Numerous women are succeeding in the cloud computing sector despite the gender pay gap that still exists. Contrary to other STEM fields like medicine and research, technology has historically had a low female participation rate. Due to this and a critical skills shortage, businesses are creating more gender-diverse workplaces, and senior women executives are taking the lead in improving women’s representation in the tech industry. They act as role models for the younger generation because they are successful professionals.Â
Women are some of the most tenacious forerunners in the cloud industry in the modern business environment. Nearly 40% of all new enterprises are run by women, and 5% of those are IT firms. The need for more female IT leaders in the cloud computing sector is highlighted by these statistics. There will surely be plenty of opportunities for women to enter the business in the years to come, with Gartner projecting that global public cloud revenues would reach $474 billion in 2022.Â
To overcome the gender gap, emphasis must also be paid to trailblazing women in this industry, in addition to the statistical realities of growing female engagement in cloud computing. Here, we examine the top five female executives in the cloud industry based on their demonstrated leadership abilities, professional histories, and achievements. So, let’s explore some of the fearless female executives who are redefining the cloud industry in 2022 in more detail.
Here are five of the most accomplished women in the cloud who are also role models for aspiring young women in the workforce:
- Hillery Hunter, VP & CTO, IBM Cloud
At IBM Cloud, Hillery Hunter serves as both VP and CTO. Her research focuses on interdisciplinary technologies, from silicon to system design, to identify fresh approaches to resolving long-standing problems. The goal of Hunter and her team’s current work on hardware-software co-optimization is to shorten the time needed to tackle machine learning and deep learning problems.
Hunter previously held the position of director of IBM Research’s accelerated cognitive infrastructure in addition to her current one. She oversaw a team that improved AI workloads from hardware to software, yielding productivity increases of at least 40 times that were incorporated into IBM product offerings. She was chosen by the National Academy of Engineering to participate in its Frontiers in Engineering Symposium in 2010, honoring her as one of the best young engineers in the country.
- Kirsten Kliphouse, President, North America, Google Cloud
Kirsten Kliphouse is the next female on the list. She started working for Google Cloud in June 2019 and is currently in charge of the partner- and customer-facing teams for the company’s North American operations, which cater to large enterprises, mid-market clients, and small- to medium-sized businesses. Kliphouse is a seasoned executive in the technology industry with leadership and sales experience ranging from start-ups to the top software companies in the world.
She has also held various positions, such as CEO of the IoT firm Yardarm Technologies and senior vice president and general manager of Red Hat’s North American commercial sales division. Additionally, Kliphouse spent more than 25 years working for Microsoft, most recently serving as corporate vice president of the 10,000-person global customer support and professional services division. Kliphouse, a Florida-based mentor, works with a range of companies and business owners.
- Maureen Lonergan, Director of training & certification, Amazon Web Services (AWS)
The team at Amazon Web Services (AWS) led by Maureen Lonergan, director of training and certification, is focused on training today’s and tomorrow’s cloud architects. The cloud expert helps AWS clients, partners, and employees acquire the expertise required to meet their cloud goals on time.
Before working for AWS, Lonergan spent eight years instructing students in Mozambique. She had devoted most of her professional career to instructing and educating others. Lonergan discovered her true calling was in the field of education during a year off. She jumped at the possibility to assist AWS in creating a training plan to enable individuals and organizations to leverage cloud technology to alter the world.
- Rani Borkar, Microsoft Corporate VP for Azure Hardware Systems & Infrastructure and a member of Azure’s Senior Leadership Team
Rani Borkar is the corporate vice president for Azure hardware systems and infrastructure at Microsoft and a member of the senior leadership team for Azure. From silicon to systems to the supply chain, Borkar manages the core teams creating Microsoft’s leading cloud computing platform.
The female leader has established herself as a trailblazing hardware engineer in the semiconductor industry as well as a technology executive, product visionary, and trusted leader with decades of computing experience. She is committed to providing comprehensive solutions that help clients succeed more.
Before joining Microsoft, she worked at IBM as the vice president of the OpenPOWER Development division. Before working for IBM, Borkar spent most of her career at Intel. She oversaw a vast, intricate, and diversified network of engineering departments while directing Intel’s strategy for silicon product development.
- Michelle Zatlyn, co-founder, president & COO at Cloudflare
Michelle Zatlyn is a co-founder, president, chief operating officer, and director of Cloudflare. After working at Google and Toshiba, Zatlyn joined I Love Rewards (later Achievers), a global employee rewards company. Together with fellow Harvard Business School students Matthew Prince and Lee Holloway, Zatlyn co-founded Cloudflare in 2009. Zatlyn was named a C100 “Icon of Canadian Entrepreneurship” contender as well as one of Forbes magazine’s “40 Under 40” and “50 Self-Made Women” for 2021. (2019). As of 2022, she will be a member of the Young Global Leaders organization of the World Economic Forum.
