Autodesk has appointed Mike Kelly as Chief Information Officer, explicitly tasking the veteran executive with leading the firm’s internal AI adoption and enterprise technology strategy. Kelly joins the design and engineering software leader from venture capital firm Andreessen Horowitz (a16z), where he built the CIO function from the ground up as an operating partner. His remit at Autodesk covers the modernization of enterprise infrastructure, cybersecurity, and data analytics—foundational elements required to support the company’s broader shift toward AI-integrated design tools for the architecture, engineering, and manufacturing sectors.
The appointment of a dedicated CIO with deep roots in both software (Red Hat) and healthcare technology (McKesson) signals Autodesk’s move to treat AI as a core operational mandate rather than a secondary infrastructure priority. According to COO Steve Blum, the move is designed to provide the executive focus necessary to deliver AI-driven outcomes at scale. As Autodesk continues to embed machine learning into flagship products like AutoCAD, Revit, and Fusion, Kelly will be responsible for ensuring the internal digital employee experience and data pipelines are optimized to handle the compute-heavy demands of next-generation generative design and automated engineering workflows.