Tag Archives: AWS

Three Questions with Angeliqua Ramming-Gaden

THREE QUESTIONS WITH

Angeliqua Ramming-Gaden

Senior Nordic Partner Development Manager, Amazon Web Services (AWS)

Having worked in the IT industry for over 20 years, have you observed notable developments or initiatives for women in the technology workplace?

I see a lot of development in the Inclusion, Diversity, & Equity (ID&E) for women and all diverse talent in the industry. It is a topic that is much more openly discussed and addressed now compared to when I started. There is more research and numbers to compare female and male representation in all roles of a company. It has taken a lot of hard work to get where we are today and there is still a lot to do. A great thing is that I see a lot of companies, including AWS, having ID&E on the agenda and actively working towards getting more diverse talents in their organizations in all levels and also encouraging women and girls to seek a career in IT in general.

Representation matters. At AWS we track the representation of women and underrepresented communities because we know that diversity helps us build better teams that obsess over and better represent our global customer base.

When building teams, how does diversity weigh in?

Diverse teams help us think bigger, and differently, about the products and services that we build for our customers and the day-to-day nature of our workplace – this is reinforced within our 16 Leadership Principles, which remind team members to seek diverse perspectives, learn and be curious, and constantly earn others’ trust.

At Amazon, we’re constantly learning and innovating – and our inclusion, diversity, and equity efforts are no different. Inclusive, diverse, and equitable teams have a positive impact on our products and services, and help us better serve customers. We know there is more work to do, and we have several programs designed to help improve the diversity pipeline in tech. Some take a long-term approach to help increase the larger talent pipeline – like our Amazon Future Engineer Program – and others aim to incorporate more diverse talent immediately into the workforce.

We believe our future is inclusive, diverse, and equitable across every race identity, gender identity, belief, origin, and community. The work we are doing, mechanisms we are putting in place, and ongoing learnings are intended to be global and inclusive for all communities globally and within Amazon.

What are some qualities that AWS prides itself on?

Customers have come to really appreciate the AWS culture. If a startup, enterprise, or government agency is going to partner with an infrastructure provider, it’s typically a long-term decision they’re making, and they really want to understand what’s unique about the culture, or the partner that they are choosing. There are several traits typical to AWS. We are highly customer-focused. 90% of what we build is driven by what customers tell us matters, and the other 10% are things we hear from customers where they may not articulate exactly what they want, but we try to read between the lines and invent on their behalf.

We like to hire builders who look at customer experiences that are flawed, then figure out how to reinvent those. In a space that’s moving as fast as the cloud is, quick iteration  a large community, and a clear vision for the cloud is very attractive. In addition, were long-term oriented, trying to build relationships and a business that lasts longer than all of us in this room. And you do that by doing right by customers over a long period of time.

Rising Leaders Program: Culture of Innovation at Amazon with Sven Sunde, AWS

Rising Leaders: Culture of Innovation at Amazon with Sven Sunde

Gathering virtually to learn about the unique culture of innovation at Amazon, Rising Leaders participants and AmCham members engaged Sven Sunde – Territory Team Manager Norway, Denmark, & Iceland – on Amazon Web Services (AWS) work in supporting pre-funded start-ups to Fortune 100 companies. 

Sunde detailed how the company’s “customer-obsessed” focus and 14 Amazon leadership principles are ingrained in every aspect of the global organization, and within every team. Often closest to the customer, all “Amazonians” are considered leaders, and are thus encouraged to make key decisions. 

Speaker

Sven Sunde

Nordic Territory Team Manager

All Can Make Good Decisions with Good Data

With elaborate and continuously improved mechanisms in place, Amazon has scaled at a breathtaking pace. Sunde explained how empowering small “two pizza” teams and a “working backward” document review process has helped keep the large company agile and primed for the rapid implementation of new ideas.

Document writing plays an important role in the Amazon culture, as meeting agendas follow authored narratives. “I never thought I would have to write so many papers after college, but I have found that it always has value and is a good investment of time,” confided Sunde.

AWS – from 2002 to 12%

Amazon subsidiary Amazon Web Services was launched in 2002 as a collection of technology microservices tailor built to address internal challenges. With the cloud computing platform now representing 12% of Amazon’s annual worldwide revenue, Sven emphasized that the formula is not a secret sauce. “Anyone can develop their own unit or personal projects. Failure is encouraged and accepted if it ultimately creates key learnings and value.”

About the Rising Leaders Program

Rising Leaders, a joint AmCham-US Embassy initiative, brings together entrepreneurs, young professionals, and student leaders in an innovative program to promote diversity and connect promising talent. Through the program, participants engage international business leaders, learn about AmCham member companies, explore careers, and gain business and leadership skills.

The 2020-21 Rising Leaders class – comprised of 17 women and 10 men between the ages of 23 and 35 – bring with them experience from healthcare, classical music, urban planning, organizational psychology, immigration, engineering, communications, technology, teaching, economics, finance, and marketing. All 27 program participants have demonstrated leadership, entrepreneurial, and/or business excellence in their educational pursuits and careers thus far.

For more information about the program, or to learn how your organization can get involved, please contact madeleine.brekke@amcham.no.

AWS Public Sector Blog: From research sharing to collaborative communications – addressing the needs of our public sector customers during unprecedented times

In support of governments and educational institutions around the world, Amazon Web Services (AWS) is quickly deploying people and technology to enable remote learning and home working. Our services can help address our customer’s most pressing challenges during this unprecedented time, including making sure citizens are productive with remote working solutions, that students can access online learning platforms, and that communications are reliable and available for public entities at all levels of government.

Solutions include Amazon Chime’s video call and conference capabilities and Amazon Workspaces’ remote working environments, both of which can assist students and employees in remaining productive while self-isolating. We can jumpstart organizations’ ability to quickly stand up and scale their tools and infrastructure with in-kind services and credits that help cover costs and keep operations running. Customers can also access services and solutions through our extensive AWS Partner Network (APN).

Read entire article HERE.

CNBC: Amazon AWS launches $20 million initiative to help fight the coronavirus

Amazon AWS announced Friday it’s setting aside an initial $20 million to help accelerate research and development of diagnostic solutions. That includes, but won’t be limited to, helping push forward a more accurate, faster coronavirus COVID-19 test. 

“One area where we have heard an urgent need is in the research and development of diagnostics, which consist of rapid, accurate detection and testing of COVID-19,” Amazon said. “Better diagnostics will help accelerate treatment and containment, and in time, shorten the course of this epidemic.

Read entire article HERE.