Mary T. McDowell

Mary T. McDowell
Born	1964
Nationality	American
Occupation	Technology executive
Years active	1986–present
Known for	CEO of Mitel (2019–2021), CEO of Polycom (2016–2018)

Mary T. McDowell (born 1964) is a prominent American leader in the technology sector. Between 2019 and 2021, she held the position of CEO at Mitel, a worldwide provider specializing in business communication solutions. Before her tenure at Mitel, McDowell was the chief executive officer of Polycom from 2016 until its merger with Plantronics in 2018. During her leadership at Polycom, she directed a strategic transformation focused on embracing open platforms and ecosystems, and orchestrated the acquisition of Obihai to strengthen the company’s telephony and cloud service portfolio. Additionally, she contributes her expertise as a board member for both Autodesk and Informa plc.

At Nokia, McDowell was responsible for managing the mobile phone division, overseeing notable products such as the Nokia Asha series of feature phones, Nokia Life Tools, and the Nokia Money platform.

Her earlier career includes a lengthy period from 1986 to 2003 at Compaq/Hewlett Packard, where she led the server division. In recognition of her impact on the mobile phone industry, she was named among ten "disruptive individuals" transforming the sector in 2012.

In 2018, McDowell was honored as one of the top ten women in the field of telecommunications. She earned her Bachelor of Science degree in Computer Science from the University of Illinois College of Engineering.

Personal life

Mary McDowell is married to Kevin Longgino, who serves as CEO of the National Kidney Foundation.

Awards

• Distinguished Alumni Award (2011) from the Illinois Computer Science department at UIUC College of Engineering
• World Master of Innovation (2009), recognized by "Business Week" among CIO Most Innovative Companies
• Top 10 Women in Wireless (2008), presented by Fierce Wireless
• Top 20 Women in Technology (2000), awarded by the Association of Women in Computing