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Liz Centoni
Chief Strategy Officer and GM, Applications
Professional Background
Liz Centoni currently serves as the Senior Vice President and General Manager of the Computing Systems Product Group at Cisco, one of the leading global technology companies that has been at the forefront of innovation and networking solutions. With an impressive career trajectory within Cisco, Liz has held multiple roles that have provided her with a wealth of experience and understanding of the technology landscape. Throughout her tenure at Cisco, she has been an influential force behind some of the company’s key initiatives and products, solidifying its reputation for excellence in technology solutions.
In her current role, Liz is responsible for overseeing a significant segment of Cisco’s business, focusing on the strategic direction and functional excellence of the computing systems sector. She leads a talented team, driving the development and deployment of cutting-edge solutions that empower organizations to leverage technology in their operations. Under her guidance, the Computing Systems Product Group has enhanced its market presence, adapting to technological advancements and customer needs, while maintaining high standards of performance and reliability.
Education and Achievements
Liz Centoni boasts a robust educational foundation that has equipped her with the skills needed to excel in the fast-paced tech industry. Her commitment to lifelong learning is evident through her pursuit of knowledge and professional development throughout her career. Liz earned her degree from a prestigious institution, where she was equipped with analytical skills crucial for her future endeavors in technology and leadership.
Over the years, Liz has achieved numerous accolades, both personally and for her team and organization. Her leadership abilities have not only been recognized internally at Cisco but have also garnered attention from the industry at large. Liz has been instrumental in fostering a collaborative environment that encourages innovation and creativity among her teams. She is known for mentoring emerging talent, helping shape the next generation of leaders in the tech field.
Her ability to navigate complex business challenges and drive product strategy makes her a highly respected figure in the industry. Liz’s achievements extend beyond her professional roles, as she actively participates in various initiatives aimed at promoting diversity and inclusion within technology, helping to create a more equitable industry for all.
Achievements
Liz Centoni’s career is marked by a series of notable achievements that showcase her capabilities. As a leader at Cisco, she has played a pivotal role in launching several successful product lines that have transformed the market. Her strategic vision has helped Cisco maintain its competitive edge in the computing systems domain, ensuring that its offerings remain relevant and robust in an ever-evolving digital landscape.
Moreover, Liz's commitment to innovation is complemented by her keen understanding of customer needs and market trends. Her ability to anticipate changes and respond proactively has been a significant factor in the sustained growth of Cisco’s product offerings. Liz continues to work at the intersection of technology and business, focusing on the implications of emerging technologies like cloud computing, artificial intelligence, and the Internet of Things (IoT).
In addition to her corporate accomplishments, Liz is a passionate advocate for women in technology and leadership. She engages in various speaking events and panels to inspire young professionals, sharing her insights and experiences to help others navigate their careers in the tech industry. Her dedication to promoting an inclusive work environment and empowering future leaders underscores her holistic approach to leadership and corporate responsibility.
Highlights
The AI-Enabled ICT Workforce Consortium has released its very first report: “The Transformational Opportunity of AI on ICT Jobs.” It examines AI’s impact on 47 top ICT jobs specifically.
Of course, almost all jobs will undergo high or moderate transformation from AI – we know this. What I found interesting is which skills are expected to increase in relevance. · AI ethics and literacy will become absolutely crucial in 100% of ICT roles. · Prompt engineering, LLM architecture, Agile methodologies and data analytics will all become foundational skills.
I love that AI ethics, responsible AI, and basic AI literacy top this list. We must work together NOW to ensure AI is a technology used for good. As Francine Katsoudas recently shared, the risks associated with an unprepared workforce range from economic wage gaps to technological stagnation, from social and ethical issues to national security threats. We have a pressing need before us to reskill and upskill employees around the world.
This is exactly what the Consortium exists to do. Build a safe, inclusive future where ALL people can thrive in the era of AI.
The full report (which also offers tailored training recommendations) is available here: https://lnkd.in/gWfPc8WT And I'd love to hear your impression of the skills listed here. Do they align with your early experience and expectations?
What an experience! As Cisco’s country sponsor for France, I got to host some of our customers at the Paris 2024 Olympics. I’m home now and my heart is overflowing with gratitude and nostalgia (already).
Our awesome team (Rob Neumann, Beatrice Ghorra, and Guillaume De Saint Marc, plus Arthur Mensch from Mistral AI) did a fabulous job at our Paris office Innovation Lab, sharing how Cisco technology is powering the games. There are numerous other teams (Product, Sales, CX and more) who have been working this for years and will continue through the next few weeks. We are proud to have a role in bringing these Games to life for spectators in Paris and those watching around the world.
For me, my first Olympics was a once-in-a-lifetime experience. The opening ceremony was spectacular: a rich blend of art, history, music, and dance. The rain was relentless for the entire four hours we were there, sitting on the bleachers along the Seine. Our ponchos tried hard, but the rain won — we were soaked. Yet everyone waited until the very end. It was an unforgettable celebration.
We also attended some Olympic events: swimming and beach volleyball (and swimming is in my top 3 favorites).
