S2 Episode 9: What CEOs are Actually Looking for in a Project Manager with Zack Tembi episode artwork

EPISODE · Apr 9, 2026 · 30 MIN

S2 Episode 9: What CEOs are Actually Looking for in a Project Manager with Zack Tembi

from Project Zero

On this episode of Project Zero, host Alex Tuck welcomes Zack Tembi, CEO of Single Fin, a startup that supports the cybersecurity and infrastructure needs of Fortune 500/1000 companies. Tembi recounts his path from Roanoke College to early roles at Netuitive and as an early Splunk employee through its growth and Cisco acquisition, then founding Single Fin to prioritize customer outcomes and cut through AI “noise.” His “Project Zero” occurred during COVID while launching a major video game, during which a PM succeeded by calming stakeholders, code-switching between executive and engineering audiences, aligning technical work to strict uptime/capacity metrics, and unifying goals. Tembi describes Single Fin’s internal use of named AI agents with role-based access to scale operations, urging PMs to build skills by testing tools and exercising agency to implement practical AI use cases.00:00 Season Two Kickoff00:29 Meet Zack Tembi03:06 Startup Roots and College04:28 Early Career Lessons06:01 Splunk Growth Story07:08 Founding Single Fin08:35 AI Hype and Reality10:54 Project Zero Story12:18 Great PM Traits18:28 AI Agents for Work23:31 Cool AI Use Cases28:22 Where to Connect29:46 Closing ThanksConnect with Zack Tembi Company LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/single-fin-enterprises/ Weekly Newsletter Signup: https://ciosurge.beehiiv.com/subscribe Newsletter Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/ciosurge/ Connect with Alex Tuck Personal LinkedIn: Alex Tuck Website: www.tuckconsultinggroup.com Company LinkedIn: Tuck Consulting Group Email: [email protected]

Episode metadata supplied by the publisher feed · Published Apr 9, 2026

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On this episode of Project Zero, host Alex Tuck welcomes Zack Tembi, CEO of Single Fin, a startup that supports the cybersecurity and infrastructure needs of Fortune 500/1000 companies. Tembi recounts his path from Roanoke College to early roles at Netuitive and as an early Splunk employee through its growth and Cisco acquisition, then founding Single Fin to prioritize customer outcomes and cut through AI “noise.” His “Project Zero” occurred during COVID while launching a major video game, du...

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S2 Episode 9: What CEOs are Actually Looking for in a Project Manager with Zack Tembi

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