For any technologist who’s job hunting, any app engineer who needs funding for a project, or any start-up entrepreneur with a great new idea, having a well-honed and well-practiced elevator speech is a critical skill to master. Being able to convey your ideas, abilities, and talents in a concise way can be the difference in barely getting by or making your wildest dreams of success come true.

“As you define your individual pitch, think about your own passion, your own skills and where [they] fit with some companies’ or some projects’ need,” said Rashmi Kumar (pictured), senior vice president and chief information officer of U.S Pharmaceutical at McKesson Corp. “At that intersection lies the sweet spot.”

Kumar spoke with Jeff Frick (pictured, @JeffFrick), host of theCUBE, SiliconANGLE Media’s mobile livestreaming studio, during the Girls in Tech Catalyst Conference in San Francisco. In addition to the importance of elevator speeches, they discussed the intersection of artificial intelligence and people in the healthcare industry. (* Disclosure below.)

The changing role of supply chain

As a leading healthcare provider, McKesson seeks to grow its technology and expand on innovation to provide better health care for patients. As part of that initiative, the company is the lead sponsor of Catalyst, doing its part in helping to grow diverse technology talent, Kumar pointed out.

In the past, the supply chain in healthcare was more business-to-business focused. They looked at the customer experience for pharmacists or the experience of a stock person on the warehouse floor. But if, for example, you imagine a drone delivering medicine to a patient’s home, the supply chain must focus on all the steps in the technology and with all the people that will enable this to happen, Kumar explained. This whole field of human/computer interaction — especially AI — is new in the healthcare industry.

“We need all kinds of people, from all backgrounds, because diversity brings in diverse thinking, which brings in better products,” Kumar concluded.

Watch the complete video interview below, and be sure to check out more of SiliconANGLE’s and theCUBE’s coverage of the Girls in Tech Catalyst Conference. (* Disclosure: TheCUBE is a paid media partner for the Girls in Tech Catalyst Conference. Neither Girls in Tech, the event sponsor, nor other sponsors have editorial control over content on theCUBE or SiliconANGLE.)

Photo: SiliconANGLE