Speaker Bio
Chris Penrose is currently the Global Head of Business Development – Telco for NVIDIA. He leads a team accountable for establishing NVIDIA’s leadership in this segment, building and executing the plan for the associated revenue and pipeline growth. Showcasing NVIDIA’s technology for AI, 5G, networking and cloud/edge services, his team develops Telco-specific solutions based on NVIDIA hardware and software stacks, in collaboration with ISV and partner ecosystem. The team works with Telco’s around the world to create solutions to transform their operations and drive monetization with AI and NVIDIA technology.
Prior to joining NVIDIA, as the COO of FogHorn, Chris helped lead the successful exit of the firm with a sale to Johnson Controls, Inc. (JCI). At FogHorn, he had responsibility for leading FogHorn’s go-to-market efforts across business development, technical sales, strategic partnerships, 3rd party distribution, marketing, advertising and public relations globally. Chris also led strategic planning for the firm and worked directly with the Telcos around the world to integrate FogHorn’s Edge AI/ML and Analytics solutions on top of their 5G networks.
Previously, Chris spent over 30 years at AT&T and its predecessor companies, leading some of its most important growth areas. Chris served as President of AT&T’s IoT Solutions organization, building AT&T's IoT business from a startup into one of the most successful IoT operations in the world. Chris was also the Senior Vice President of AT&T’s Integrated Solutions, AT&T Consulting, and AT&T Partner Solutions – selling and delivering end-to-end solutions to customers and supporting the partner ecosystem across AT&T’s entire product portfolio. During his time with AT&T, Chris built domain expertise in IoT, Wireless, 5G, Edge Computing, Next Gen Networking, as well as vertical expertise across Connected Car, Manufacturing, Healthcare, Retail, Public Safety, Fleet, Smart Cities, Robotics and Drones.
Chris currently serves on several boards, including the Kelley School of Business, Curing Kids Cancer, and IOT World. Chris was also a Founder and Executive Advisory Board Member of the Together for Safer Roads coalition and was Chairman of the Board for GSMA’s Global IOT program for over 7 years, coordinating with 30+ Telcos to land on a joint vision for the industry.
Chris is also known for championing the use of technology to advance human progress. He enjoys being able to scale new technologies and using these to solving real business needs and/or for societal benefit.
He holds a Bachelor of Science in Marketing and a Master of Business Administration from Indiana University. His personal passions are family, skiing, golf, dining out, and travel.