DETROIT – Nearly 1,000 technology professionals from Michigan met May 12 at Cobo Center in Detroit to hear GM Chairman and CEO Mary Barra and other business leaders discuss how to thrive on disruptive technology. The Michigan Council of Women in Technology Foundation’s Executive Connection Summit, sponsored by General Motors, Ford Motor Co., and FCA US LLC, featured female role models’ perspectives on innovative thinking and trends transforming workplaces.

“General Motors is proud to be part of this effort to inspire and encourage young women to pursue careers in science, technology, math and engineering,” said Barra. “I believe we’ll see more change in the auto industry in the next five years than in the past 50, so we’ll need the best and brightest STEM minds to help shape the future of personal mobility for our customers. This next generation of automotive engineers, scientists and inventors will get to imagine what’s next – and then go out and make it happen.”

MCWT’s network brings together a diverse group of stakeholders committed to seeing Michigan’s IT community thrive. This fourth annual event convened top technology officers at Ford, GM and FCA US for an automotive CIO panel. 

“The challenge of thriving on disruptive technology is about the ability to adapt to a higher degree of continual change,” said Ryan Talbott, vice president and CIO, FCA-North America and Asia Pacific. “We are continually exploring the ‘art of possible’ – evaluating how we can embrace evolving technologies that will provide value for our business.”

Randy Mott, GM senior vice president and global CIO, said that innovative technology fuels the automotive industry, from operations to products.

“IT is more important now than ever for companies of all sizes in any industry,” said Mott. “At GM our teams are driving innovation in ride sharing and other new ownership models, autonomous vehicles, and literally every facet of our business around the world. We are continually looking for great STEM talent and value diverse perspectives and fresh thinking.”

Marcy Klevorn, Ford Motor Co. vice president and CIO, and former MCWT president, shared her thoughts on embracing the growing importance of technology and repositioning IT to meet emerging demands while continuing to secure business operations.

“We are taking very deliberate steps into the future, riding the technology wave, and inspiring the next generation of IT employees to think innovatively about mobility and helping make people’s lives better,” said Klevorn. “The world needs Michigan’s traditional automotive industry to support a global mobility mindset – who better to do this than young girls with a passion for STEM?”

Crain’s Detroit Business Vice President and Group Publisher Mary Kramer moderated a technology leadership panel featuring Symantec CIO Sheila Jordan; QVC CIO Linda Dillman; Dow Chemical CIO and Vice President of Business Services Paula Tolliver; and Salesforce Senior Vice President of Customer Success Manjula Talreja. City of Detroit CIO Beth Niblock delivered closing remarks. 

“We need to help women understand the new business models that are rising, and how those models will create opportunities for rewarding careers,” said MCWT President Cindy Warner. “The time to think about that is now, when technology workers are in high demand here in Michigan. Together we will build a strong pipeline of IT talent.”

Additional event sponsors include AT&T, VMWare, Dynatrace, Executive Search Partners, RSA, TD Ameritrade and New Horizons Corporate Learning Center.

The Michigan Council of Women in Technology Foundation strives to inspire and grow women in technology fields, with an aspirational vision to make Michigan the No. 1 state for women in technology. The organization supports Michigan’s female IT workforce, students, corporate partners, schools and the overall community with programming, scholarships, networking, learning, mentoring, and technology experiences. Find more information at www.mcwt.org and connect via LinkedIn and Facebook.

This column was written by Kathleen Norton-Schock, MCWT Communications.