Former Cisco COO Maria Martinez Joins Alkira Advisory Board to Drive AI-Native Networking Innovation

Alkira has appointed former Cisco Systems Chief Operating Officer Maria N. Martinez to its advisory board, bringing decades of technology leadership experience to the Network Infrastructure as a Service company. Martinez served as Executive Vice President and COO at Cisco Systems from 2021 to 2024, where she oversaw global customer experience, supply chain, IT, security and trust organizations. Her extensive background includes previous roles as Cisco's Chief Customer Experience Officer and senior executive positions at Salesforce, Microsoft, Motorola and AT&T's Bell Labs.

Amir Khan, CEO and founder of Alkira, emphasized the strategic importance of this appointment. "Maria's deep operational expertise and her leadership in scaling customer-centric innovation at some of the world's most respected technology companies make her an invaluable addition to Alkira's advisory board," Khan stated. "Her guidance will help us continue to redefine how enterprises design, deploy, and operate their global networks in the AI era."

The appointment comes as Alkira intensifies its focus on AI-driven networking solutions. In September, the company launched new AI-native capabilities through its Network Infrastructure Assistant co-pilot and Model Context Protocol server, enabling enterprises to interact with and manage their networks using natural language. These innovations represent a significant shift in how organizations can approach network management, moving away from traditional hardware-dependent systems toward cloud-native, AI-powered infrastructure.

Martinez brings substantial board experience to her new role, currently serving on the boards of McKesson, Tyson Foods, Bank of America, JumpCloud, and Fiddler AI. Her appointment underscores Alkira's commitment to leveraging top-tier industry expertise as it expands its market position. "Today's enterprises are being challenged to reimagine network foundations for speed, simplicity, security, and AI, and Alkira is delivering an unrivaled platform to meet those needs," Martinez commented.

The move signals growing momentum in the network infrastructure as a service sector, particularly as organizations seek to modernize complex global infrastructure with greater agility, visibility, and security. Martinez highlighted the transformative potential of Alkira's approach: "By simplifying complex global networks and embedding AI-driven intelligence, Alkira empowers organizations to achieve agility, visibility, and security that legacy networks simply cannot match."

This development matters because it represents the convergence of several critical technology trends: the shift toward cloud-native infrastructure, the integration of artificial intelligence into core networking operations, and the growing demand for simplified, scalable network solutions. As enterprises worldwide grapple with digital transformation challenges, appointments like Martinez's signal that established industry leaders are recognizing the disruptive potential of AI-native networking platforms. For more information about Alkira's network infrastructure solutions, visit https://www.alkira.com.