manager position at GMAC, the financing arm of General Motors (<a href="http://www.gm.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">www.gm.com</a>). “It was an interesting change of pace,” she said.  She had her second child after having joined GMAC, and when she returned from maternity leave, GM had sold the financing arm to Cerberus, (<a href="http://www.cerberuscapital.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">http://www.cerberuscapital.com/</a>),  a private equity company. “Fast forward another year and a half, and the worldwide financial crisis hit. I felt like I was in the crosshairs of it all. It was a financial company linked to the automotive industry, and those were the industries most affected. We were in real trouble, on the verge of bankruptcy.” The U.S. government bailed out GMAC reinventing the entity as a bank holding company.  “It meant we had more regulations, but it also gave us the opportunity to start a bank --- an online bank: Ally Financial.” The key lesson for Jennifer? “In crisis, transformation happens.” Jennifer was promoted to program manager and then a director. Eventually, she took her current promotion to Chief Information Officer, Corporate Technology, with responsibility for seven direct reports, and a large organization numbering over 180 colleagues.  “Banks had not always been very friendly.” With pride, Jennifer feels that Ally fundamentally has changed that. “We care about our customers. Our motto is ‘do it right’. Customers are really responding.” “When I try to hire people,” Jennifer said, “one of the things I look for is learning agility: somebody who has curiosity, is continually ‘sharpening the saw,’ and looking for opportunities to stay fresh. In technology, it’s constant change.”  In her volunteer life, she is on the Advisory Board for the Michigan Council of Women in Technology (<a href="http://www.mcwt.org" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">www.mcwt.org</a>). She also coaches her daughter’s 12-week “GIRLS ON THE RUN” program, where she meets weekly with groups of girls “teaching them to be leaders, to be collaborative with each other, to be kind.  At the same time, they also learn to run.” At the end of the period, they run a 5K race. Jennifer, herself, has recently pushed herself to complete two Iron Man Triathlon Races. Key lessons that Jennifer has learned through her career: <ol> <li>“Relationships are key.” Take time to develop them and maintain them. “Having people, you can talk to” is essential.</li> <li>“Understand what your priorities are. Take time for them.”</li> <li>It’s ok to take a step back. (“You actually learn quite a bit,” from taking the occasional break.)</li> <li>“Managing people is a whole different skill-set and experience. You use influence. It requires trust; and that you have a good team around you.”</li> <li>“Recognize that your career is your own, it is what you make of it. Follow your dreams.”</li> </ol> For the full blog write up, make sure to check us out on online at <a href="http://www.divatechtalk.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">www.divatechtalk.com</a>, on Twitter <a href="https://twitter.com/DivaTechTalks" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">@divatechtalks</a>, and on Facebook at <a href="http://four.libsyn.com/h" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://www.facebook.com/divatechtalk</a>. Follow our show and tell us what you like with an online review.

Ep 65: Jennifer Charters: Inspiration From an Iron Woman