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Karen Clarkson

Karen’s superpowers are strategy, execution, and revenue generation.  As a VP of Client Strategy, for a global technology company, she works with her C-Suite developing long term business strategies to drive new revenue streams, businesses or reduce friction across divisions. She manages a $1B portfolio and leads 10 industry teams, creating the strategies for their Fortune 500/Global 1000 customers in IT Services, Business Workflow and Information Management with SaaS or PaaS models.  She was responsible for building an internal startup and is currently working on an acquisition to support the growth for this new service.  She understands how businesses work with her strong sales and operational backbone through identifying and solving business challenges; with customer experience being part of her DNA. Karen’s most valuable contribution as a leader is her tenacity to drive a group toward results, share her passion and joy, initiative innovative change and keep things moving at a rapid pace.  

Karen’s endless energy, spirited style and dedication extends past her core business role. These characteristics stem from a childhood and a collegiate career as a world class athlete in springboard diving, two decades of competitive sailboat racing and USTA tennis.  She is passionate about giving back and is a mentor for rising leaders inside her organization, co-chairs a Female in Management program, is a leader on her company’s Diversity Council and part of their United Nations Sustainable Development Goals Team. Outside of work, she currently serves on the Advisory Board of How Women Lead, participates in Women Leaders of the World program, mentoring female CEOs solving their go to market strategies or honing their leadership skills.  She is a limited partner and investor in the How Women Invest VC Fund for female entrepreneurs. 

Karen has a BA in rhetoric and communication from the University of Virginia. She completed the certification program at Wharton Business School’s Executive Education – Leading Customer Centric Growth, and is also a member of the CXPA, Customer Experience Professional Association.  Having lived in Barcelona after college, joining the Great American High Diving Team at Barcelona’s Marineland, she is conversational in both the Catalan and Spanish languages.  Her latest focus is solving the climate crisis believing that every individual, business, and government needs to develop and only consume products and services that positively impact the earth.