Karen Royer

CEO, KR Strategy

I am an executive with over 25 years of experience at professional services, non-profit and technology-focused organizations. In previous roles as Executive Director, COO and Director of Client Success I honed my experience in scaling business operations, cross functional team management, Board relations and client development.

I spent the first half of my career as a consultant working at PwC, Navigant Consulting and FTI Consulting where I provided tech clients with assurance, M&A and economic damages consulting services.

After more than a decade in consulting I made the decision to pivot my career focus. With an eye toward mission based organizations, I joined the rising Silicon Valley based non-profit AnitaB.org. There I was able to pursue my passion for advocating for the advancement of women in tech while developing my program and operations experience as the co-producer of the Grace Hopper Celebration, the largest event in the world dedicated to women technologists.

Shortly after leaving AnitaB.org I was recruited by a group of seven senior women tech executives (hailing from Atmel, Cisco, Cadence, Apple, Intuit, Google and eBay), to scale the non-profit they co-founded based on a shared mission to promote the advancement and connection of women in tech, law and policy. I served as the organization's first Executive Director and held that position for four years. During this time I built a team, operationalized business functions, launched new programs, grew membership and successfully pivoted the organization's two global in person programs to highly successful virtual ones.

As an advocate for the advancement of women, education, and youth, I have served in the capacity of Board Member and volunteer for organizations that include Leading Women in Technology, Girls Inc., the All-Stars Project and Playworks.