Winner
Cynthia Stoddard
Senior Vice President & Chief Information Officer, Adobe
How Adobe’s CIO Uses Tech to Stay Ahead of a Rapidly Changing Work World
When the pandemic prompted an immediate switch to remote work, Adobe was ready. That’s thanks in large part to CIO Cynthia Stoddard, who joined the tech giant in June 2016 and quickly developed an IT transformation strategy that included embracing cloud technology. Now Stoddard and her team are thinking about how to use cloud-based services to boost workplace productivity. Employees can test new tools before they go live, including ones that support collaboration and video conferencing, in a physical location called Lab82 or a virtual space called The Garage. Stoddard was also an early adopter of automation. She spearheaded the implementation of robotic process automation (RPA) to reduce repetitive manual tasks, such as inputting data from purchase orders or invoices, and is now exploring how AI and machine learning could help employees spend less time on manual labor and more time on higher-value tasks. It’s all part of her strategy of partnering across the enterprise, making IT “the second brain to the business,” and positioning Adobe’s employees for success.
By Audrey Goodson Kingo
