Peter Baskette

Praniti Lakhwara

Profile summary

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With over 25 years of IT leadership across academia and high-growth tech companies, Peter Baskette has consistently delivered digital transformation with a sharp focus on operational efficiency, scalability, and innovation.

Peter’s approach to AI is grounded in pragmatism. Rather than chasing hype, he champions AI tools that deliver measurable business impact like improving support responsiveness, automating procurement processes, and enabling self-service analytics. He believes IT should not only support the business but anticipate it—proactively offering new, AI-enabled solutions that drive efficiency and empower teams.

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Career highlights

2025

Sr Director, IT services and support

2022

CIO Council Member, Blumberg Capital

2022

VP, Head of IT & Procurement, Udemy

2017

VP of IT, Riverbed Technology

2012

Managing Director of Support Services, Harvard University

2010

Director of Service Management, Boston University

2000

Technical lead at CenturyLink

Claim to fame

AI-driven transformation at Udemy

Peter Baskette made his mark by bridging traditional IT leadership with modern, AI-enabled transformation, specifically in the EdTech space. At Udemy, he played a pivotal role in scaling IT systems to support a global learning platform, ensuring that infrastructure, cybersecurity, and operations kept pace with rapid growth and innovation. His leadership was instrumental during key inflection points, including Udemy’s IPO and the expansion of its enterprise offering, Udemy Business.

Bringing AI into IT operations

Baskette’s standout contribution lies in his ability to bring pragmatic AI into everyday IT operations. He championed AI automation tools to streamline internal support and used AI-driven insights to inform procurement and training decisions. Rather than chasing trends, he focused on embedding AI where it delivers measurable impact by improving user experiences, reducing costs, and enabling smarter, faster service delivery.

Making AI accessible and actionable

Peter is widely respected for his thoughtful, service-first approach to IT, Peter is known for evolving IT from a support function into a strategic driver of value. His claim to fame isn’t one single project but it is his consistent ability to align IT with business goals, modernize legacy systems, and make emerging technologies like AI both accessible and actionable across the enterprise.