Kathleen Holmgren - Alliance Director
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Biography
Kathleen Holmgren is a seasoned executive with over 25 years of experience in the storage, computer systems, and management consulting industries. Kathleen is currently a founding principal of Sage Advice Partners, a management consulting firm supporting her clients with strategic and operational solutions for their businesses.
Prior to founding Sage Advice Partners, Kathleen Holmgren was President and CEO of Mendocino Software, a VC-backed company focused on continuous data protection solutions. The privately held company was funded by Mayfield, Accel, Advent International and Foundation Capital and was successfully sold in April 2008.
Before Mendocino, Kathleen had a very successful 21 year career with Sun Microsystems, Inc. As a Sun Microsystems’ Senior VP/GM, Kathleen rapidly grew Sun’s storage business in 3 years to a $1.5B business and elevated it to a division within the company. She was accountable for driving the development and implementation of division’s business strategies, product roadmaps, new product introductions, and marketing activities, and led several acquisitions and forged strategic alliances with key partners such as Hitachi Data Systems, LSI and Veritas. Prior to her role in storage, Kathleen spent 11 years in the Operations group at Sun managing and leading all aspects of worldwide logistics, plant management, materials procurement, supply planning, process engineering, and manufacturing plant design.
Kathleen is an accomplished speaker and has been quoted in Fortune and Pink Magazine in articles about executive leadership and authenticity in the workplace. She is also profiled in the book, The Transparency Edge, How Credibility Can Make or Break You in Business, by Barbara & Elizabeth Pagano (selected as the March, 2004 ‘Book of the Month’ by Fast Company Magazine) and in the book, The Naked Truth, A Working Woman’s Manifesto on Business and What Really Matters, by Margaret Heffernan.
Kathleen is on the Advisory Board for the School of Engineering at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, and a board member for Executive Women’s Alliance. She has received several awards over her career including YWCA Tribute to Women & Industry Award, Sun Microsystems’s Top Leader Award and Cal Poly School of Engineering Outstanding Alumnus Award. She holds her MBA from Stanford University and a BS in Industrial Engineering from California Polytechnic State University. Kathleen resides in Pleasanton with her husband and the youngest of her three children.