Dr Ieva Martinkenaite is among the key figures at Telenor Group contributing to building the Artificial Intelligence (AI) research and innovation ecosystem in Norway. She holds several high profile regional and national appointments in AI.
A Vice President at Telenor Research, Ieva was instrumental in leading the set-up of the Telenor-NTNU AI-Lab, a national Centre of Excellence for AI and Machine Learning in Norway that aims to transform the country into an AI powerhouse. She also spearheads Telenor’s Start IoT initiative, aimed at stimulating innovation and commercialization of new generation Internet of Things (IoT) in Norway and other Telenor markets. Her work involves research and advisory to Telenor executives and business leaders on AI, Internet of Things (IoT), innovation strategy and digital partnerships. In 2018, Ieva was appointed by the European Commission to the High-Level Expert Group on Artificial Intelligence (AI HLG). As one of the key experts appointed to advise European Union (EU) on the AI ethics framework and policy and investment strategy of AI, Ieva will support the implementation of the European strategy on AI. Concurrently, Ieva heads the AI task force at the largest European Telecommunication Network Operator’s Association in Europe (ETNO).
Representing Telenor Group, Ieva is also the national contact point (NCP) for Norway in Horizon 2020 AI4EU consortium project, the largest EU research and innovation project responsible for building an AI-on-demand platform with European industry, research and social partners. Most recently, Ieva was appointed to the AI4EU Industrial Committee to spearhead and advise the consortium of 12 industry players on AI research commercialization and innovation opportunities.
Previously, Ieva served as a senior research scientist and advisor in Telenor. She also worked as a research fellow at BI Norwegian Business School (Oslo, Norway) and Fox School of Business (Philadelphia, USA), and was Vice-Dean at the first business university in Lithuania, ISM University of Management and Economics. Ieva holds a PhD in Strategy from BI Norwegian Business School and has more than 15 years of experience in business research, advisory and academia under her belt across developed and emerging economies. Her passion lies in building collaborative communities for the digital age and mentoring women in technology.