The Networking Gap: Building Influence in an AI-First World

Cloudera Chief Marketing Officer Mary Wells helped spearhead the launch of Cloudera’s Women Leaders in Technology initiative, which recently celebrated its one-year anniversary. To honor this milestone, Mary joins this special edition of The AI Forecast to reflect on the impact of this program so far. Mary Wells and host Paul Muller embark on an inspiring conversation on leadership, allyship, and navigating one of the most transformative moments in technology. Mary reflects on more than three decades in the industry—spanning the rise of client/server, the dot-com boom, IoT, big data, and now the explosive acceleration of AI—and shares how each era shaped her leadership philosophy. She discusses why kindness is a strength, how to build teams rooted in trust and accountability, and why allyship—not exclusivity—is the secret to sustainable progress for women in tech. The two also dive into how AI is reshaping the marketing function, from generative content and personalization to the organizational change required to keep teams confident and empowered. Mary offers candid advice for CMOs navigating AI’s demands, and for leaders everywhere looking to build culture, resilience, and relevance in a world that’s moving faster than ever. To learn more about Cloudera’s Women Leaders in Technology, join the LinkedIn community and visit the home page. LinkedIn Community: https://www.linkedin.com/groups/13104138/  WLIT Website: https://www.cloudera.com/about/women-leaders-in-technology.html  And to stay in touch with Mary, follow her on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/maryhwells/    +++   Follow and subscribe to The AI Forecast for more conversations with the innovators shaping the future of enterprise AI.