On June 13th, 2012, WITI women in Boston gathered at Nuance’s Burlington location for an event co-sponsored by Ford Motor Company and Nuance Communications.

The event featured three speakers: Sheryl Connelly, Manager of Ford Global Trends and Futuring; Brigitte Richardson, Ford speech systems lead engineer and Jeanne McCann, Senior Vice President and Technical Advisor at Nuance.

Their discussion explored the technological advances in the in-car voice-enabled systems as well as how these technologies influence the purchasing habits of today's consumer. Also on hand, was the newly redesigned 2013 Ford Escape for attendees to test the latest technology Ford has incorporated into their vehicles.

Here is what two of the event attendees had to say about their experience at this event:

Mary Kay Elloian
Attorney & Business Consultant to Technology Companies
Law Offices of Mary Kay Elloian, 15 New England Executive Park, Burlington, MA
Last week's WITI Boston June 13 Nuance meeting was an opportunity for women to not only share their experiences finding their place in a field of technology traditionally dominated by men but to shine while doing it. I was truly moved when Sheryl spoke about the nontraditional path that led her to her to be a 'creative visionary' at Ford. Her position not only allows her to be an innovator but an influencer as well. When Sheryl spoke, she made me reflect upon my own path as an innovator and influencer in the many corporate positions I held that shaped my present knowledge base. Throughout her presentation, Bridgette reminded the audience of the days when computer technology was coming into its own and engineers were scrambling to adapt to the new design era in technology. This new design era has now emerged to place voice recognition technology in the forefront of innovative research--thereby connecting Ford & Nuance.

In addition to Bridgette showcasing her innovative enhancements to the Ford fleet, she was an effective communicator to the audience when she gave us a look into her everyday creative world, which is still heavily male-dominated. Just being one of two women in her area is quite an achievement to say the least. Most importantly, her innovative insight is what makes skilled women engineers like herself stand apart from the rest. The 'feminine' touch can do so much to enhance and enrich a product far beyond what traditional designers ever envisioned. I was equally impressed with the 'in-depth involvement' both women had as leaders in a industry even though they are in the minority in their field. In addition, Nuance's Jeanne McCann also provided an interesting perspective that had mirrored many of the stories shared by Sheryl and Brigette. Jeanne told the audience about the many hats she too has worn at Nuance, and how her wearing of 'many hats' over the years has given her advantage to be an effective technical advisor to their CEO.

The Ford event held at Nuance served to strengthen the ties between women and their peers, while also creating a nurturing environment for those who wish to follow similar career paths. This event made me reflect upon my own career choices, as I could equate my own path as a corporate executive, to later become an attorney, business consultant, and advisor to technology companies. Like Sheryl, who is also an attorney, she used her analytical skills to be an effective innovator, while simultaneously being a voice that could inspire and nurture others to attain personal enrichment and fulfillment. In all, a superior event for all who attended.

Shawn Wald
President
Protech Advanced Systems Co.
Being one of a few men in a room full of women turned out to be very comfortable. Everyone was friendly and welcoming.

Being a Strategic Business Development Consultant, I found the topic so compelling when I came across it in the Boston Business Journal events section that I had to attend.

I was there for the presentation but unexpectedly made new key contacts during the networking portion of the meeting.

The technical part of the meeting on voice recognition technology by the responsible individuals at Ford and the hosting of the event at the headquarters of it's strategic supplier, Nuance Communications, shed light on the nature of these relationships in today's automotive industry world.

It demonstrated how limiting your overhead by keeping only critical expertise in-house while leveraging the resources and flexibility of your supplier to create a full featured product in the marketplace, with the most efficient cost structure, can be successful and effective for an OEM.

Congrats to Ford and Nuance for developing, executing, and refining this relationship model. It bodes well for US global competitiveness.