Bloomberg runs an interesting profile of former Delta Air Lines CEO Richard Anderson who is now running Amtrak.

It covers well-worn ground, such as his ruthlessness at Delta that he brings to his new job and unwillingness to put up with inefficiency or sentimentality as he pursues better financial management. (A topic of an upcoming post is that Amtrak isn’t doing nearly as well under his leadership as he claims.)

However what was most interesting to me about the piece went entirely unmentioned in the text: the photo of Anderson at his desk. It’s a hero shot, of the CEO sitting behind his desk looking off pensively…

Behind him, though, is his white board listing out top 10 priorities. Here it is, cropped and enlarged:

These are all technology projects, broadly conceived so it may just be the “Big 10” in technology – but since that’s what’s on Anderson’s board right behind him it suggests this is a high priority, or at least a very recent priority (and therefore important).

Maximo is IBM’s enterprise asset management software originally launched in 1985. Quintiq, I believe misspelled on the board, is personnel planning and scheduling software. Point of Sale (POS) must be somthing they consider currently to be a POS. Unquestionably wifi is important to customers and an area where Amtrak gravely needs to improve.

It’s surprising to see cybersecurity so low on this list, though Amtrak’s antiquated systems may provide a certain amount of built-in security – they aren’t as connected or built to be attacked by modern malware.

What do you make of Amtrak’s technology priorities?