Learn more about the Business Leader- Technology Playmaker of the Year

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Beena Ammanath; HPE Global VP of AI and Digital Transformation

Hewlett Packard Enterprise, Global Vice President of Artificial Intelligence and Digital Transformation at Hewlett Packard Enterprise, Beena Ammanath was recognized as the Business Leader - Technology Playmaker of the Year for 2019.

Beena is a well-recognized thought leader in the fields of Artificial Intelligence, Data and Innovation.  She has been honored several times for her contributions to tech as well as her philanthropic efforts.

Beena is the founder and CEO of the non-profit Humans for AI and co-authored the book, “AI Transforming Business.”  She serves on several boards including Flerish and the Industrial Advisory Board at Cal Poly College of Engineering as well as is a Board Advisor for several start-up technology companies including Predii, Iguazio, CliniVantage and ProjectileX. 

We had the opportunity to visit with Beena to learn more about her career journey, the start-up she founded Humans for AI and the Playmaker Award.

Share more about your career

I graduated with both a Masters and Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science.  In addition, I attained an MBA.

During my career, I have developed expertise in e-commerce, finance, manufacturing, marketing, telecom, retail, services and software working for leading companies such as GE, Thomson Reuters, British Telecom, Bank of America, e*trade and tech start-ups. 

What’s changed in technology over the years?

Thirty years ago, the technology industry was focused on transactional databases.  Next, came the era of data warehouses.  Today, it’s all about big data and data science.  Ultimately, it’s about looking at data in different ways and being able to analyze all types of data to drive a range of positive outcomes.

Data can be a differentiator for all organizations.  In the past, we used data to see, “What happened.”  Now, with predictive analytics and AI we are able to predict, “What will happen.”  It’s an exciting time to be in the data arena.

How do you keep up with the changes in technology?

I believe that the technologies we use can change, but as long as you focus on the outcomes or results that technology can drive and not so much on the actual technique or technology, it is easy to stay relevant. 

What is Humans for AI?

Humans for AI is a non-profit focused on getting more women to influence and share artificial intelligence.  We believe that AI is going to impact every job – either slightly or significantly. 

A key focus area is building a more diverse workforce leveraging AI technologies.  AI’s pervasive impact will require humanity to control the pace to which it is woven into the fabric of our lives.  We believe that human experience must be integral to building AI solutions.   Domain expertise, through human-assisted AI, will become more important for better and safer AI products in the future.

What is the 2019 Technology Playmaker Award for Business Leadership?

The Technology Playmaker Awards showcase and celebrate women in technology that are innovators and inspirational role models.  They seek to recognize women who have “disrupted” business through the use of technology.  This year, I was recognized as the 2019 Technology Playmaker for Business Leadership.

What other Technology Playmakers recipients’ projects were intriguing to you?

All of the nominees and winners are amazingly accomplished in their own right. I was inspired by the work of Jill Zeret Jimenez Rodriguez.  Jill founded a tech firm doing humanitarian work helping earthquake survivors and protecting families.

Closing thoughts?

HPE is always looking for great talent to join us on our journey.  You can review our current openings for HPE Pointnext here  or simply explore www.careers.hpe.com. and learn about a wide variety career of opportunites HPE has to offer. 

Learn more about Humans for AI at www.humansforai.com/who-we-are/

Featured articles from Beena

• Making Blockchain Enterprise Ready: Announcing new Blockchain Services and SAP HANA Partnership
• enterprise.nxt: Is AI the magic bullet for your company's data glut?

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Susan Graye
Hewlett Packard Enterprise

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