Mary T. McDowell
For her exceptional career as a technology industry leader, outstanding contributions in the areas of global strategy and business performance, and in recognition for her dedicated service to the college and philanthropic support of women in engineering.
Technology Business Leader
- BS, Computer Science, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, 1986
Mary T. McDowell chairs the Board of Directors of Mitel Networks, a global communications company where she previously served as President and CEO. Prior to that, Mary was CEO and member of the board for Polycom, Inc., a leader in enterprise communications and collaboration, where she led the company through a strategic transformation and successful sale to Plantronics in 2018.
Over her 30 years as a technology industry executive, she has led global organizations through significant business and technology transformations. She has a diverse background that includes SaaS, mobile, communications, and infrastructure, and is an accomplished CEO and board director with experience in both public and private companies. Mary’s leadership philosophy reflects her passion for building strong, engaged organizations that deliver business growth through great products.
Her earlier roles include Executive Partner at private equity firm Siris Capital, LLC., and Executive Vice President at Nokia, where she oversaw the company’s $15 billion global feature phone business and associated digital services as well as Nokia’s developer and app store organization. She also held senior positions at Compaq Computer and Hewlett Packard.
Mary currently serves as a board member and Chair of the Compensation Committee for multinational software company Autodesk, Inc. and as Senior Independent Director for multinational events and publishing company, Informa, plc. She is a former board director and active member of C200, an organization focused on advancing women in business, as well as a member of the Women’s Forum of New York.
Mary is a recipient of the Distinguished Alumni Achievement from the Department of Computer Science, is a long-serving member of the Grainger College of Engineering Board of Visitors and is a member of the college’s With Illinois Campaign Cabinet. She also supports the Engineering Visionary Scholarship Fund, an endowed fund that provides the most flexible scholarship funding for engineering students.
Mary lives in Connecticut with her husband, Kevin Longino, who is the CEO of the National Kidney Foundation.
Current as of March 2022