Sol Rashidi Joins AWS as Head of Technology for Startups, North America

(US and Canada) Data and AI leader Sol Rashidi has taken on a new role in Amazon Web Services (AWS) as Head of Technology for Startups, North America. Rashidi has worked across several verticals and sectors, she is the former CAO for Estee Lauder, Global CDAO for Merck, EVP and CDO for Sony Music, CDAIO for Royal Caribbean, Partner at E&Y, Chief Information and Digital Officer for Soli, and a key player in launching IBM's Gen-1 Watson.

At AWS, Rashidi will be supporting nearly 123,000 startups across the U.S. and Canada. Her focus will encompass a broad range of areas, including generative AI, applied AI, strategy, data, technology, infrastructure, and more.

In her LinkedIn post, Rashidi shared: “During my ‘golden gap year’ I fell in love with helping startups turn their big bold ideas into reality. So it only made sense that if I were to go back to a big company, I continued to serve the people and companies that are making the greatest impact on the front line.”

Rashidi also extended her gratitude to several startups that played a pivotal role in her journey. They include Armada, Protopia AI, Tribe AI, Stitched Insights, imaware, and Domino Data Lab. She emphasized that her experiences with these startups were instrumental in guiding her toward her new path.

With eight patents granted, and as the first Chief Data and AI Officer appointed in 2016, Rashidi has received awards that include “Top 100 People in AI,” "Top 75 Innovators of 2023," “Forbes AI Maverick & Visionary of the 21st Century,” “50 Most Powerful Women in Tech,” “Global 100 Data Power List,” “Top 5 CDOs,” “Top 100 Innovators in Data & Analytics,” and more. She also holds a position on the CDO Magazine Global Editorial Board, showcasing her contributions to the field of data.