Coworking is a weekly segment where we spotlight Tech Brew readers who work with emerging technologies. Click here if you’d like a chance to be featured.
How would you describe your job to someone who doesn’t work in tech?
As president and CEO of Vodafone US, I lead our overall representation in the Americas region, where we’re not a household name, unlike our strong brand recognition throughout Europe. We’re recognized as one of the leading telco providers, and it’s my job to drive conversations with our multinational customers on 5G and tech migration, helping them to evolve their technology to better support their businesses.
What’s the most compelling tech project you’ve worked on, and why?
I’ve been really immersed in mobile private networks (MPN), exploring how they’re revolutionizing the way organizations are connecting with data in a smarter, more optimized way.
Vodafone Business had the opportunity to partner with Ford Motor to set up an MPN for electric vehicle production at its Dunton Technical Centre, near London. We paired the facility with another site in Cambridge using 5G MPN so both places could work together to perform complex processes, coordinating both the machines and computing power in real time. Looking ahead, there are a number of future applications the Ford plant could explore, from untethered robots and automated guided vehicles that tackle repetitive tasks to AI systems that monitor and run predictive maintenance. The possibilities are endless.
What technologies are you most optimistic about? Least? And why?
It goes back to MPN. Specifically, I’m most excited to see how MPN and 5G continue to revolutionize the healthcare industry. We’ve already seen how MPN technology has introduced the connected ambulance, essentially creating a hospital without walls that allows patients, specialists, non-specialists, and even equipment to access the same vital data from different locations simultaneously. The work they’re currently doing to connect MPN to remote surgery and telehealth has been impressive to witness, and I’m incredibly optimistic of its future uses in the medical field.
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Conversely, residential 5G for the everyday consumer is still not as prominent as people would expect, and I’m curious to see if and how it evolves in the coming years.
What’s the best tech-related media you read/watch/listen to?
I recently did a deep dive into written materials published by Bill Gates, dissecting his perspective on world viruses and the new technologies that have the capability to revolutionize how we respond to global pandemics in the not-so-distant future.
What’s something about you we can’t guess from your LinkedIn profile?
Well, according to my colleagues, I have a witty sense of humor—who knew?
What do you think about when you’re not thinking about tech?
Not to give a cliché answer, but when I’m not thinking about tech, my mind is on my family and spending time with the people I love the most. The work I surround myself with day-to-day can be incredibly complex, so I value even the simplest, most mundane tasks when it’s with my loved ones.