Whirlpool welcomes Pamela Wise-Martinez

Brings 25 years of experience in network design, enterprise architecture, security, and cloud expertise

Pamela Wise-Martinez has joined Whirlpool Corporation as the Senior Director/Global Head of Enterprise Architecture. This is a new Global Information Systems leadership position that acknowledges the value in driving a strategic vision around the technology the company has today, and in the future. The purpose of this role is to establish and socialize a vision for leveraging modern technology, further drive synergies across the enterprise, and provide the pathways for “best-in-class” practices.

Wise-Martinez brings more than 25 years of experience in network design, enterprise architecture, security, and cloud expertise. She most recently held a role at Deloitte Touché Tohmatsu Limited, where she served as Global Chief Enterprise Architect, leading cross-functional teams of principal engineers and solution architects, defining next generation technology, engineering planning, complex concepts in service technologies, RPA, Cloud, SDN, Hybrid, Micro-segmentation, and data alignment.

At Deloitte, she established the Women Creating STEAM initiative, promoting internship and sponsorship for women in science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics. She has also authored and developed a number of cited publications, webinars, and presentations related to digital architecture, IT, the cloud, and data analytics.

“My career really started with the military in computer systems, and electrical engineering in the U.S. Army Signal Corps,” says Wise-Martinez. “I worked as a radio/satellite communications operator and repair technician for mobile satellite systems. After the military, I found work in the private industry supporting multi-national commercial banks. The banking industry, also known as FinTech, was a great place to learn about customer service amidst lots of IT transformation. There, I became an expert in mainframe emulation and virtualization to Local Area Networks(LANS), and PCs.”

Along the way, she earned a bachelors of science in Information systems, and masters of science in engineering and technology management. She served in various enterprise architecture leadership roles in the U.S. departments of Energy, Interior, Homeland Security, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission and the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation. Wise-Martinez also served as chair of the National Standards Coordination Committee at the Objects Management Group for the Director of National Intelligence, overseeing implementation of functional and technical standards for national and international requirements.

She was responsible for developing and designing a national victim identification system in a role as Chief Technology Officer (CTO). “This really changed my life because I was close to the business, which was law enforcement, helping to transform the way they were creating a presence on the Internet, and dealing with cyber crime. Through that role, I helped optimize law enforcement’s intelligence, and its capability to put bad guys behind bars who were actually harming children.”

In her extensive career, she performed work for the National Nuclear Security Administration under the Department of Energy, which was an introduction into manufacturing and supply-chain for her, and her first Chief Enterprise Architect role. “That’s when I first really kicked off my career in the space of Enterprise Architecture. I can’t talk a lot about the work that I did there, though.”

Wise-Martinez will now bring all of this experience to her new role at Whirlpool Corporation.

“I had the opportunity to work in the IoT and sensors space before, at the very beginning when the public sector and the energy companies were beginning to understand the value and power of the industrial Internet of Things,” she says. “I served as a public sector official at the very beginning for rural communities. Part of that work was launching it at the Department of Energy and standards communities, and through that I had the opportunity to understand how this IoT capability could be leveraged across multiple industries, so when I heard about the role at Whirlpool, all of those things started clicking in my mind.”

She says that working at Whirlpool Corporation intrigued her for two reasons. “The number one reason was the well-known brand name, which is a household name. The other reason was the leadership. In talking with leadership, I got the sense that I was joining a team that really knew where they were going, and people here are passionate about what they are doing.”

Wise-Martinez is anxious to get started engaging with the Global Information Systems team and helping to drive growth within the organization. “I think this role gives me the opportunity to really bring to bear all the skills I’ve gained over the course of my career. It’s my quintessential role of a lifetime.”