Leading Through Uncertainty: Tech Execs Talk 2020

There's a joke that's been making the rounds recently that goes like this: Who accelerated your digital transformation -- your chief digital officer, your chief information officer, or was it COVID-19.

The answer, of course, is COVID-19. Rashmi Kumar, SVP and CIO at Hewlett Packard Enterprise, recounted the joke during a virtual panel discussion of women tech executives at the recent HPE Discover virtual event.

"We have proven now through this crisis that digitalization is a must do for most of the companies across our business processes," she said. "Every cross section of our employee base has quickly pivoted to be a digital native...Each and every person in the companies has stepped up, collaborated and quickly transitioned to a digital workplace and a digital ecosystem."

That's been the story of many enterprises in a year of surprises that have required quick response, agility, and leadership. These 2020 challenges and responses were the theme of the panel discussion, titled Women Leaders in Technology: Leading Through Recovery, moderated by journalist Soledad O'Brien, and a panel of women executives.

Kumar was joined on the panel by Myra Davis, chief innovation officer and chief information officer for Texas Children's Hospital, as well as Jennifer Temple, chief communications officer at HPE, and Maggie Wilderotter, a member of HPE's board of directors and the CEO of Grand Reserve Inn.

Read the rest of this article on InformationWeek.