At the 6th Annual CloudNOW Top 10 Women in Cloud Innovation Awards, women in leadership positions celebrated the diversity in thought that women are bringing to the technology industry. As exemplified by one of the honorees, a non-technical background can sometimes be beneficial in highly creative technology roles. 

“So what I do for Verizon is I come up with new products, and we’ve been focusing over the last few years on software-defined networking, which is a brand new, cutting-edge area that not only Verizon is new to, but also the entire world,” said Beth Cohen (pictured), cloud technology strategist at Verizon.  

Cohen spoke with Lisa Martin (@LuccaZara), host of theCUBE, SiliconANGLE Media’s mobile livestreaming studio, during the CloudNOW Top 10 Women in Cloud Innovation Awards at the Google campus in Mountain View, California. They discussed Cohen’s winding career path and how it has empowered her in the technology industry.

A winding road

Cohen’s career was not the straightforward path most people imagine for technology strategists. She studied architecture at the Rhode Island School for Design and even spent some time as a cook at a restaurant before entering the technology industry.  

“I learned a whole lot about creativity and critical thinking, which are very valuable skills to apply to being a pioneer, because when you’re on the cutting edge, what I spend most of my time doing is connecting the dots,” Cohen said. 

Fast forward, and Cohen’s diversity in background and thought leadership is paying dividends for companies in times of crisis. The teams she works with are hard-pressed to pivot their businesses and think outside of the box in order to stay competitive.  

“They [companies] obviously were in great pain, as their balance sheet was drifting down … some people had some great skill sets, but they had to really think differently about what they were doing,” Cohen said. Her unique perspective on problem solving has helped companies apply their skills in new directions that lead to continued growth and innovation. She is excited to continue helping companies strategize around tech.

Watch the complete video interview below, and be sure to check out more of SiliconANGLE’s and theCUBE’s coverage of the CloudNOW 6th Annual Top 10 Women in Cloud Innovation Awards.

Photo: SiliconANGLE