 Okay, hello everyone. Welcome to theCUBE's coverage of the International Women in Text Showcase, featuring International Women's Day. I'm John Furrier, host of theCUBE. We have a great guest here. Many a through APJ head of Aerospace and Satellite for AWS, APJ Asia Pacific and Japan. Great to have you on. Many thanks for joining us. Talk about space and International Women's Day. Thanks for coming on. Thanks, John. It's such a pleasure to be here with you. So obviously Aerospace Space Satellite is an area that's growing, it's changing. AWS has made a lot of strides. Clint Crozier and I had a conversation last year about this. I remember when Andy Jassy told me about this initiative two, two and a half years or so ago. It was like, wow, that makes a lot of sense, ground station, et cetera. So it just makes a lot of sense. A lot of heavy lifting, as they say, in the satellite aerospace business. So you're leading the charge over there in APJ and you're a leading woman in space and beyond. Tell us what's the story. How did you get there? What's going on? Thanks, John. Yeah, so I lead the Asia Pacific Business for Clint as part of Amazon Web Services. You know that we have an industry business vertical that's dedicated to looking after our space and space customers. My journey began really three or four years ago when I started with AWS. I was based out of Australia. And Australia had a space agency that was literally being born. And I had the great privilege of meeting the country's chief scientist at that point. That was Dr. Alan Finkel. And we're having a conversation. It was really actually an education conference and it was focused on youth and inspiring the next generation of students. And we hit upon space. And we had this conversation. And at that stage, we didn't have a dedicated industry business vertical at AWS. We supported space customers much as we did many other customers in the sector, innovative customers. And after the conversation with Dr. Finkel, he offered to introduce me to Megan Clarke, who was back then the first CEO of the Australian Space Agency. So that's literally how my journey into space started. We had a conversation. We worked at how we could possibly support the Australian Space Agency's remit and roadmap as they started growing the industry. And then a whole industry, a whole vertical was set up, Clint came on board. I have now a global team of experts around me that pretty much got experience from everything, creating, building a satellite, launching a satellite, working out how to downlink process all those amazing imagery that we see, because contrary to what a lot of people think, space is not just technology for a galaxy far, far away. It is very much tackling complex issues on earth and transforming lives with information. It ranges for everything from wildfire detection to saving lives, smart agriculture for farmers. So there's a ton of different things that we're doing. And as part of the Asia Pacific sector, my task here is really just to grow the ecosystem. Women are an important part of that. We've got some stellar women out here in region, both within the AWS team, but also in our customer and partner sectors. So it's a really interesting space to be. There's a lot of challenges, there's a lot of opportunities and there's incredible amounts of growth. So super exciting space to be. Well, I got to say, I'm super inspired by that. One of the things that we've been talking about on theCUBE and I was talking to Dave Vellante, my co-host for many, many years has been the democratization of digital transformation, cloud computing and cloud scale has democratized and changed and leveled the playing field for many. And now space, which was, it's a very complex area is being kind of democratized. It's easier to get access. You can launch a satellite for very low cost compared to when it was before, getting access to some of the technology and with open source and with software, you now have more space computing things going on. That's not out of reach. So for the people watching share your thoughts on that dynamic and also how people can get involved because there are real world problems to solve that can be solved now, that might have been out of reach, but now it's cloud, can you share your thoughts? That's right, so you're right, John. Satellites orbiting, there's more and more satellites being launched every day. The sensors are becoming more sophisticated. So we're collecting huge amounts of data. One of our customers, the cart lab, tell us that we're collecting today three million square kilometers a day. That's going to increase to about three billion over the next five years. So we're already reaching a point where it's impossible to store, analyze and make sense of such massive amounts of data without cloud computing. So we have services which play a very critical role. Technologies like artificial intelligence, machine learning help us help these customers build our products and solutions which then allow us to generate intelligence that's serving a lot of other sectors. So it could be agriculture, it could be disaster response and recovery, it could be military intelligence. I'll give you an example of something that's very relevant and that's happening in the last couple of weeks. So we have some amazing customers. We have Maxi Technologies. They use AWS to store their 100 petabyte imagery library