Zoom exec on making sure we lead the change we want to see

Louise Newbury-Smith, head of UK&I at technology specialist Zoom, describes her role as busy and exciting. With a remit to help the firm’s customers make the most of its technology and a general management responsibility for the business across the UK and Ireland, Smith says the busyness in her role comes with a side order of variety.

“What's rewarding is when we're doing amazing things for customers, very real things for customers, and actually, that's where you know the power of the platform comes in,” she says.

“Technology for technology's sake is fine, but it only gets really interesting when it's delivering something for people.”

Newbury-Smith joined Zoom in May 2025, having previously held senior-level positions at BT Engage IT, Daisy Group, and RingCentral. She reports to Steve Rafferty, Zoom’s head of APAC and EMEA. On a day-to-day basis, she manages 40 people directly but also oversees the work of 400 employees across the UK and Ireland.

“I’m supporting the team to deliver what they need to do for their customers, representing the brand, and making sure that Zoom is front of mind for people and businesses,” she says.

“We're doing quite a lot with the UK government, as an example. We're on one or two task forces looking at how AI can support small businesses.”

Innovation at speed

Newbury-Smith says there’s a rapid pace of innovation at Zoom. While many people associate the technology company with its video-conferencing tools, the breadth of the platform, including its AI-powered capabilities, continues to extend. A pull factor for joining the firm was the chance to help shape this strategy across the UK and Ireland.

“What really attracted me was the opportunity to take our strong brand awareness and increase the perception,” she says.

“The platform takes all the data we're producing through our interactions with other human beings and turns that into actions to support the employee in an AI-centered workplace. It was exciting for me to be part of that process.”

While the broader business strategy is set at Zoom’s San Jose headquarters in California, Newbury-Smith says there’s a high degree of autonomy for executives in the UK and Ireland to make important decisions. To support this process, the company has built a dedicated UK data center that’s designed to align with the country’s data residency requirements.

“We've now got all the services live on the UK data center,” she says.

“Zoom has empowered its regions to deliver what they need for their own markets. Clearly, having control over where your data is stored is hugely important, not just for public sector organizations in the UK, but beyond that sector in areas like healthcare and financial services because of all sorts of global data sensitivities.”

The combination of rapid technological transformation and geopolitical challenges means data residency is a key consideration for digital leaders in the age of AI and cloud. Newbury-Smith says her team’s approach and the provision of the UK data centre mean CIO requirements can be considered effectively.

“Our customers have got that choice with us about how they want to operate and what level of AI they want to tap into, and whether that's delivered locally or part of the global infrastructure, so data sovereignty is very much top of mind,” she says.

“There's well-documented information that is available to customers, so that they can make the right choices in how we set up their accounts.”

What’s clear from the discussion with Newbury-Smith is the extent to which adaptability is a core element of the Zoom business strategy. Six years ago, during the height of the coronavirus pandemic, the technology specialist went from being an enterprise staple to a brand that everyone around the world not only recognized but relied upon.

Newbury-Smith says her colleagues at HQ delivered great results in challenging circumstances. Now, the company faces a different challenge. Zoom must continue to hone its brand perception and develop innovative services in the AI era. She recognizes that the company faces a fresh burning platform for change and is eager to deliver for its customers.

“In its simplest form, our approach is about taking information and creating automated workflows,” she says. “There's an expression that I’ve been quoted on before about automating the predictable and humanizing the unpredictable. I think that's a powerful way of looking at the challenge. It’s about how we can enable those workflows and AI.”

Making a difference

Since joining Zoom last May, Newbury-Smith has worked to develop a culture where people on her team feel valued, and their professional and personal goals are recognized. She describes her leadership style as servant leadership, which aims to remove barriers so people can be the best version of themselves.

“I'm passionate about seeing the difference that we can make,” she says.

“We need to hit our KPIs and all those things, but will we be remembered for that achievement? Probably not. We’ll be remembered for how we make people feel, which is the folks around us, our colleagues, my team, and our customers.”

To that end, Newbury-Smith also recognizes her standing as a high-profile woman in the UK and Ireland technology sector. She’s eager for more women to step forward into senior IT roles and supports broadening diversity across the industry.

“That’s an easy thing to say, but it's what you do that makes a difference,” she says.

“I quite often ask the question in an interview: ‘What have you done to support diversity in your role?’ And it's interesting because some people think diversity is the responsibility of people and HR teams. And it's not, because we're all advocates for our industry, and we can all be evangelizing to encourage more people to join.”

Zoom runs events to encourage diversity, according to Newbury-Smith. One recent session focused on AI prompting. The event was run close to International Women's Day to encourage people to feel confident using AI. Her key message for other women looking to develop an IT career is to be themselves.

“There's a huge amount of pressure to be something else. I think women – as have all people – must be their genuine selves at work, because otherwise it's too exhausting. People need to know they don't need to fit into another persona. Being yourself is good enough,” she says.

“Success for any IT professional is about having that level of confidence in themselves, which is very easy to say, but not always easy to tap into. And I think if people feel they can be authentic, then that helps.”