How the future gets shaped is driven by innumerable factors. In the concurrent era powered by an ever-advancing technological wave of digital transformation, more than the technology itself, a more crucial aspect is the kind of thought leadership behind it.
Thanks to the many awe-inspiring personalities like Aarti Sahni, who are powering the present to craft a smarter tomorrow, we can marvel at our tech-leaders’ prowess and impact.
To know how Aarti – Senior ProServe Sales Manager at Amazon Web Services (AWS), is leading this drive by being at the centre of it all, we must acknowledge her fascinating journey of two-and-a-half decades as an accomplished leader with proficiency in Strategy, Sales Management, Partnership Management, Enterprise Transformation and Thought Leadership. Her expertise in shaping and executing strategic transformation enterprise deals outshines her in the industry.
At AWS Professional Services, Aarti is guiding large enterprises in achieving strategic innovation outcomes by modernizing their business and driving growth using AWS services that are at the forefront of digital innovation– Agentic AI, GenAI, Machine Learning (ML), Advanced Analytics and more.
Career Journey and Motivation
Aarti’s journey in technology leadership began during a transformative period in India’s tech landscape. As a recent Bachelor of Science (B.S.) graduate, she found herself at a crucial crossroads where technology was emerging as a catalyst for unprecedented change. Her decision to pursue a Master of Computer Applications (MCA) wasn’t merely about following a promising career path; it was about embracing the potential to be part of a digital revolution that was reshaping the world.
Her initial role as a Developer at one of India’s leading technology companies laid the foundation for what would become a lifelong commitment to technological breakthroughs. Through unwavering dedication and a resolute can-do attitude, she earned the opportunity to lead a significant project in the United States. The dynamic environment and career growth opportunities in the U.S. tech sector convinced Aarti to build her career there, where she could pursue technological advancements and accelerate her professional growth.
The subsequent years saw her evolving through various roles as a technology consultant across diverse industries. This experience proved invaluable, allowing her to develop a comprehensive understanding of business needs while honing her skills in crafting pioneering technological solutions. Her natural curiosity and drive for excellence kept her at the forefront of industry developments, enabling her to lead increasingly complex transformation projects and advise C-level executives on leveraging cutting-edge technologies for business transformation. To enhance her leadership skills, she pursued Executive Education in Emerging Leaders Development Program at Columbia Business School, New York.
The advent of Cloud Computing marked another pivotal moment in her career. Recognizing its transformative potential, Aarti began advising executives on Cloud Transformation programs, leveraging the scalability, elasticity, and economic advantages of cloud services. Her strategic insight led her to discover that she could amplify her impact through consulting sales, delivering transformation projects across multiple enterprises simultaneously. This realization sparked her transition into sales leadership, where she could drive broader organizational change. Over the years, she grew in her role, expanding her leadership impact and becoming a cloud technology sales leader.
Today, Aarti leads the Professional Services (ProServe) business for Sports and Telco industries in the U.S. as Senior ProServe Sales Manager at AWS. In this role, she leads the team that shape and ensure successful delivery of ProServe engagements to help large enterprises through their digital transformation journeys harnessing the full potential of AWS to achieve their business objectives in an increasingly digital world. Her extensive experience in partnership management has been crucial in building trusted relationships with partners to jointly deliver large-scale transformation programs for customers.
Aarti has also established herself as a thought leader in the industry. She regularly engages in public speaking, sharing her insights and experiences with wider audiences. A notable highlight of her thought leadership activities was co-presenting at AWS re:Invent 2023 ‘NFL Next Gen Stats: Using AI and ML to transform fan engagement’1 demonstrating the transformative power of technology in sports. These engagements not only demonstrate her expertise but also inspire others in the field.
Throughout her career, Aarti’s journey has been characterized by a commitment to continuous learning, adaptability to emerging technologies, and a vision for transformative change. Her progression from a developer to a senior leader in technology sales exemplifies the potential for growth and impact in the tech industry, inspiring future generations of technology leaders to pursue their ambitions with determination and purpose.
Leadership Philosophy and Team Building
Navigating the technology and sales landscape has shaped Aarti’s unique leadership approach. Rather than viewing challenges as obstacles, she has embraced them as opportunities. Her success has been built on a foundation of positive attitude, relentless work ethic, and an unwavering commitment to professional growth.
Her leadership philosophy centers on creating an environment where individual and collective success are intrinsically linked. She believes in authentic leadership founded on three core principles: diversity of thought, equality in opportunity, and inclusive decision-making. These principles form the foundation of her leadership approach, creating an environment where different perspectives are valued and all team members can thrive. By fostering empathy, promoting a growth mindset, and championing collaborative leadership, she has created safe spaces where team members feel empowered to create and excel.
Work-life balance is a key tenet of her leadership approach. She understands that success is multi-dimensional, encompassing not just professional achievements but also personal wellbeing and family happiness. This perspective has shaped her decision-making process and influences how she supports her team, offering flexibility and understanding to help them maintain their own work-life harmony.
At Amazon, she has found that the leadership principles, particularly ownership, bias for action, earn trust, and think big, align perfectly with her leadership style. These values aren’t just principles on paper; they’re actively demonstrated through her approach to strategy and execution in leading ProServe business. By connecting with stakeholders at all levels, from C-suite executives to engineers, she envisions comprehensive business transformation programs that deliver measurable results.