and they have daily collection. So they're using our ground station to gather insights about a lot of changing conditions on Earth. Usually it's Earth observation that's tracking water pollution, water levels, air pollution, but they're also just tracking intelligence of things like military buildup in certain areas. Capella space is another one of our customers who do that. So over the last couple of weeks, maybe couple of months, we've been watching images that have been collected by these commercial satellites and they've been chronicling the buildup, for instance, of Russian forces on Ukraine's borders and the ongoing invasion. They're providing intelligence that was previously only available from government sources. So when you talk about the democratization of space, high-resolution satellite images are becoming more and more ubiquitous. I saw the other day there was Anderson Cooper, a CNN and then behind him, a screenshot from Capella which is satellite imagery, which is very visible, a high-resolution transparency which gives respected journalists and media organizations regular contact with intelligence, direct intelligence which can help support media storytelling and help with the general's public understanding of the crisis like what's happening in Ukraine. And I think on that point, it is relevant, people can relate to it. And if you think about other things with computer vision technologies getting so much stronger, also there's also metadata involved. So one of the things that's coming out of this Ukraine situation not only is tracking movements with the satellites in real time, but also misinformation and disinformation. That's another big area because it's not just the pictures, it's what they mean. So it's well beyond just satellite. Well beyond just satellite, yeah. And not to focus on just a crisis that's happening at the moment, there's a hundred other use cases which we're helping with customers around the globe. I want to give you a couple of other examples because I really want people to be inspired by what we're doing with space technology. So right here in Singapore, I have a company called EO Factory. Now they use AI based Earth observation. They have an analytics platform that basically help authorities around the region make key decisions to drive sustainable practices. So change detection for shipping. Singapore is, you know, it's lots of traffic. And so if there's oil spills that can be detected and remedied from space crop productivity, fruit picking. Even just a crop cover around urban areas, climate change is another increasing challenge, a global challenge that we need to tackle. And space technology actually makes it possible. 50% of what they call ECVs, essential climate variables can only be measured from space. So we have companies like satellite food, one of our UK customers who are measuring carbon emissions. And so, you know, the range of opportunities that are out there, like you said, previously untouched, it we've just opened up doors for all sorts of innovations to become possible. Yeah, it totally is intoxicating some of the fun things you can discuss with the, not only the future but solving today's problem. So it's definitely next level kind of things happening with space and space talent. So this is where you start to get into the conversation like I know some people in these major technical instances here in the US as sophomore, second years getting job offers. So there's a space race for talent if you will. And women talent in particular is there on the table too. So how can you share that discussion because inspiration is one thing but then people want to know what to do to get in. So how do you handle the recruiting and motivating and or working with organizations to just pipeline interest because space is one of those things you get addicted to. Yeah, so I'm a huge advocate for science, technology, engineering, math. We, you know, we highlight STEM as a pathway into space, into technology. And I truly believe the next generation of talent will contribute to the grand challenges of our time whether that's climate change or sustainability. It's going to come from them. I think that. Now we at Amazon Web Services, we have several programs that we're working on to engage kids and especially girls to be equipped with the latest cloud skills. So one of the programs that we're delivering this year across Singapore, Australia, ASEAN, we're partnering with an organization called the Institute for Space Science Exploration and Technology and we're launching a program called Mission Discovery. It's basically students get together with an astronaut, a NASA researcher, technology experts and they get an opportunity to work with these amazing characters to create and design their own project. And then the winning project will be launched, will be taken up to the International Space Station. So it's a combination of technology skills, problem solving, confidence building. It's a whole range. And that's, you know, we, that's for kids from 14 to about 18. But actually in fact, because the pipeline build is so important, not just for Amazon Web Services but for industry sector, for the growth of the overall industry sector. There's several programs that we're involved in and they range from sophomores, like you said, all the way through to high school, college, number of different programs. So in