Walt Carter: Leaders Helping Leaders Shift To A Higher Gear

Episode 57

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Hosted by
Jeff Bond

As the CEO of Chat With Leaders Media and Executive Partner at People-First Elevation Team, I lead a dedicated team specializing in thought leadership development, stakeholder engagement, and effective global communication. We excel in producing corporate podcasts, meetings, and events to drive customer and team member acquisition, retention, and engagement. Additionally, we provide speaker coaching to empower thought leaders within our clients' organizations.

My approach is grounded in Conscious Capitalism, fostering leaders with a values-driven, pro-capitalism perspective. I firmly believe in business's transformative power, not only as a commercial venture but as a catalyst for lasting social and generational impact.

Beyond my professional role, I cherish my most significant leadership role as a father to three children, alongside my wife Katie. This personal aspect deeply influences my professional path, aligning my business strategies with family values, faith, and community service in Atlanta, GA.

With more than twenty-five years in technology leadership roles, Walt Carter specializes in alignment to purpose and technology innovation. Prior to joining HOMESTAR Financial Corporation as Chief Digital Officer and CIO in March of 2018, Walt and his teams implemented technology changes for Primary Capital Mortgage to drive 205% growth in origination volume in just over two years. Before joining Primary Capital Mortgage, his team at Generation Mortgage received accolades from the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, Kiplinger’s, Bloomberg, and MarketWatch for innovative use of technology as a key differentiator for the company. 

Walt is adept at working through complex business challenges and has successfully implemented several enterprise-wide packaged software solutions. Walt is a frequent speaker to professional groups on the topics of leadership, governance, risk management, and compliance. 

After earning a BS in Physics from Guilford College, he began his career as a technical officer in the US Air Force, and over the years he has served in a variety of technology leadership roles with companies such as Fidelity, Gannett, BDM, TRW, and Ajilon Consulting. Walt earned a master’s degree in Public and Private Administration from Central Michigan University in 1991. While at TRW, he won the President’s Award for his leadership on their largest commercial project.   Walt was named Corporate CIO of the Year in 2014 by the Georgia CIO Leadership Association and more recently has been named as a member of the Business Transformation 150 for 2020 by Constellation Research. 

Chat Highlights

  1. Why is there a false narrative that executive leaders have it all figured out and why is that far from the truth?
  2. Explain what Higher Gear CIO does for the Atlanta CIO community and why it was created as a safe haven to openly discuss challenges leaders in this position face.
  3. How has Higher Gear CIO been instrumental to your growth as a leader and fulfilling as an actively participating member?
  4. Why is forming a community vs competition important for executive leaders in the same geographic market?
  5. What does storing up your treasures in heaven mean to you and how does it inform how you leverage your influence as a leader?

Get In Touch

Follow Walt Carter on Twitter and LinkedIn

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B Local GA: A collection of for-profit companies each dedicated to creating a future where businesses operate as a positive influence on society.
InspirEDU: A 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that seeks to support education equity with its commitment to youth and their families, through training, device distribution, and technology career development.
AppBarry: An Atlanta-based software engineering team specializing in building custom web and mobile applications, cloud migrations, and software integrations.
Classic City Consulting: An Atlanta-based WordPress design + development, content writing, and SEO consulting firm.
Stratfield Consulting: Helping organizations successfully adapt to a rapidly changing landscape with an approach that integrates proven consulting, staffing, and recruiting services.

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Episode 57