In this quick Q&A, Gavin Michael, the 51-year-old head of digital for JPMorgan Chase's retail unit, talks about his favorite apps, his love of pen and paper and the technology he is most excited about.
Where are you from?
Perth, in western Australia — so west coast, just a different west coast.
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With initiatives like its adoption of Touch ID last year, Chase is setting the bar for the industry on digital innovation.
May 30
As a kid, what did you want to be when you grew up?
It was always going to be something around engineering and it turned into software engineering.
What are your favorite nonbanking mobile apps?
Uber and Open Table are terrific. Apple News and Flipboard — I love them, that's how I consume news. The social media sites — Twitter, Facebook. I have a wide spectrum of friends from Perth to London to Sydney to Tokyo, and it is a fantastic way to stay in touch. I saw a friend of mine recently who I worked with at Bell Labs in 1998 and we talked about the last time we got together for dinner. It was probably in 1998, but now through Facebook — "Coming to New York, when are we going to catch up?" And we are out having coffee.
What are your favorite websites?
All the tech-based review sites — Engadget, TechCrunch, Gizmodo, Slashdot. I have read that since it was Chips & Dips.
What phone do you have and why?
Rose gold iPhone 6s Plus. I really like the screen size.
What technology makes you feel most excited about the future?
Artificial intelligence. It brings system, data and technology together and will play a big role in transforming what we do for our customers.
What's the most analog part of your life?
I love pen and paper. I still write a lot. I always carry a Moleskine or just pads.
Does that shape what you do for a living?
Definitely. Lots of what we do starts as a drawing on a pad, without constraints. I like the freedom of using a pen and paper.
What do you do on weekends?
Spend time with my wife, Susan, and Sebastian, our 6-year-old. We go kick the football around or take the dog for a walk.
When you say "football," do you mean a soccer ball?
Yes, but we do take a baseball too.
