MICROSOFT do that . And this is an amazing time to be driving that digital transformation for the defence community .
“ Microsoft is an iconic technology enterprise ; we ’ ve been around for a long time , and we ’ ve been serving defence and intelligence customers for the better part of 40 years . In Worldwide Public Sector , our focus is on delivering world-class capability and digital transformation to the international public sector community . And my team focuses specifically on the allied defense & intelligence community .
“ Microsoft has the largest and most mature cloud partner ecosystem in the entire market , which is critical when it comes to driving innovation . Our job is to break down the barriers to entry so independent software vendors can bring their capabilities to bear for the defence and intelligence landscape . It ’ s a huge part of our value proposition .” THE DEFENCE LANDSCAPE When Maxwell discusses the defence landscape , she is talking about an array of threats . “ This is not meant to be a doom and gloom story ,” she says as she paints a picture of growing global disorder where established threats live alongside nonstate actors increasingly armed with sophisticated tools . Throw in geopolitical and civil unrest , terrorism , climate change and public health crises , and it looks decidedly doomy and gloomy .
“ Technology is advancing at a really incredible pace , and that ’ s good for defense agencies , but it ’ s also good for their adversaries , because technology is increasingly capable , available , and in some cases becoming less expensive by the day . Small Unmanned Aircraft Systems ( sUAS ), or drones , are a great example of this .
EXECUTIVE BIO
KATE MAXWELL
TITLE : CTO
COMPANY / SECTOR : DEFENSE & INTELLIGENCE FOR MICROSOFT WORLDWIDE PUBLIC SECTOR
INDUSTRY : TECHNOLOGY
Kate Maxwell is the Chief Technology Officer for Defense & Intelligence in Microsoft ’ s Worldwide Public Sector . Maxwell is an accomplished technology leader and strategist with almost 20 years of experience supporting Defense & Intelligence customers around the globe .
Prior to joining Microsoft , Maxwell held various engineering leadership roles within Raytheon Technologies , including Technical Director and Chief Engineer of multiple product lines . She was also the Founding Director of the Raytheon Innovation Center – a global corporate innovation engine that inspires and empowers employees to innovate .
Maxwell is a passionate advocate for STEM outreach and diversity , and she commits her time to making a difference through volunteerism .