Leadership in Tech: Innovation, Disruption, and Opportunity
Please join us for an insightful panel discussion with some of our leaders in business and finance followed by Q&A and networking/socializing. Hosted by Harvard Business School African-American Alumni Association (HBSAAA) & HBS Club of Seattle.
Innovation: What are the key drivers of innovation in the tech industry? How can companies foster a culture of innovation? What are some examples of innovative companies and products?
Disruption: How has technology disrupted traditional business models? What are some examples of companies that have been disrupted by technology? How can companies prepare for disruption?
Opportunity: What are the opportunities and challenges presented by emerging technologies such as AI, blockchain, and IoT? How can companies leverage these technologies to create value? What are the ethical implications of these technologies?
Please join us for the discussion and an opportunity to ask your own questions!
We are pleased to invite our HBSAAA partners/guests and friends from Harvard University, IvyPlus Alumni, and HBCU Alumni.
Our formal event will be followed by a networking reception with wines provided by Lux Wines and food by Island Soul.
Leadership in Tech: Innovation, Disruption, and Opportunity - Panel Discussion, Q&A, and Networking
Panelists
• Rathi Murthy, CTO/President, Expedia Product & Strategy, Expedia Group
• Dave Cotter, 3x Tech Founder and CEO, Advisor and Consultant
• Matt Oppenheimer, Co-founder & CEO, Remitly
• Anthony Diamond, PhD, New Ventures Lead, Pioneer Square Labs
Moderator:
• Beverly Anderson, President and CEO, BECU
Thursday, February 8, 2024
5:45pm - 7:00pm PT - Arrival and Networking
7:00pm - 8:00pm PT - Panel Discussion followed by Q&A
8:00pm - 8:30pm PT - HBSAAA presentation, announcements, closing
Location
Columbia Center
701 5th Ave
40th Floor SkyLobby
Seattle, WA 98104
https://maps.app.goo.gl/GEKC3H9rK1W9Ykru6
Cost: $25 to $30
Our formal event will be followed by a networking reception with wines provided by Lux Wines and food by Island Soul.
Hosted by:
Harvard Business School African-American Alumni Association (HBSAAA)
Co-Hosts:
We look forward to seeing you at our event!
About Rathi Murthy, CTO/President, Expedia Product & Strategy, Expedia Group
Rathi Murthy is CTO and President, Expedia Product & Technology, overseeing the company's product, platform and AI strategy. In this role, she focuses on innovating equitable products and delivering quality experiences that meet the evolving expectations of travelers, B2B partners, and developers. Rathi was named Innovative Leader of the Year by Fast Company in 2023.
Rathi has held senior technology leadership roles at some of the world's leading tech companies. She most recently served as CTO for Verizon Media. Recognized as a transformative technology executive, Rathi oversaw Verizon Media's global technology strategy, leading the company's continued innovations in 5G while also managing the platform technology and infrastructure.
Previously, Rathi was CTO at Gap, Inc., where she developed an end-to-end technology strategy for its broad portfolio of brands. Prior to Gap, Rathi was CIO for Enterprise Growth at American Express, where she managed end-to-end platform technology, infrastructure, and operations for its suite of prepaid products; and has held leadership positions at eBay Inc., Yahoo, Sun Microsystems, and WebMD.
Rathi has extensive technology and engineering experience and has spent most of her career building platforms and products for emerging technologies. Her expertise lies in her ability to manage engineering teams and drive change. Rathi currently sits on the board of directors for PagerDuty, and she is also an Art of Living Teacher with a passion to help spread peace in the community.
She received her MS in Computer Engineering from Santa Clara University, and BS in Electrical Engineering from Bangalore University.
About Dave Cotter, 3x Tech Founder and CEO, Advisor and Consultant
Dave Cotter is a veteran technology leader and entrepreneur whose career has spanned over three decades. His journey includes roles as a CEO of three startups to managing multi-billion dollar businesses at scale.
Dave has served as a product and engineering executive at some of the most renowned technology and e-commerce companies, including Amazon, AWS, zulily, Oracle, RealNetworks, and Nordstrom. In his most recent long term role as the Chief Product Officer at Leafly (LFLY), Dave led all engineering, product management, UX, and data science, while playing a key role in the company's IPO process.
Prior to Leafly, Dave was VP of Digital Products at Nordstrom, where he oversaw Nordstrom.com, their award-winning mobile application, in-store digital experiences, digital styling services, POS systems, digital payments, and the supply chain platform. He was also an early General Manager at Amazon Web Services (AWS), reporting directly to Andy Jassy, now the CEO of Amazon. In this role, he also led Amazon Associates, Amazon's multi-billion dollar affiliate advertising business that operated in six countries.
Dave has also been a three time startup founder and CEO, successfully raising multiple venture capital rounds and achieving two exits for the startups, one to Comscore and one to Nordstrom. Additionally his experience with VCs includes being an entrepreneur-in-residence (EIR) at Ignition Partners involved evaluating web service companies, and with Madrona Venture Group, where he helped incubate what would become his third startup, MessageYes.
