Karla Rivera
Head of Strategy for Global Enterprise Segment Experience (CX)
Cisco Systems Inc
My job is to build a plan that helps us meet our objectives to grow a 1.3B business. Our team's purpose is to build the best multi-faceted growth engine strategy leveraging… innovation people alignment collaboration inclusion & the full power of Cisco
The work I do is building a business and strategy from scratch and being the connector to lots of resources and initiatives using data for insight to help our business grow and meet our customers' goals
Building, augmenting, planning, and optimizing the strategy to meet business growth goals. My day-to-day is aligning with our architecture leaders and different organizational leaders to make sure we have advanced our agreed-upon goals.
I went to Oklahoma State on a Division 1 softball scholarship athlete as a pitcher. I have 20+ years in sales but I also was a business professor and enjoyed my time in academia. I serve on nonprofit boards that help with social actions like supporting human traffic survivors, career coaching, disaster relief mission trips, and financial welfare for others. Currently, I also am the Co-Chair for the board of Women of Cisco that is an employee resource group that helps advance women in technology within Cisco
When my doctoral journey is completed, I plan on writing a book about being a minority woman in tech. There is no retirement in my future in the traditional sense. After serving in the tech industry, I would like to go back to teaching at universities and serving on non and for-profit boards.
I spend my time coaching and mentoring as well as serving on non-profit boards. Spending time with my husband, parents, and friends gives me great fulfillment as time is limited with my doctoral journey and board activities.
"If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader." - Martin Luther King, Jr.