Why 95% of AI Investments Fail with Lisa Davis | This Is M&A

Most companies are failing at AI. Not because the technology is broken, but because the organization is not ready for it. In this episode of This Is M&A, Lisa Davis, Founder and CEO of Davis Core Advisory, breaks down why 95% of enterprises show no ROI on AI adoption, what leaders are getting wrong about digital transformation, and how executives can build the kind of organization that is actually ready for what comes next. Lisa is a CIO Hall of Fame inductee with over 30 years of leadership across defense, government, healthcare, and technology. She served as EVP and CIO of Blue Shield of California, where she led digital transformation for a $24 billion nonprofit health plan. Prior to that she managed an $8 billion P&L as VP and GM at Intel, and held CIO roles at Georgetown University, the U.S. Marshals Service, and the Department of Defense. She currently serves on the boards of Movius and 3Strands Global Foundation and is an Executive in Residence at Progress Partners. In this episode, you will learn: ⚡️ Why 95% of enterprises see zero ROI on AI and the three root causes behind the number ⚡️ What CEOs and CIOs consistently get wrong when leading digital transformation ⚡️ How to define and build a portfolio career before you need one ⚡️ The five-year rule for landing a board seat and why 80% of board seats come from your network ⚡️ What modern boards are still missing and why CIOs belong at the table 🔗 Learn more about Lisa Davis and Davis Core Advisory: Website: https://daviscoreadvisory.com LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/lisa-davis-cio/ 🔗 Connect with your host, Steven Monterroso: LinkedIn:   / determined2succeed   Follow This Is M&A Podcast on LinkedIn:   / this-is-m-a   Want to become our next guest? Sign up or subscribe: https://sharevault.com/this-is-ma/ Listen now on Apple Podcasts, iHeartRadio and Spotify. #thisismapodcast #mna #digitaltransformation #artificialintelligence #leadership #boardroom #cio #womeninstem Timestamps 00:00 — Intro 05:18 — Why technology alone never drives transformation 08:05 — The flywheel: building organizational momentum 09:24 — Common CEO missteps when scaling with technology 17:16 — Flipping the AI ROI conversation 24:16 — What is a portfolio career? 30:45 — The science of landing a board seat 35:04 — What modern boardrooms are still missing 37:41 — Women in leadership: the only woman in the room 43:54 — The confidence gap and the pipeline problem 50:13 — Growth happens at the edge of your comfort zone 54:45 — How to connect with Lisa Davis