Innovation Leadership
The NFL Digital Athlete2 stands as a testament to Aarti’s team’s commitment to innovation excellence. This groundbreaking initiative, a collaboration between NFL and AWS, revolutionizes player safety through advanced technology3. NFL & AWS: Digital Athlete won the Sports Business Journal’s Best Athlete Performance Technology (in partnership with Leaders Performance Institute) award in 20254.
The Digital Athlete uses artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) to build a complete view of players’ experience, which enables NFL teams to understand precisely what individual players need to stay healthy, recover quickly, and perform at their best. To build a complete view of players’ experience, the Digital Athlete gathers data from a range of sources, including game day data from the Next Generation Stats System (NGS), which uses AWS services to capture real-time location, speed, and acceleration data for every player, on every play, on every inch of the field. It also draws data from video filmed during games and practices along with sensors around the stadium that record performance metrics from tracking devices embedded in players’ equipment. AWS captures and combines player tracking data with other variables like weather, equipment, and play type (e.g., run, punt, etc.) for a dataset that represents a top-down picture of the player experience throughout the game.
The Digital Athlete’s AI- and ML-backed algorithms use these inputs to run millions of simulations of NFL games and specific in-game scenarios to inform teams which players are at the highest risk, insights that inform the development of personalized injury prevention, training, and recovery programs.
Fostering Growth and Development
Aarti’s approach to cultivating organizational growth centers on creating an environment that nurtures continuous learning. She implements this vision through several key strategies:
She advocates for continuous learning as a lifelong journey, encouraging team members to pursue both internal training programs and external development opportunities. Her leadership style emphasizes the importance of peer-to-peer learning through facilitated discussions and knowledge-sharing sessions.
Personal development receives particular attention through regular coaching sessions and mentoring relationships. She actively mentors numerous professionals, helping them navigate their career paths and unlock their full potential. Her approach to growth mindset implementation involves challenging team members with stretch assignments that push boundaries and foster development.
Recognizing that business growth thrives on autonomy, she empowers her team members with decision-making authority. This approach not only accelerates progress but also builds confidence and ownership among team members, creating a positive cycle of growth and achievement.
Business Leadership in Tech
Aarti’s approach to balancing technological advancement with customer needs demonstrates her deep understanding of both innovation and practical business requirements. Her methodology centers on maintaining strong customer focus while driving technological advancement. She emphasizes the importance of understanding both immediate customer needs and emerging market trends, fostering an environment where innovation serves a clear business purpose.
In alignment with Amazon’s customer obsession principle, she implements a structured approach to transformation that begins with customer needs and works backward to identify appropriate technological solutions. Her team gathers comprehensive feedback, analyzes market data, and makes informed decisions about technology implementation based on measurable business outcomes.
She ensures that every technological advancement her team pursues directly addresses specific customer challenges or opportunities. This approach has proven particularly effective in her role, where she has successfully introduced cutting-edge solutions that deliver tangible business value while maintaining operational stability.
Guidance for Aspiring Leaders
Aarti’s advice to emerging leaders, particularly women in technology, reflects her own journey and learned experiences. She emphasizes three core principles: unwavering self-belief, commitment to continuous learning, and the importance of building strong support systems.
Understanding that change is constant in the technology industry, she advocates for a mindset that focuses on controlling the controllable while maintaining adaptability. She encourages aspirants to view each organizational change as an opportunity for growth and advancement through the acquisition of new technical and leadership skills.
Drawing from her own experience, she emphasizes the crucial role of family support in professional success. She credits her own family as pillars of strength throughout her career journey. Additionally, she stresses the value of professional mentorship, having benefited from guidance from various mentors and coaches throughout her career.
In her current role, she actively contributes to developing future leaders by mentoring women within her organization. Her mentoring approach combines strategic guidance with practical, actionable advice, helping mentees navigate their career paths effectively. She encourages aspiring leaders to identify and learn from inspiring figures in their field while maintaining humility and a growth mindset.
Looking Ahead
Aarti’s vision for continuing her impact on women’s leadership in technology is both ambitious and practical. She remains committed to helping organizations to accelerate transformation, always with a focus on achieving meaningful business outcomes.
Her forward-looking strategy encompasses serving as a visible role model, expanding mentorship programs, driving technological innovation, and strengthening networks for women in technology leadership. These initiatives work in concert to create lasting industry change. Her commitment to developing future leaders while driving technological advancement ensures that her impact will continue to multiply through the success of those she mentors and leads.
Her vision extends beyond individual success to building a sustainable ecosystem of innovation, excellence, and inclusive leadership that will shape the future of technology.
References :
- NFL Next Gen Stats: Using AI and ML to transform fan engagement (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HSAJ6kAVzXY).
- Building a Digital Athlete: Using AI to rewrite the playbook on NFL player safety (https://aws.amazon.com/blogs/media/building-a-digital-athlete-using-ai-to-rewrite-the-playbook-on-nfl-player-safety/).
- VIDEO: The Digital Athlete and How it’s Revolutionizing Player Health & Safety (https://www.nfl.com/playerhealthandsafety/equipment-and-innovation/aws-partnership/digital-athlete-spot).
- SBJ Sports Business Awards Tech (https://www.sports-business-awards-tech.com/2025/2025-winners).
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