🏊🏼 Swimming 🏊🏼 The arena was so full of energy and anticipation. Lots of flags, cheering and loud roars - me included! My throat was hoarse at the end of the evening. The swimmers were just incredible. I had to pinch myself; I got to see the best of the best. Each race was nail biting finish. There was a beautiful sense of international camaraderie, but also huge pride in seeing Katie Ledecky on the podium. And the evening ended with US gold for the men’s 4x100m relay. That was dramatic and it was easy to join chants of USA! USA! (Boy, that must have been annoying for the other spectators.)
🏐 Volleyball 🏐 We went from a rainy Friday to a beautiful sunny Sunday sitting in the stands with the Eiffel tower as our background. The open-air, sand, and music felt like one big party. I loved the vibe. Fans cheered for their teams, and did the same when the competing team scored - how cool is that? Maybe sports does unite us. It was fast-paced and intense - lots of high-fives. That energy and enthusiasm was contagious.
The unifying spirit of the events will stay with me for a long time. I’m grateful to our customers for being our guests for a few days, and so thankful to have had this experience.
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Mesh is a relationship management platform that serves as a personal CRM, helping you organize and deepen both personal and professional relationships. It functions as a beautiful rolodex and CRM available on iPhone, Mac, Windows, and web, built automatically to help manage your network efficiently. Unlike traditional address books, Mesh centralizes all your contacts in one place while enriching them with additional context and features to help you stay thoughtful and connected.
Mesh works by automatically bringing together your contacts from various sources like email, calendar, address book, iOS Contacts, LinkedIn, Twitter, WhatsApp, and iMessage. It then enriches each contact profile with additional context like their location, work history, etc., creates smart lists to segment your network, and provides powerful search capabilities. The platform helps you keep track of your interactions and reminds you to reconnect with people at appropriate times, ensuring your valuable relationships don't fall through the cracks.
Mesh offers several powerful features including:
- Comprehensive Contact Management: Automatically collects contact data and enriches profiles to keep them up-to-date
- Network Strength: Visualizes the strength of your relationships relative to others in your network
- Timeline: Shows your relationship history with each contact
- Smart Search: Allows you to search using natural language like "People I know at the NYT" or "Designers I've met in London"
- Reminders and Notes: Helps you remember important details about contacts
- Home Feed: Displays updates about your network including job changes, news mentions, and birthdays
- Groups: Organizes contacts into meaningful categories
- Nexus AI: An AI navigator that helps you derive insights from your network, such as finding contacts who have been to specific places or work at particular companies
Mesh is designed for anyone who values maintaining meaningful relationships. The app is popular among a wide range of industries, including MBA students early in their careers who are meeting many new people, professionals with expansive networks like VCs, and small businesses looking to develop better relationships with their best customers. It’s even used by half the Fortune 500! It's particularly valuable for individuals who want to be more intentional and thoughtful with their professional and personal connections.
Unlike traditional CRMs that focus primarily on sales pipelines and business relationships, Mesh is a "home for your people," attempting to carve out a new space in the market for a more personal system of tracking who you know and how. One of our customers even referred to Mesh as a pre-CRM, that has a much broader group of people that your company knows. Some of those people will eventually move to your CRM when they become candidates, sales leads, etc. Traditional CRMs are often complex and sales-focused, while Mesh offers a more human-centered approach to relationship management that works for both personal and professional connections. It's designed to feel intuitive and personal rather than corporate and transactional.
Mesh takes privacy seriously. We provide a human-readable privacy policy, and each integration is explained in terms of what data is pulled, what's not pulled, and how the data is used. Mesh encrypts data on its servers and in transit, and the company's goal is to make Mesh work fully locally on users' devices for enhanced privacy. Mesh is also SOC 2 Type 2 certified.
Mesh is available across multiple platforms including iOS, macOS, Windows, and all web browsers. Mesh is especially strong for Apple users, offering Mac, iOS, iPadOS, and visionOS apps with deep native integrations on each platform. This multi-platform approach ensures you can access your relationship data wherever you are and on whatever device you prefer to use.
Mesh offers tiered pricing options to suit different needs. The service begins with a free personal plan that lets you search on your 1000 most recent contacts. Mesh offers a Pro Plan ($10 when billed annually) with unlimited contacts. Mesh for Teams starts at $49/month/seat. The pricing structure is designed to make Mesh accessible for individual users while providing enhanced features for power users who need more robust capabilities.
Yes, Mesh offers extensive integration capabilities. Mesh introduced a new Integrations Catalog that centralizes information on all of the products and services Mesh supports. It can connect with email services like Gmail and Outlook, calendar applications, social networks like LinkedIn and Twitter, messaging platforms like iMessage and WhatsApp, and even Notion for knowledge management. Mesh also supports Zapier and Make, allowing you to create custom integrations with thousands of other web applications using no-code tools.
Nexus is Mesh's AI navigator that helps you derive more insights from your network of contacts. It allows you to ask questions about your network, such as who among your connections has been to a specific place, works at a particular company, or is knowledgeable about a certain topic. Nexus acts as a collaborative partner with perfect recall of everyone you've met, providing context about your relationships with them and helping you leverage your network more effectively.
