Katia Walsh, Ph.D.
About Katia Walsh, Ph.D.
Katia Walsh, Ph.D., serves as the Chief Digital Officer at Harvard Business School, where she focuses on digital products, data strategy, and AI. With extensive experience in data analytics and digital transformation across various industries, she has held leadership roles at companies such as Prudential Financial, Vodafone, and Levi Strauss & Co.
Current Role at Harvard Business School
Katia Walsh serves as the Chief Digital Officer on the Executive Leadership Team at Harvard Business School, a position she has held since 2023. In this role, she oversees the newly established Digital Transformation group, focusing on digital products, data strategy and architecture, analytics, machine learning, and artificial intelligence. Her work involves building platforms and delivering applications aimed at enhancing research, teaching, learning, community engagement, and publishing.
Previous Experience at Prudential Financial
Before joining Harvard Business School, Katia Walsh worked at Prudential Financial as the Head of Data Analytics and Global Strategic Research from 2012 to 2015. During her tenure, she transformed life insurance sales from a 10-week process to a 2-day process through the implementation of AI technologies. She also launched a top Kaggle competition that attracted approximately 45,000 entries and 2,200 teams.
Leadership at Vodafone
Katia Walsh held the position of Chief Global Data and AI Officer at Vodafone from 2015 to 2019. She built, led, and scaled a Big Data and AI capability that served 500 million customers across 25 countries, generating 2 billion euros annually. Her leadership in data and AI transformation significantly enhanced Vodafone's operational capabilities.
Educational Background and Qualifications
Katia Walsh holds a Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) in Strategic Communication with a quantitative methodology specialization from the University of Missouri-Columbia, which she completed from 1993 to 1997. She also earned a Master's degree in Communication, Journalism, and Related Programs from Sofia University St. Kliment Ohridski between 1986 and 1991. Additionally, she achieved a Master of Arts (M.A.) in The Media School (Research Track) from Indiana University Bloomington from 1991 to 1996.
Recognition and Awards
Katia Walsh has received several accolades for her contributions to the technology and AI fields. In 2017, she was recognized as one of the top 5 Women in Tech worldwide. Furthermore, she received the 2021 VentureBeat AI Mentorship Award, which acknowledged her efforts in AI mentorship.