A special one for us: we sat down with Sid Bhatnagar, CEO of ASQ, the American Society for Quality. Sid is an engineer and longtime technology executive who now leads the global body at the center of the quality profession, and he brought a sharp, practical view of how AI is reshaping what leadership requires.
Sid and Nick get into why AI pressure now comes from boards and investors rather than the ground up, how to keep human judgment on both ends of the process, what executives owe their people through the change, and how to think about ROI when the technology won't sit still.
A few of the takeaways:
AI made the executive a steward of adoption and culture, not just a decision-maker, and the pressure is coming top down
Keep humans on both ends: ideation from people, work from the tool, validation back to people
Lean toward critical decision-making, not tasks. Pilots and anesthesiologists get paid for what they know when things go wrong
Hire for innovation, change management, and system thinking. Lead by pulling people along, not pushing
Executives owe their teams upskilling; employees owe the effort. When there's no seat left, be transparent and generous
You can't retrofit ethics, and data isn't power, good data is
Think about return on time, not just return on investment. Operations and customer service pay off fastest; talent is the long play
About Sid Bhatnagar
Sid Bhatnagar is CEO of ASQ, the American Society for Quality, a global organization with members in more than 130 countries. An engineer by training and a longtime technology executive and CIO across manufacturing and financial services, he joined ASQ in 2020 as CIO, became COO and Chief of Staff, and has led as CEO since 2023.
About The FDA Group
The FDA Group helps life science organizations rapidly access the industry's best consultants, contractors, and candidates. Our resources assist in every stage of the product lifecycle, from clinical development to commercialization, with a focus on staff augmentation, auditing, remediation, QMS, and other specialized project work in Quality Assurance, Regulatory Affairs, and Clinical Operations. Learn more: https://www.thefdagroup.com/
