Gayle Sheppard

Gayle Sheppard has served as a member of our Board of Directors since January 2022. Ms. Sheppard is a seasoned technology executive and board director with over four decades of experience in software, cloud infrastructure, artificial intelligence, and cybersecurity. She served as Chief Executive Officer of Bright Machines, Inc., a software-defined, robotics-led factory automation company, where she pioneered software-defined manufacturing through AI-driven automation and modular robotics, enhancing resiliency in global electronics and data center supply chains. At Microsoft Corporation, a multinational technology company specializing in software, cloud services, and AI, she held multiple senior roles including Corporate Vice President and Chief Technology Officer for Microsoft Asia, Corporate Vice President of Azure Data, and Head of Global Expansion and Digital Transformation for Microsoft Cloud and AI. In these roles, she led the development of sovereign cloud platforms, confidential computing architectures, and hyperscale data environments supporting regulated industries and government customers. Ms. Sheppard has deep expertise in AI and data platforms, having led Microsoft’s $15B+ Azure Data portfolio and served as CEO and Chair of Saffron Technology, an AI cognitive reasoning company acquired by Intel Corporation, a multinational semiconductor company, and subsequently as Vice President and General Manager of the Saffron AI/ML Division at Intel. She has extensive experience leading the development of advanced AI and data platforms and overseeing secure cloud architectures, large-scale digital transformation initiatives and cybersecurity strategies for regulated industries and enterprise and government customers.

Ms. Sheppard has served as a member of the board of directors of Astroscale Holdings Inc., an on-orbit satellite servicing technology company extending satellite life and space sustainability listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange, since July 2023. She previously served as a member of the board of directors of Envista Holdings Corporation, a medical technology holding company, from July 2020 to November 2021. Ms. Sheppard’s board membership and advisory service at private technology companies contributing to innovation in AI, neurotech, and enterprise software further support her qualifications in strategic oversight and emerging technology governance. Ms. Sheppard holds a B.S. in Business Administration from the University of South Florida, a Certificate in Artificial Intelligence from The MIT Sloan School of Management, and a Certificate in Corporate Governance from The Wharton School.