Technology infrastructure is basically something most of us tend to take for granted until the moment it fails. Your phone works, your apps load, and data flows seamlessly across the digital landscape. What happens behind the scenes, though, is actually pretty incredible. And in a world where artificial intelligence is kind of creating unprecedented demand for data center capacity, the leaders steering critical infrastructure companies through this transformation very much deserve recognition.
Laurie Oswald is, in fact, one of those leaders. As Chief Commercial Officer for both C&D Technologies and Trojan Battery Company, she actually manages commercial operations for two century-old companies making batteries that power everything from data centers to telecommunications networks to golf carts. Recently recognized as a Herizon Award winner celebrating women's achievements in business, Oswald offers a really compelling perspective on commercial transformation, technology evolution, and what women bring to leadership roles in traditionally male-dominated industries.
Commercial Transformation in Century-Old Companies
When you're essentially working with companies that have been around for 100 years, transformation is, well, kind of a complex undertaking. Oswald joined C&D and Trojan with a pretty clear mission to modernize their commercial approach while preserving the brand equity that built these market leaders.
The first challenge she tackled was actually moving from regional to truly global operations. Both companies were operating somewhat regionally despite having global reach. Standardizing tools, processes, and customer experiences across different regions required more than just implementing new systems, it very much required changing mindsets shaped by decades of doing things a certain way.
According to research on digital transformation, companies that successfully standardize their digital platforms typically see approximately 30% improvement in customer satisfaction scores. For Oswald's team, this standardization basically meant customers in Asia would receive the same quality experience as customers in North America, which is obviously a pretty fundamental expectation in today's global marketplace.
The digital transformation journey, in fact, included launching Trojan's first business-to-business e-commerce platform, implementing AI-powered analytics tools, and completely revamping the partner portal to give customers self-service capabilities. These weren't just technology upgrades but rather fundamental shifts in how the companies actually interact with customers.
The Data Center Boom and Critical Infrastructure
If you've been paying attention to tech news lately, you probably know that AI is driving really massive growth in data center capacity. Every time you interact with MetaAI, Grok, ChatGPT or any generative AI tool, you're essentially tapping into enormous computing resources housed in data centers around the world. Those data centers obviously need reliable backup power systems, which is exactly where C&D Technologies comes in.
The AI revolution is very much creating unprecedented demand for data center infrastructure. Industry analysts actually project that data center power capacity will need to triple by 2030 to support AI workloads, which basically means the stakes for reliable backup power have never been higher. When you're scrolling through your phone or working on your iPad, C&D's batteries are often part of the unseen infrastructure that's really keeping those applications running.
What makes this particularly interesting is actually how recent outages have heightened awareness of infrastructure reliability. Major service disruptions pretty much make headlines globally precisely because modern life depends so heavily on continuous connectivity. Oswald notes that customers increasingly look to market leaders like C&D for assurance that their critical applications will definitely stay operational no matter what happens.
Technology Evolution: From Lead-Acid to Advanced Chemistries
Battery technology might sound somewhat boring until you realize it's literally powering the AI revolution and enabling the energy transition. Both C&D and Trojan are, in fact, navigating significant chemistry transformations in their products, moving beyond traditional lead-acid batteries to actually incorporate lithium and other advanced chemistries.
This technology shift actually mirrors broader trends in electrification and energy storage. The same battery innovations enabling electric vehicles are, in fact, making their way into stationary power applications and motive equipment. For companies with a century of expertise in one technology, pivoting to new chemistries while maintaining product reliability basically requires substantial R&D investment and careful market transition strategies.
Oswald's approach, very much, focuses on leveraging the companies' established brand reputation for safety and reliability while introducing innovative solutions. Customers trust C&D and Trojan based on decades of performance, so any new technology really must meet or exceed those established quality standards. That balance between innovation and proven reliability is very much at the heart of successful commercial strategy in critical infrastructure.
What Women Bring to Technology Leadership
When asked about advice for women entering male-dominated industries, Oswald actually shared insights shaped by her own career journey. Her first piece of advice is pretty simple yet profound, be your authentic self. Early in her career, she kind of tried to fit into what she perceived as the established mold, which meant basically suppressing qualities that make women valuable leaders.
"Women bring value in a different way than men do to business," Oswald explains, citing empathy as an example of a quality many women tend to leverage more naturally. Rather than viewing traditionally feminine qualities as weaknesses in business contexts, successful women leaders actually recognize them as strengths that boost team performance and customer relationships.
Research from Harvard Business Review shows women actually score higher than men in most leadership competencies, including taking initiative, acting with resilience, and developing others. These aren't soft skills but rather critical capabilities that very much drive business results in increasingly complex, relationship-driven markets.
