As part of the talk series on Conversation with the Titans of Industry, world-renowned Arkansas executive Bobby Martin and Annemarie Dillard Jazic visited UA Little Rock’s campus to discuss their experiences in technology in business. The event was hosted at UA Little Rock’s Engineering and Information Technology (EIT) building on February 27th, with guests and invited speakers touring the facilities afterward. The Titans of Industry series focuses on hosting influential business leaders to give students and faculty practical business knowledge.

Bobby Martin is a distinguished business executive known for his leadership in retail technology and corporate governance. His career began at Dillard’s in 1969, and in 1984, he transitioned to Walmart, where he played a pivotal role in advancing retail technology. Most notably, Martin made history as the first Chief Information Officer (CIO) at Walmart to later move into a senior operational role, becoming the CEO of Walmart International. During his tenure, he spearheaded the company’s international expansion, increasing revenue to $30 billion over seven years.

Martin was joined by colleague Annemarie Dillard Jazic, the vice president of e-commerce and digital marketing and of information technology at Dillard’s. At Dillard’s, she oversees the company’s online retail strategy, digital marketing initiatives, and customer engagement efforts. Dillard Jazic joined Martin in discussing business practices that enhance the customer’s shopping experience.

Martin and Dillard Jazic both toured COSMOS facilities, where Prof. Agarwal explained the commercial applications of COSMOS’ research in AI, machine learning, data mining, and general data science, all funded by various grants from the U.S. Department of Defense and National Science Foundation. They discussed how COSMOS is creating tools with commercial and military uses for a wide range of tasks relating to digital campaigns and AI.

Catch a glimpse of the discussion at our YouTube channel here.