Getting to Know Annabel Liu

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 that create, build and maintain our platform, tools and features - as well as write the posts for this blog. We are featuring some of the people and personalities that make LinkedIn great.

Annabel Liu is a senior director of engineering leading the engineering and product development teams for LinkedIn Talent Solutions. In 2014, she led the development and launch of Sales Navigator, a standalone solution that allows sales people to build relationships with the right people to drive sales success. Annabel is also a lead on LinkedIn's Women in Technology initiative and has managed the successful integration of multiple acquisitions by the company.

What is something not found on your LinkedIn profile?
My childhood dream was to be a carpenter. One of my uncles was a carpenter. I grew up watching him follow seemingly simple steps of design, measure, cut and attach to build all sorts of furnitures and cabinets. It was magic.

What are your favorite things to do when you’re not at the office?
Go for a walk. Sometimes, we get so busy dealing with one thing after the other, both at work and at home, we hardly have time to take a step back and think. Walking gives me a chance to think. It also help reduce stress. I always feel better after walking.

What’s your favorite thing about working at LinkedIn?
My favorite thing about working at LinkedIn is our mission, which is to connect members with opportunities at massive scale. In the last five years, I have been part of the tremendous growth of LinkedIn, which took place in all areas of the company and at all levels. However, our mission has remained the same and we are as passionate about achieving that as before. It feels so gratifying when people tell me how LinkedIn help them in their career or business after they discover that I work at LinkedIn.

What tools do you use every day in your job?
Humor. We believe in happy team = better products.

What is the most challenging part of your job?
Prioritization and focus. We have so many ideas for product enhancements and innovations. We also need to continue to invest in our technology stack to keep it up to date and scale with our growth. With many things to tackle and limited resource, spreading ourselves too thin will result in poor craftsmanship and subpar products. I constantly remind myself and my team to stay focused on our true north and execute on big needle movers.