Getting to Know Ingrid Franzen
Name: Ingrid Franzen
Position: Senior Program Manager
LinkedIn profile: https://www.linkedin.com/pub/ingrid-franzen-pmp-csm-six-sigma-green-belt/13/570/508
Talent is LinkedIn’s number one operating priority and we have no shortage of talented individuals in technical roles across the company. These are the folks who create, build, and maintain our platform, tools, and features, as well as write the posts for this blog. We are profiling some of the people and personalities that make LinkedIn great.
Ingrid has been in the GTS organization since 2014, focusing on IT Strategy and Governance. She has led large-scale innovation projects while also developing new operating models, with the mission to create a world-class IT Governance function and build a strong operating strategy where people, process, and project strategy align to accelerate innovation and delivery. Before LinkedIn, she worked at General Electric, leading their Industrial Cloud PMO, where she focused on advancing cloud infrastructure capabilities while leading an efficient Program/Project pipeline. She holds a Masters in Technology Management from Golden Gate University and has been recognized as a top female influencer in the Cloud technology arena.
How did you end up in your current career?
As a kid, I always envisioned myself having a career in the business world. While IT wasn’t specifically on my mind, my first role was as an IT Project Manager — which ignited my interest in IT Infrastructure and Software Development, the primary focal points of my career to date.
Have you made any career changes along the way?
I think I have always been interested in learning and continuously developing my skills, which in turn has taken me on a varied IT journey across many functions. I have held roles leading teams in Project Management (Cloud, Infrastructure, Data Center), Software Development, System Test/QA, and PMO/Process Design. Having done tours in many IT disciplines has given me insights and experience that I otherwise wouldn’t have had if I had stayed in just one domain area. These rotations have been invaluable to me professionally and personally.
What is something not found on your LinkedIn profile?
I teach private Spanish lessons, and make some mean enchiladas.
What are your favorite things to do when you’re not at the office?
When not in the office, my favorite activities include reading, drawing, and enjoying time with my family. You can often find me in the middle of a great book, or sketching on the weekend.
What’s your favorite thing about working at LinkedIn?
One of the greatest things about Linkedin is that possibilities seem limitless; with determination and focus you can drive and deliver without boundaries. It’s exciting to have the autonomy to give projects and initiatives shape with minimal overhead.
What do you do best at work?
What I do best is integrate information, ideas and resources! I can pull disparate threads together to create a cohesive fabric across people and process to deliver maximum value.
What do you love most about your job?
What I love most about my job are the challenges and opportunities to make an impact. The work in GTS is really inspiring and interesting to work on. I can see the direct outcomes of our organizational effort and that is really exciting.
What is the most challenging part of your job?
Anticipating the next need or opportunity before it arrives. In a strategy/governance role, one needs to be thinking ahead to plan for the unexpected and read the tea leaves to get the models and structures just right because they have a huge impact on others and the overall dynamic of the organization.