Oswald's second piece of advice, in fact, involves claiming space confidently. Referencing Sheryl Sandberg's book Lean In, she really encourages women to take their seat at the table without hesitation. When you walk into a room where you might be the only woman or one of few, definitely don't diminish your presence or authority. Physical positioning actually matters, and sitting at the table rather than along the wall signals confidence and belonging.
The third element, basically, involves building and leveraging networks strategically. Oswald challenges the scarcity mindset that kind of suggests limited room for women at leadership levels. Instead of competing against each other, women really need to champion one another and build mutual support networks. A colleague in her industry actually uses the analogy of climbing a spiral rather than a ladder, emphasizing who you bring along and who helps champion your advancement.
Notably, roughly half of Oswald's current leadership team actually consists of women, which is quite remarkable in the technology sector where women in tech leadership remain significantly underrepresented. Creating diverse teams isn't just about fairness but really about building better organizations with wider perspectives and stronger problem-solving capabilities.
AI's Impact on Sales and Commercial Operations
As someone leading commercial operations, Oswald very much sees AI's impact firsthand across her sales and marketing organizations. The technology is certainly transforming workflows, from capturing meeting notes and generating transcripts to drafting customer communications and analyzing customer behavior patterns.
The key insight she offers is actually that AI supports rather than replaces human capabilities. Sellers basically use AI to handle administrative tasks, which frees time for strategic relationship building and problem-solving. The human element really remains critical because AI isn't completely accurate and requires human judgment to interpret and apply its outputs effectively.
This perspective, in fact, aligns with broader research on AI adoption in business. McKinsey found that companies successfully implementing AI typically see productivity gains of 20-35%, but those gains pretty much come from augmenting human work rather than wholesale automation. In sales particularly, relationship building, emotional intelligence, and contextual understanding remain fundamentally human activities that AI supports but very much cannot replace.
For commercial organizations, AI-powered analytics actually provide unprecedented visibility into customer behavior and market trends. Oswald's team uses these insights to personalize customer experiences, predict buying patterns, and optimize go-to-market strategies. The partner portal revamp, for instance, really leverages AI to make self-service more intuitive and responsive, which saves customers time while increasing their satisfaction.
The Drive Behind Successful Leadership
What actually drives leaders who achieve at Oswald's level? In her case, it's not just about personal achievement but rather about making meaningful contributions. She describes herself as highly competitive by nature, someone who's always wanted to deliver outstanding results. But the real energy basically comes from feeling like she's making a significant difference.
Building strong, collaborative teams very much energizes Oswald more than individual accomplishments. She takes genuine pride in developing leaders on her team for their next roles, viewing that developmental work as a really important leadership responsibility. When team members grow and advance, that's kind of when she feels most fulfilled in her role.
This developmental approach to leadership actually reflects what researchers call transformational leadership, which focuses on inspiring and developing followers rather than simply directing them. Studies consistently show that transformational leaders tend to achieve better organizational outcomes because they build capability throughout their teams rather than concentrating decision-making authority.
Oswald's competitive drive combined with her commitment to developing others really creates a powerful leadership model. She brings the urgency and results-orientation needed to transform century-old companies while creating an environment where team members can actually grow and excel. That combination is somewhat rare and explains much of her success in handling complex commercial transformations.
Looking Ahead: Business Transformation in a Changing World
The commercial challenges facing technology companies, in fact, continue evolving quite swiftly. Beyond AI adoption, businesses must basically handle geopolitical uncertainties, supply chain complexities, tariff implications, and shifting customer expectations. The companies that thrive will very much be those that maintain agility while building resilient operations.
For Oswald, business transformation means continuously modernizing processes, adopting new technologies, and shifting organizational mindsets to create more customer-focused, agile operations. It's not a one-time initiative but rather an ongoing commitment to evolution and improvement. Companies that view transformation as a project rather than a continuous journey often fall behind as market conditions kind of change.
The battery industry actually faces particularly interesting dynamics as the world transitions toward electrification and renewable energy. Data centers really need reliable power backup as their importance grows. Electric vehicles and equipment require advanced battery technologies. Utilities invest in energy storage to support grid stability. These converging trends very much create enormous opportunities for companies positioned to deliver innovative, reliable solutions.
What makes leaders like Oswald valuable in this environment is basically their ability to maintain strategic focus while executing tactical transformations. They understand market dynamics, champion innovation, build strong teams, and deliver results consistently. And they do it while bringing their authentic selves to leadership roles, proving that diverse perspectives very much make companies stronger.
The Herizon Award recognition really celebrates women achieving excellence in business, and Oswald's work exemplifies what that excellence looks like in practice. She's transforming commercial operations at two century-old companies, positioning them for success in an AI-driven future, building diverse leadership teams, and doing it with authenticity and commitment to developing others. That's definitely leadership worth recognizing and emulating.