Singapore specifically, we have something called Cloud Ready with Amazon Web Services. It's a very holistic cloud skilling program that's curated for students from primary school, high school, fresh graduates and then even earlier careers. So we're really determined to work together closely and it aligns really well with the Singapore government's economic national agenda. So that's one way. And then we have a ton of other programs specifically designed for women. So last year we launched a program called She Does. It's a free online training learning program. And the idea is really to inspire professional women to consider a career in the technology industry and show them pathways, support them through that learning process, bring them on board, help drive a community spirit. And we have a lot of affinity groups within Amazon whether that's women in tech or lots of affinity groups catering for very specific niches. And all of those we find are really working well to encourage that pipeline development that you talk about and bring me people that I can work with to develop and build these amazing solutions. Well, you got so much passion. And by the way, if you're interested in a track on women in space, we'd be happy to support that on our site, send us stories, we'll get them documented. So super important to get the voices out there. And we really believe in it. So we love that. I have to ask you as the head of APJ for AWS Aerospace and Satellite, you've seen, you've been on a bunch of missions in the space programs of the technologies. Are you seeing kind of how that's trajectory coming to today? And now you mentioned new generation. What problems do you see that need to be solved for this next generation? What opportunities are out there that are new? Because you've got the lens of the past, you're managing a big part of this new growing and merging business for AWS, but you clearly see the future. And younger generation's got to solve these problems and take the opportunities. What are they? Yes, sometimes I think we're leaving a lot to solve. And then other times I think, well, we started some of those conversations, we started those discussions and it's a combination of policy, technology. We do a lot of business coaching. So it's not just about the technology, we do think about the broader picture. Technology is transforming, we know that technology is transforming economies. We know that the future is digital and that diverse backgrounds, perspective skills and experiences, particularly those of women, minority, the youth must be part of the design creation and the management of the future roadmaps. In terms of how do I see this going? Well, it's been sort of, we've had under-representation of women and perhaps youth, we just haven't taken that into consideration for a long time now. Now that gap is slowly becoming, it's getting closer and closer to being closed. Overall, we're still under-represented. But I take heart from the fact that if we look at an agency like the UAE's Mohammed bin Rashid Space Center, that's a relatively young space agency in UAE. I think they've got about 300 or 400 people working for them at this point in time. And the average age of that cohort, John, is 28. Some 40% of its engineers and scientists are women. This year, NASA is looking to recruit more female astronauts. They're looking to recruit more people with disabilities. So in terms of changing, in terms of solving those problems, whatever those problems are, we started the, I guess we started the right representation mix. So it doesn't matter, bring it on. Whether it is climate change or this ongoing crisis protected global crises around the world, it's going to require a lot more than just a single shot answer. And I think having diversity and having that representation, we know that it makes a difference to innovation outputs. We know that it makes a difference to productivity growth profit, but it's also just the right thing to do. For so long, we haven't got it right. And I think if we can get this right, we will be able to solve the majority of some of the biggest things that we're looking at today. And the diversity of problems and the diversity of talent are two different things, but they come together because you're right, it's not about technology. It's about all fields of study, sociology. It could be political science. Obviously you mentioned some of the situations we have now. It could be cybersecurity, space is highly contested. We did a long chat about that on the last CUBE interview with AWS. There's all these new problems. And so problem solving skills, you don't need to have a pedigree from Ivy League school to get into space. This is a great opportunity for anyone who can solve problems because they're new, no one's seen them before. That's exactly right. And you know, every time we go out, we have sessions with students or we're at universities, we tell them, raise your voices. Don't be afraid to use your voice. It doesn't matter what you're studying. If you think you have something of value to say, say it, you know, by pushing your own limits, you push other people's limits. And you may just introduce something that simply hasn't been thought of before. So your voice is important and we do a lot of coaching, encouraging, getting people just to talk. And that in itself is a great start, I think. Well, you're in a very complex