Karen Richardson

Karen Richardson is an American executive. Her 30-year career in the software business includes positions as a key player in several well-known and highly successful companies.

In November 2011, Richardson joined the board of directors of BT Group plc (NYSE: BT). The company, which has operations in more than 170 countries, is one of the world's largest telecommunications services companies. She was appointed to the board of Exponent (NASDAQ: EXPO), a Silicon Valley-based engineering and scientific consulting company, in 2013. In 2014, Richardson joined the boards of Ayasdi, a Palo Alto-based software developer that helps organizations use topological data analysis to solve problems in life sciences, health care, financial services, and other fields, and HackerRank, which has developed a platform for technology companies to evaluate candidates' programming skills. In 2015, she was named among the "100 most influential women in tech" by a technology industry website.

Additionally, Richardson serves on the board of the San Francisco Opera, which she joined as part of a push by that institution to include more technology leaders. She also serves on the advisory board of the Stanford Technology Ventures Program at Stanford University.