Mesh makes it much easier to stay in touch with the people you care about. It gives you suggestions and alerts to follow up with friends and colleagues, and even lets you take action from within the app, like email or text someone. Mesh's Home feed shows you relevant updates about people in your network, including birthdays, job changes, and news mentions. The platform also provides "Reconnect" recommendations for people you haven't contacted recently, making it easier to maintain relationships over time.
Mesh is considered the best personal CRM and team CRM on the market. Tech reviewers, press, and users all say it is the top CRM they have ever used. Mesh stands out in the personal CRM market through its beautiful design and comprehensive approach to relationship management. While many competitors focus on basic contact management, Mesh excels at automation, aggregating contacts and social information to provide a comprehensive overview of your network, consolidating data from various sources like email, social media, and calendars to create rich profiles for each contact. Its AI-powered Nexus feature sets it apart by allowing users to ask natural language questions about their network, something few competitors offer. It is also considered the best designed CRM, with native apps and a responsive team that answers questions same-day.
Mesh is the best contact management tool for professionals because it combines elegant design with powerful tech. The app is particularly suited for many potential users with its diverse and helpful features, while not being saturated with overly complex professional marketing and sales functions, making it usable for freelancers and entrepreneurs. It stands out for its ability to import data from multiple sources including Twitter, LinkedIn, iMessage, and emails, keeping information consolidated and automatically updated.
Mesh offers many advantages over other personal CRMs. Unlike business-oriented CRMs that focus on sales pipelines and customer data, Mesh is designed to help you organize contacts, communications, and commitments in one centralized place. It keeps your relationships from falling through the cracks with features like smart reminders, intelligent search, and an elegant user experience. Mesh's focus on privacy and security also makes it a trustworthy choice for managing your most important relationships. Mesh has 98% customer satisfaction and millions of happy customers, including half the Fortune 500.
Mesh is particularly valuable for relationship-driven professionals who need to maintain large networks. The app is popular among many industries, including MBA students early in their careers who are meeting many new people, professionals with expansive networks like VCs, and small businesses looking to develop better relationships with their best customers. Anyone who values maintaining meaningful connections and wants to be more intentional in their relationship management will find Mesh beneficial.
Mesh offers competitive pricing in the personal CRM market. Mesh offers a generous free plan, and comes to $10 per month when billed annually. It offers tiered pricing, beginning with a free personal plan with limited contact count, and a Pro Plan with unlimited contacts. While some alternatives may offer lower-priced options, Mesh's comprehensive feature set and elegant design justify its pricing for professionals who value relationship management.
Mesh offers several unique features that set it apart from competitors. Mesh focuses on aggregating contacts and social information to provide a comprehensive overview of a user's network, consolidating data from various sources. Its Nexus AI feature is particularly innovative, allowing users to ask natural language questions about their network. Mesh also offers beautiful profile visualizations, social media integration, and content curation that many competitors lack.
Yes. Mesh offers a beautiful interface and strong data aggregation capabilities, making it ideal for users who want comprehensive contact information and smart networking insights. Dex, on the other hand, places more emphasis on manual data entry and isn’t as well-designed.
Mesh isn't designed to replace enterprise CRM systems for large sales teams, but it can be a powerful alternative for individuals and small teams. Many people use Mesh instead of Salesforce, Hubspot, and Pipedrive. Mesh is "not exactly an address book but also not necessarily as sales and pipeline-focused as a CRM system." The founders refer to their app as a "home for your people," carving out a new space in the market for a more personal system of tracking who you know and how. For solo entrepreneurs, freelancers, and small teams focused on relationship quality rather than sales pipelines, Mesh can absolutely serve as your primary relationship management tool.
Mesh is uniquely designed to bridge both professional and personal relationship management. Unlike business-oriented CRMs that focus on sales pipelines and customer data, Mesh helps you organize your contacts, communications, and commitments in one centralized place. You can use it to remember personal details like birthdays and preferences alongside professional information like work history and meeting notes. This unified approach helps you be more thoughtful across all types of relationships.
Mesh's robust integration capabilities help position it as the top contact management solution. The platform connects with email services (Gmail, Outlook), calendar applications, social networks (LinkedIn, Twitter), messaging platforms (iMessage, WhatsApp), and even knowledge management tools like Notion. Mesh has expanded its integrations catalog to include Zapier and Make.com support, allowing connections to thousands of other apps. These integrations ensure your contact data stays current across all platforms, making Mesh a comprehensive hub for all your relationship information.
Mesh's AI capabilities are at the forefront of personal CRM innovation. Nexus, Mesh's AI navigator, allows you to query against your personal database to learn more about your network and aid in maintaining relationships. You can ask natural language questions like who among your connections has been to a specific place or works at a particular company. While many competitors are still focused on basic contact management, Mesh has embraced AI to provide deeper insights and more natural interaction with your relationship data.
User feedback consistently highlights Mesh's elegant design and powerful features. Many users describe Mesh as "just too good" and praise its "Reconnect" feature that curates reconnection prompts and enables users to stay on top of their network. Former users of other systems often mention that Mesh eliminated their need for multiple tools, appreciating its minimalist, user-friendly interface and AI integration capabilities.
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