sector. You're a senior leader at AWS, Amazon Web Services in a really fun, exciting area, aerospace and satellite. And for the young people watching out there or who may see this video, what advice would you have for the young people who are trying to navigate through the complexities of now third year COVID, you know, seeing all the global changes, seeing that massive technology acceleration and digital transformation, digitization. It's here, digital world we're in. It could be confusing, it could be weird. And so how would you talk to that person and say, hey, it's going to be okay. And what advice would you give? It is absolutely going to be okay. Look, from what I know, the next generation are far more fluent in digital than I am. I mean, they speak nerd. They were born speaking nerd. So I don't have any, I can't possibly tell them what to do as far as technology is concerned because they're so done about it. But I would advise them to spend time with people, explore new perspectives, understand what the other is trying to do or achieve and investing times and time in new relationships, people with different backgrounds and experience, they almost always have something to teach you. I mean, I am constantly learning. Space tech is, it's so complicated. I can't possibly learn everything I have to by myself just by researching and studying. I am totally reliant on my community of experts to help me learn. So my advice to the next generation, kids is always, always invest time in relationships. And the second thing is, don't be disheartened. This has happened for millennia. Yes, we go up, then we come down, but there's always hope. There is always, we shake the future that we want. So there's no failure. We just have to learn to be resilient. It's all a learning experience. So stay positive and chin up because we can, we can do it. That's awesome. And you mentioned the Ukraine and the Russian situation. One of the things they did, they cut the internet off and all telecommunications and Elon Musk launched a start link and gives them access, sending them terminals. Again, just another illustration that space can help in any situation, whether it's conflict or peace. And so while I have you here, I have to ask you, what is the most important stories that are being talked about or not being talked about or both that people should pay attention to when they look at the future of what aerospace, satellite, these emerging technologies can do for the world? What's your, how would you kind of, what are the most important things to pay attention to that are either known or maybe not being talked about? They're being talked about, John, but I'd love to see more prominence. I'd love to see more conversations about steering the amazing work that's being done in our research communities. The research communities, they work in a vast area of areas and using satellite imagery, for instance, to look at climate change. Across the world, there's efforts that are going into understanding how we tackle such a global issue. But the commercialization that comes from the research community, that's pretty slow. And the reason it's slow, it's because one is academics, churning out research papers, the linkage back into industry. And industry is very, I guess we're always looking for how fast can it be done and what sort of margin or profit am I gonna make for it? So there's not a lot of patience there for research that has to mature, generate outputs that have a meaningful value for both sides. So supporting our research communities to output some of these essential pieces of research that can drive impact for society as a whole, maybe for industry to partner even more. I mean, and we do that all the time, but even more focus, even more focus on, and I'll give you a small example. Last year, and it culminated this earlier this month, we signed an agreement with the Ministry of, with the Space Office in Singapore. So it's an MOU between AWS and the Singapore government, and we are determined to help them align to their national agenda around space, around building an ecosystem. How do we support their space builders? What can we do to create more training pathways? What credits can we give? How do we use open data sets to support Singaporean issues? And that could be kind of change, it could be productivity, farming, it could be a whole range of things, but there's a lot that's happening that is not highlighted because it's not a sexy space deck, right? It's not the Mars mission and it's not the next lunar mission, but these things are just as important. They're just focused more on Earth rather than out there. Yeah, and as you said, everyone's speaking nerd these days, they're born with it. The next generation's here. A lot of use cases, a lot of exciting areas. You get the big headlines with the space launches, but also a lot of great research, as you mentioned, that people are doing amazing work and it's now available open source, cloud computing, all this is bringing to bear. Great conversation, great inspiration, great chatting with you, love your enthusiasm for the opportunity and thanks for sharing your story. Appreciate it. It's a pleasure to be with you, John. Thank you for the opportunity. Okay, thanks, Manny. The Women in Tech Showcase here, The Cube is presenting International Women's Day Celebration. I'm John Furrier, host of The Cube. Thanks for watching.