Karen replaces and reports to Susan Hauser, vice president of Worldwide Industry and Global Accounts.

In her new position, Karen leads and has accountability for Microsoft's Banking, Capital Markets and Insurance industries. She is responsible for continuously developing high impact, relevant sector strategies and driving execution. In this context, Karen oversees marketing, solution development, partner development and relations, and field readiness and engagement.
Susan Hauser commented: "Karen and her team provide thought leadership and translate industry trends into opportunities that ensure the full extent of Microsoft value propositions are realized globally. With over 30 years of experience in the high-tech and financial services industries, Karen has developed an impressive track record of successfully leading and growing businesses."

Prior to joining Microsoft in June 2010, Karen was president and chief executive officer of TowerGroup, the leading research and advisory services firm focused exclusively at the intersection of the financial services industry and information technology. TowerGroup was acquired by The Corporate Executive Board (CEB) in October 2009. Karen became CEO of TowerGroup in 2004 from MasterCard Worldwide where she had been the global practice leader of research for MasterCard Advisors.

Previously, Karen was on the Senior Leadership Team at Gartner Inc., the premier research and advisory firm for the IT industry. During her 10-year career at Gartner, Karen held key management positions, including senior vice president and general manager, gartner.com, and group vice president, Research.

Prior to Gartner, Karen had a successful career at IBM. She was head of Software Business Practices responsible for determining worldwide licensing terms and pricing structures for over 2,000 software announcements annually. Karen held sales and marketing management positions in the New York financial sector, inclector, including leading the Citi account team. During a three-year assignment in Japan, Karen was product manager for IBM China and financial operations manager for the Asia/South Pacific Region. Karen began her career with a four-year international assignment with IBM Russia.