8 digital transformation experts you should know

19 Oct 2021

Image: © Vitalii/Stock.adobe.com

Digital transformation has become more important than ever for businesses. Check out some of the leading voices in this area.

Click here to view the full Digital Transformation Week series.

Digital transformation is important for all C-suite and business leaders right now. But with so much information out there about digitalisation, cloud and the many other ways tech is transforming businesses, it can be hard to know where to start.

Luckily, there are several experts and leading voices within the digitalisation space that can act as a guiding light in this area.

Corey Quinn

One of the biggest conversations within the digital transformation sphere is about when and how businesses should migrate to the cloud.

Corey Quinn is the chief cloud economist at The Duckbill Group, where he uses his deep understanding of Amazon Web Services (AWS) offerings to share a unique level of insight with users.

He also hosts Screaming in the Cloud, a podcast where he interviews domain experts in the world of cloud computing to discuss AWS, Google Cloud Platform, Azure, Oracle Cloud, and why businesses are coming to think about the cloud.

Lydia Leong

As a distinguished analyst with Gartner for Technical Professionals, Lydia Leong focuses on cloud computing and infrastructure strategies.

Her research covers a broad range of topics related to the transformation of IT organisations, data centres and technology providers. Leong has worked in all three of Gartner’s major divisions, advising business and technical leadership at end-user organisations.

John Durcan

John Durcan is the chief digital officer at Enterprise Ireland, helping clients with their digital transformation journeys.

He has a master’s degree in data analytics and bachelor’s degree in computer science, and has worked in technology for more than 20 years.

Durcan has a strong focus on machine learning and AI, ethical AI, cybersecurity and blockchain, and is involved with National Standards Authority of Ireland on work on the new ISO standards around AI.

Jo Peterson

Another major player in the cloud arena, Jo Peterson is VP of cloud and security services at digital enterprise consulting company Clarify360.

She has more than 20 years of IT infrastructure and cloud services experience and has a strong background in engineering. She is also a member of the Forbes Technology Council, an invitation-only community comprised of leading CIOs, CTOs and technology executives.

Working closely with CIOs, CISOs and their teams, Peterson helps to design, develop and maintain cloud technology services and processes that enable an organisation to scale and operate more efficiently.

Séamus Dunne

As managing director of Interxion Ireland, Séamus Dunne leads the data centre specialist with a focus on delivering growth and enabling businesses to manage digital transformation.

With more than 30 years of industry experience, Dunne was appointed to his current role in 2019, having previously worked as vice-president and general manager with Hewlett-Packard Enterprise.

With extensive experience in the data centre market, Dunne has spoken widely about the future of cloud computing, data centres and digital transformation.

Abby Fuller

While she had an unusual start to her tech career, Abby Fuller is fast becoming a well-known name in the world of software engineering and containers, earning the job title of principal container ‘czarina’ at AWS.

The use of containers has skyrocketed at many companies due to the technology’s ability to deploy software more easily across many kinds of computer systems. Fuller uses her experience to help users move to containers with less disruption.

She previously spoke to Siliconrepublic.com about her unique path to working in cloud and the pressing need to maintain security during digital transformation.

Keith Townsend

Keith Townsend is an IT infrastructure expert who has helped to transform IT operations in many areas including pharma, software, manufacturing and financial services.

With more than 18 years of related experience, he founded The CTO Advisor to guide organisations with advisory services.

Townsend holds a bachelor’s degree in computing and a master’s degree in information technology from DePaul University. He also has engineering experience building cloud infrastructure for large government organisations.

Joan Mulvihill

With a breadth of experience across a wide range of industries, Joan Mulvihill is a well-known player in the digital transformation sphere in Ireland.

Her current role is digitalisation lead at Siemens, having previously served at the helm of the Irish Internet Association, during which she passionately promoted the benefits of businesses adapting to new technology.

Speaking to Siliconrepublic.com earlier this week, Mulvihill said mindset is critical when it comes to digital transformation.

“I’m a pragmatist. I get that there are operational and infrastructural hurdles but I just don’t want to put them on a checklist for some person to focus on why this might seem too hard to do right now.”

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Jenny Darmody is the editor of Silicon Republic

editorial@siliconrepublic.com