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“I no longer need to carry my credit card – my credit card is right here,” said Callahan, holding up his phone, as he addressed a packed room of Westchester business leaders during The Business Council of Westchester’s inaugural edition of TAMI Talks at Manhattanville College. “Nobody wants to be tethered; companies and individuals want to be untethered. We need to think about, how can we digitize absolutely everything so that we can give a level of service that’s available 24/7.”
Callahan’s engaging presentation on Monday, June 20, at Manhattanville’s Reid Castle, provided a robust beginning for TAMI Talks. The series was established by The Business Council of Westchester to explore the latest trends in Technology, Advertising, Media and Information (TAMI), which together make up one of the fastest-growing sectors of the area economy. BCW members Simone Development Companies, Empire City Casino and Stroz Friedberg are sponsoring the series.
“What a fascinating, informative way for The Business Council of Westchester to introduce this exciting initiative,” BCW President and CEO Marsha Gordon said. “TAMI is becoming a vital segment of the economy in our region, and we’re so grateful that Don Callahan, a trusted, passionate industry leader, was willing to share his vast knowledge of technology trends and information systems.”
Callahan, who joined Citi in 2007, has helped position Citi as a worldwide banking titan through his constant push for technological advancement and data interpretation.
“We are not just in the information business – we’re in the insight business,” Callahan said. “The more data you have, the more insight you can get. That’s why Citi has built its own data centers, and why we have more programmers than Google and Microsoft. The information about how and where consumers are spending their money is as important as the money itself.”
Callahan cautioned that the brisk pace of innovation comes with concerns. He said cybersecurity is a burgeoning issue, citing volatile nation states such as North Korea and terrorist groups such as ISIS among the greatest threats. And with technology driving automation, employees in service industries may soon find their jobs eliminated.
“With robotics, we’re going to see jobs disappearing like crazy,” Callahan said. “I think it’s going to be a good topic for all of us to figure out: Can we make sure that people we are educating – like at Manhattanville – are in the thought leadership positions?”
The next installment of TAMI Talks will be held from from 8 to 10 a.m. on October 4 at Manhattanville. Michael Dunn, Senior Vice President of Innovation Development at Georgia Pacific, will be the featured speaker.
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