Presently, Dave chairs the Washington Technology Industry Association (WTIA), the largest, most prominent and influential technology trade association in the U.S. In this role, Dave helps champion initiatives in public policy, diversity, equity, inclusion, working with the top educators and governmental leaders, supporting thousands of technology companies. Dave is also on the board of the Technology Alliance, a statewide, non-profit organization of technology leaders, educators, and research institutions united by a vision of a vibrant innovation economy that advances the needs of Washington.
Dave is also a prominent advocate of diversity in the boardroom. As a Black startup founder and CEO, Dave, understands first hand its critical role in attracting and retaining top talent and achieving breakthrough results. He recognizes the severe underrepresentation of women and minorities in technology and the unique challenges they face, including inequity, stress, and a sense of having to "fight harder." Dave aims to support these groups, offering advice on navigating the pressures of tech leadership.
Dave earned his BS in Economics from Oregon State University
About Matt Oppenheimer, MBA '09, Co-Founder & CEO, Remitly
Matt Oppenheimer is the co-founder and CEO of Remitly, a leading digital financial services provider for immigrants and their families in over 170 countries. Remitly’s vision is to transform the lives of millions of immigrants and their families by providing the most trusted financial services in the world. Remitly’s reliable and easy-to-use app eliminates the long wait times, complexities, and fees typical of traditional remittance processes so more money makes it home with complete peace of mind.
Matt has lived and worked on three continents and traveled to nearly 100 countries. Prior to co-founding Remitly, Matt lived in Kenya where he worked on mobile and internet banking initiatives for Barclays Bank Kenya. Living abroad, he experienced firsthand how painful it could be to send money across borders and witnessed how far that money could go once it made it home. In Matt’s own words, remittances are all about trust, and he’s committed to making Remitly the most trusted financial service provider in the world.
Matt received the International Service Excellence Award for Customer Service CEO of the Year in 2022. He was named EY Entrepreneur of the Year 2016 in the PNW and has been recognized as a Puget Sound Business Journal “40 Under 40” honoree for his work with Remitly. In addition to his role as Remitly CEO, Matt has also served on the board of directors of BECU since 2018.
Matt received his MBA from Harvard Business School, and BA in Psychology from Dartmouth College.
About Anthony Diamond, PhD, New Ventures Lead, Pioneer Square Labs
Anthony Diamond currently serves as New Ventures Lead at Pioneer Square Labs, where he applies his extensive experience in driving technological innovations and fostering startup growth. Holding a Ph.D. in Materials Science and Engineering from the University of California, Berkeley, and degrees from Stanford University, Anthony has a rich background across various innovative sectors.
As CTO and Co-founder of Axiom Exergy Inc. (Series A led by Shell Ventures), he invented and brought to market a novel behind-the-meter energy storage technology with a lifecycle cost 10x lower than Li-ion batteries at the time of release, and led the company’s transition to B2B SaaS offerings (now Axiom Cloud Inc.).
Anthony's entrepreneurial journey includes founding Memory Maps Inc., a software-based edtech venture harnessing cognitive science to enhance learning experiences, and initiating the pre-launch of Cybercat, an electric vehicle project that garnered $27 million in early interest.
Most recently, he led the creation of Jarvis Technologies, Inc., a pioneering spinout startup developing an AI assistant to supercharge hardware product development. Anthony was named to the Forbes 30 Under 30 List in 2017.
Anthony holds a Ph.D. in Materials Science and Engineering from the University of California, Berkeley, and a B.S. and M.S. from Stanford University.
About Beverly Anderson, MBA '97, President and CEO, BECU
Beverly Anderson has more than 30 years of experience in the financial services industry and became the president and chief executive officer (CEO) of BECU in December 2022. As CEO of the fourth largest credit union in the United States, she is responsible for all aspects of leading an organization with nearly 1.4 million members and $28.8 billion in assets. Beverly’s core areas of focus include strategy development and sustainable growth, overseeing daily operational activities, and fostering BECU’s culture of promoting the financial well-being of its members and communities.
Prior to BECU, Beverly most recently served as president of Global Consumer Solutions at Equifax, leading a team of 2,000 employees across product, marketing, and operations for the consumer credit reporting agency in the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom. Previously, Beverly led in executive roles defining and executing growth strategies at Wells Fargo and American Express.
Beverly’s career and leadership recognitions include American Banker’s “23 People Who Will Matter in Banking in 2023,” Black Enterprise’s “Most Powerful Women in Corporate America,” CardLinx’s “Top 20 Women in Digital Commerce,” and the Kenneth A. Powell Award for Professional Achievement from the Harvard Business School African-American Alumni Association.
Beyond the office, Beverly is dedicated to giving back to her community, serving on the boards of Expedia Group, Accion, Sword Health, and the Harvard Business School African-American Alumni Association. She has also served as chairperson of the Card Policy Council of the American Bankers Association and board chair of the Council of Urban Professionals.
Beverly holds a Master of Business Administration with distinction from Harvard Business School and graduated summa cum laude with a Bachelor of Science in business from Florida A&M University.
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