Kris Pennella

Kris Pennella is Head of AI Portfolio Innovation Solutions at Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT), leading portfolio innovation for generative and agentic AI software and PaaS tools cross-industry.

Kris brings over 20 years of technology and business strategy leadership with proven experience in identifying and scaling market opportunities, leading innovation ventures, and driving transformative growth. She has leveraged her expertise in emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence, connected edge, and PaaS tools to deliver innovation solutions and scale businesses. Kris has an exceptional track record of guiding organizations through critical growth phases, and led two successful company exits as CEO. 

In her current role at Microsoft, Kris leads a portfolio focused on generative artificial intelligence solutions, overseeing product strategy and investments in innovation initiatives, scaling operationally across markets (a $212B business across cloud services, AI innovation, and business software). Before Microsoft, she held senior leadership roles at Red Hat, where she significantly contributed to the company's growth strategy and scaling revenue by developing and commercializing scalable PaaS portfolio solutions for customers. Previously, Kris held technology leadership roles at AIG and Thomson Reuters.

Beyond corporate leadership, Kris leverages her strong entrepreneurial background advising startups on product strategy, market entry, and growth acceleration and has driven measurable results for clients in the B2B software space. Her deep understanding of operational models and commercialization strategies has helped companies scale effectively and achieve successful exits.

She is a thought leader who speaks at numerous industry events on artificial intelligence, digital transformation, and business innovation.

Kris holds a B.A. in Industrial Design from Pratt Institute.

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