Ep. 75: Aparna Mathur, VP of Global IT on Authenticity, AI Transformation and Building Teams

In this episode of Next in Line, Cesar Jimenez sits down with Aparna Mathur, Vice President of Global Information Technology at Nabors Industries and an ORBIE Award-winning technology leader, for a conversation on leadership, AI transformation, career growth, and building strong technology teams. Aparna shares how her unconventional path took her from studying pharmacy in India to earning her MIS degree at LSU, spending more than a decade in consulting at Deloitte, and ultimately stepping into executive technology leadership at Nabors Industries. She breaks down why trust, authenticity, curiosity, and business understanding are essential for today’s IT leaders. Aparna also explains how leaders can build high-performing teams, create an environment where employees feel comfortable owning mistakes, and empower people to bring their best work forward. The conversation also explores balancing the pressure to move quickly with AI against cybersecurity, cost, data quality, governance, and change management. Aparna explains why companies must strengthen their processes and foundations before adding automation and why technology adoption requires ongoing support from both leadership and employees. Aparna also offers advice for young professionals entering technology, first-time managers moving beyond technical contributor roles, and women developing leadership styles that feel authentic to who they are. This episode is a powerful reminder that career paths do not have to be perfectly planned and that long-term success comes from staying curious, embracing change, building trust, and becoming a “learn-it-all” rather than a “know-it-all.”