Regions Chief Enterprise Operations and Technology Officer Dan Massey recently sat down with Dan Roberts, host of The Tech Whisperers podcast, to talk about his career journey and the people and passions that have influenced his leadership style.
Here are five things Dan Massey shared with the podcast and the after-show CIO blog.
Massey’s father was a banker. As a teenager, Massey saw an interaction his dad had with an ATM customer that made a lasting impression. He learned from this that banking is about “accountability and service and what it means to take care of customers.”
Curiosity of how things work helps Massey translate technology into business talk. “I’m curious to really understand both sides of the equation and what each needs to be successful … it’s what I enjoy most about my role.”
Outside work, Massey enjoys writing, recording and producing music, including supporting emerging artists. The combination of technology, creativity and collaboration has drawn him to music for almost 40 years. It’s an outlet that “refocuses me on relationships and connecting with others outside of having to solve problems – even though I do love to solve problems. And that helps me constructively manage stress and bring perspective to my day-to-day engagements.”
At home, Massey is a devoted husband, father and, more broadly, the family diplomat or peacekeeper – a skill that he explains is good for all areas of life. “I really try to make sure that I’m treating people the way I would want to be treated and facilitate a path forward. If there’s conflict, I try to find common ground and make sure that folks have the benefit of perspective from both sides.”
Helping people – whether it’s customers, associates or partners – is what has motivated Dan for over 30 years. “I really love being a student of human behavior and, in the spirit of trying to help folks, I try to spend some time as much as I can, understanding fears, motivations, objectives – those things beneath the surface.”
Leading the Regions multi-faceted team of technology, operations, digital and data since 2022, Massey knows that at its core, banking is about relationships. Leaning into his father’s legacy, he shares that while it’s fun “to talk about the latest technology and advances in AI,” Tech, Ops, Digital and Data & Analytics is “fundamentally about people and relationships.”
Listen to Dan Massey’s full conversation on the Tech Whisperers podcast. And for more about how music has shaped his leadership style, see the CIO blog space by Tech Whisperers host, Dan Roberts.