Kathleen Hogan

Kathleen Hogan is a human resources and organizational transformation leader in the technology industry. She earned a bachelor's degree in applied mathematics and economics, magna cum laude, from Harvard University and an MBA from Stanford Graduate School of Business. Between her academic pursuits, Hogan worked for Oracle Corporation as a software developer and software development manager, and after Stanford, she served as a management consultant at McKinsey & Company. Microsoft was one of Hogan's clients at McKinsey, and she joined the company in a full-time capacity.

At Microsoft, Hogan advanced through several leadership roles, including Corporate Vice President of Customer Service and Support and Corporate Vice President of Microsoft Worldwide Services, overseeing customer service, enterprise support, and consulting. She was later appointed Chief People Officer, and then EVP, Chief Strategy and Transformation Officer. Although she had not previously worked in human resources, Hogan's experience in technical, sales, and service roles contributed to her credibility within the company. During her tenure as Chief People Officer, Microsoft expanded from 118,000 employees to more than 200,000.

As Chief People Officer, Hogan played a central role in transforming Microsoft's corporate culture. She supported a shift in company culture, led by CEO Satya Nadella, from a fixed mindset focused on competition to a growth mindset emphasizing learning, cooperation, diversity, and inclusion, drawing on methodologies rooted in the work of Stanford University psychology professor Carol Dweck. Early in her tenure, Hogan convened meetings with HR leaders from companies including Google and Apple to discuss increasing diversity in the technology industry, with the initiative later expanding to include Intel, Starbucks, and Costco. She also expanded parental leave benefits to all parents, including fathers, and introduced a four-week paid family caregiver leave, positioning Microsoft as one of the few companies to offer such a benefit globally. As a breast cancer survivor, Hogan has contributed her perspective to the board of the Puget Sound affiliate of Susan G. Komen for the Cure.

Hogan has received recognition across the human resources and technology sectors. She was honored with the CHRO Innovation Award by the SHRM Foundation's Tharseō Awards, inducted as a Fellow into the National Academy of Human Resources, and named HR Executive of the Year by Human Resource Executive magazine. Earlier in her career, she was recognized in the Women Worth Watching program by Profiles in Diversity Journal. Hogan also serves on the board of the National Center for Women & Information Technology and the SHRM Executive Council.

In recognition of her impact, Hogan was promoted to Executive Vice President and Chief Strategy and Transformation Officer at Microsoft. In this role, she leads the company's enterprise-wide strategy and transformation agenda, driving change across Microsoft's businesses and functions to support its evolution into an AI-powered, human-led organization. This work builds on her previous role as Chief Human Resources Officer, where she helped shape the company's cultural transformation. Hogan's career, spanning software development, management consulting, people strategy, and corporate transformation, positions her as a leading voice on the intersection of workplace culture, technology, and the future of work.