HP Innovation Journal Issue 04: Fall 2016 | Page 33

In the next issue:
EMPLOYEE PROFILE
person to earn a Bachelor of Arts degree.
“Alone we can do so little, together we can do
so much”. It explains why partnerships are key
for success. For example, HP Wearable and IoT
team is partnering with fashion designers and
brands to blend style and technical innovation
together. The team created the “Engineered by
HP” brand under this umbrella and is offering
beautiful smartwatch solutions, helping people
stay more connected.
Veronique Baudon
Head of Partnerships, Wearables and IoT, HP
Meet Veronique Baudon, Head of Partnerships for
Wearable and IoT. She is enjoying an amazing 20
year journey with HP. She has been managing part-
nerships from startups to Fortune 100 companies
for 15 years. Now, within the Chief Technology Office
(CTO) at HP — where innovation is culture — she ex-
periences a different spin on partnership, and with the
“Engineered by HP” brand, Wearable and IoT team she
has demonstrated the ability to partner and launch
smartwatches with fashion designers and famous
brands. Veronique is married and a mother of two, and
passionate about education and volleyball.
Why do you like working at HP?
Born and raised in Paris, I received my Masters in
Computer Science and my MBA in France. In my
last year of college I received an internship with
HP Grenoble and was hired right out of college.
HP opened my mind to the rest of the world.
I experienced different countries, cultures, and
perspectives. I’ve seen the split with Agilent,
the merge with Compaq, and the separation
with Hewlett Packard Enterprise. Through all of
these changes, there has been a constant which
made it special to work at HP: amazing and in-
spiring colleagues. Currently I am part of the CTO
team where innovation is culture — engaged in
different ways of thinking and creating — and
enjoying every minute.
What is your favorite quote?
One of my favorite quotes is from Helen Keller,
American author and the first deaf and blind
What is your favorite topic?
Women — because there are so many “firsts”
happening around us — first female mayor of
Rome, first female mayor of Tokyo, first US fe-
male presidential candidate. Women are coming
into the spotlight around the world!
In the technology industry, women have
been a minority — but this is changing too.
Women bring a unique perspective to innovation.
Teaming up with my friend and colleague
Prianka Srinivasan, who has been tracking
Megatrends — future socio, economic and
demographic trends — for HP, we decided to
investigate. We gathered data on the state of
women in all geographies, in politics, business,
and in sport. What we found is eye-opening.
With gender gap decreases, women’s partici-
pation increasing in the workforce and women’s
buying power magnitude being in the trillions of
dollars, the female demographic could be the
next rising economy.
Amp up product
innovation with
design thinking
The intersection of creativity and
innovation has produced some of
the greatest products of the past
two decades. Design thinking — ap-
plying a creative solution to a chal-
lenge or need in order to produce
a better future outcome — has
become the cornerstone of suc-
cessful technology and consumer
innovation. According to the Design
Management Institute, design-led
companies have outperformed the
S&P 500 over the past 10 years by
an amazing 219%. In our next is-
sue we will deep dive into design
thinking methodology, and how HP,
our partners and customers are ap-
plying it to products, infrastructure,
user experience and channel ad-
vancements. Explore how science,
art and design can come together
for creative problem-solving and
best-in-class product innovation. 

How do you overcome
challenges?
It helps me to use similar techniques at work
and in my personal life. When there are
conflicts at work, I solve them using the same
method I use with my kids — listening to the
different perspectives and trying to stay fair.
I’m very competitive and I also use a lot of
sport analogies. For example for partners, like
a sports team, I motivate them with common
objectives. If we don’t win, we learn. Giving it
our best shot is already a victory. 

Issue 4 · Fall 2016 · Innovation Journal 33