What It Takes

Peggy Smedley chats with Beverly Rider, senior vice president and chief commercial officer, Hitachi, about the path she took that ended up in the IoT (Internet of Things) and how her goal is to look at the IoT from a business-outcome perspective. She also discusses what is needed to foster an environment where you can make a mistake, why there is currently a competition for great talent, and how to show young women what possibilities are in the IoT. She also shares why some of her great passions—reading, cooking, gardening, and scrapbooking—are currently on hold.

Peggy Smedley sits down for a conversation with Michele Perchonok, PhD, about the science of food, family, and keeping astronauts eating healthy. Perchonok details her journey from Brown University, to NASA, and now IFT (Institute of Food Technologists). Coming from a family of foodies, she shares the greatest advice she ever received from her father, what she is most proud of today, and the importance of mentoring.

These days, the Founding Father of LiFi, Harald Haas, has a happy home life with his wife and their four children, and watching LiFi finally take off, but it didn’t come easy. As chief scientific officer of PureLiFi, he recognized a problem and figured out the pieces to overcome it; still LiFi success didn’t happen overnight. Haas shares with Peggy Smedley how he is drawn to guide his students, explaining the importance of being a role model and motivating new talent to be innovators. Growing from the loss of his mother at an early age has helped him balance family and work, recognizing that life is precious, he relishes every minute he has with his family to make it as valuable as possible.

Michael Morton sits down and has a drink with Peggy Smedley, and talks about life as an IBM master inventor and what it takes to be CTO and vice president of Dell Boomi. He reveals his passion for cars, growing up on a family farm, and taking things apart only to see how they work. After discovering his true geeky side, he dives into what it takes to be a leader and help grow his company in his three big roles as chief technical officer, chief therapy officer, and chief thinking officer.