Women’s Month Special | The Estée Lauder Companies Head of Supply Chain Technology: Continue To Be Curious About New Technologies

(US and Canada) Sowmya Gottipati, Head of Supply Chain Technology at The Estée Lauder Companies, speaks with Asha Saxena, Founder and CEO of WLDA.tech, in an International Women’s Month special video interview about the need for more participation from women in data and AI, the value of data and analytics, and the approach to adopting newer technologies like AI. This interview is part of CDO Magazine’s special series celebrating women in data science, machine learning, and analytics.

Gottipati runs Estée Lauder's "women in technology" Employee Resource Group. She points out that historically, women have been underrepresented in technology, especially in data and AI. Hence, women data leaders have a greater responsibility to raise awareness of these issues with the broader community. Gottipati emphasizes that because 50% of the world’s population is women, it is only fair to have more women in the field.

She urges women leaders to work with young girls, encouraging them to take up more STEM-related disciplines. The data and AI field, Gottipati says, transcends industries, and all roads lead to data.

Regarding the value of data and analytics in her role, Gottipati says that the supply chain is massive and complex, especially when external disruptions occur. It constantly requires adjusting and reacting, making data even more critical for end-to-end visibility of the whole network. Citing another use case, she mentions how beauty advisors can use data to advise customers better, build authentic long-term relationships, and offer better consumer experiences and products.

Addressing AI’s future, Gottipati says that in terms of applications, it is crucial to understand how AI works and what can be done with it. She notes how AI has remained conceptually the same throughout her career, from identifying people in videos to using facial recognition and sensorial triggers to recommend fragrances.

In conclusion, Gottipati encourages organizations to remain curious about new technologies and use them to improve efficiency or to develop new products or ideas.

CDO Magazine appreciates Sowmya Gottipati for sharing her insights and data success stories with our global community.