Today is International Women’s Day, a global celebration of the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women everywhere.
At HPE and Hewlett Packard Labs, we are committed to advancing women’s achievements in the technology field. It is a key element in our ongoing support for the principles of diversity, equity, and inclusion both inside and beyond our walls. HPE has fostered an environment where leadership and team members bring a broad range of perspectives and experiences to work. This approach helps fuel innovation and drives transformational change across the business.
Here, we’ll highlight three HPE women who have made their mark: Distinguished Technologist and AI Chief Strategist Arti Garg, Distinguished Technologist Barbara Chapman, and Principal Research Scientist Harumi Kuno.
HPE Distinguished Technologist and AI Chief Strategist Arti Garg
Arti Garg took an interest in science and technology from an early age. This love took off after she went to space camp, where she discovered a passion for aerospace and aeronautics – worlds that seemed alien to her group of friends.
“I always had an interest in working with tools and technology for as long as I can remember,” Garg said. “I was unusual in that I was just as obsessed with model rockets as I was with dolls. I would stare out of the window at the stars and started reading space magazines, and wanted to help find our place in the universe.”
After leaving space camp, Arti Garg began questioning humanity’s greater role in the universe, and what people can do to help improve the lives around them. She took great interest in NASA’s Apollo missions and how the astronauts saw the world upon reentry to Earth.
“I studied astrophysics and aerospace engineering, and people often see these as abstract concepts, but to me it was the exact opposite,” Garg said. “To me, my interest in these concepts is grounded in understanding of how humanity can do better.”
Garg earned an undergraduate degree in aeronautical and aerospace engineering and a PhD in physics from Harvard. She went on to work in data science and then landed her current role at HPE in 2021.
In addition, she’s launched several programs at HPE, including AI Advance, which enables deep partnerships with early-stage startups. This program allows HPE to go deep with its partners from a technical perspective and offer strategic counsel as they scale.
Garg said HPE’s commitment to creating a balanced environment for everyone has helped the company cultivate a diverse mix of talent.
“I work in the office of the CTO (Fidelma Russo), who is a woman, who has other women in leadership positions, and that speaks a lot about the company,” Garg said. “There are not that many Fidelma Russos in the tech world, and it’s important to have that visibility.”
HPE Distinguished Technologist Barbara Chapman
Barbara Chapman developed an interest in mathematics at an early age, leading her on the path to a PhD in the field. She also explored other subjects along the way. At one point she took computer science classes and found herself being drawn to the art of programming.
“It was my first time with hands-on experience, and it didn’t go terribly well, which bothered me,” said Chapman. “It annoyed me so much that I decided to pursue that field to prove to myself that I could do it.”
Chapman later focused on parallel computing, working alongside practitioners in the automotive industry and in weather forecasting. This gave her firsthand experience with supercomputers, and she developed a wish to make it as easy as possible to use these very large-scale systems to advance science and technology.
As she advanced in her career in the field of computer science, Chapman saw the opportunities for women in the tech industry evolve.
“After a while, I got used to being the only woman in meetings,” Chapman said. “However, what has changed is the attitudes toward women in this industry. When I started, people didn’t talk about diversity much or accommodate women in tech, but that conversation is huge now.”
Chapman, who joined HPE in 2022, said she believes the company’s commitment to establishing a team-focused culture has helped generate positive results.
“I’ve found it to be such a collaborative environment, and it’s an environment where everyone is supportive of one another,” Chapman says. “This collaboration is so important for welcoming people of all backgrounds.”
Principal Research Scientist Harumi Kuno
While studying computer science at Yale, Harumi Kuno had an unusual experience in class with a professor running late.
“Our professor came to class, and announced she had been running late and hadn’t had time to prepare a lecture, so instead of the planned lecture, she was going to talk about a research paper that she had read,” Kuno said. “She explained the problem being addressed and the contributions made by the researchers so clearly that it made me realize that ‘I can do this!’”
This “Eureka moment” for Kuno altered her career, as she decided to pursue a master’s degree and a PhD in computer science. She began work at Hewlett Packard Labs in 1996 as a software engineer.
Throughout her career, Kuno has made several impactful contributions to the field of computer science, particularly in data management. Her 2009 paper “Predicting Multiple Metrics for Queries: Better Decisions Enabled by Machine Learning,” with a co-author list that included three female researchers, was given the Ten-Year Influential Paper Award.
“The Ten-Year Influential Paper Award was a milestone for me,” Kuno said. “It was a gratifying moment, and I was honored to share it alongside women who had worked so hard on it.”
Kuno describes HPE’s leaders as trailblazers in promoting women to prominent roles, noting she’s always had women leaders while she’s been here. She says the openness and transparency of career paths has led to opportunities for people who at one point may not have known they were even qualified for the role.
These women, along with others at HPE, have made outstanding contributions to their fields. As we celebrate International Women’s Day in the future, it will be important to continue to foster collaborative, supportive environments that promote diversity and enable people of all backgrounds to make the most of their opportunities.
