Ellen Petry Leanse
CEO at Work in Progress
Ellen Leanse has worked with more than 40 tech companies, including Apple, Google, Facebook, Microsoft, NeXT, Oracle, Samsung, Intuit, and many more. An Apple employee from 1981-1990, Ellen served on the Macintosh launch team and connected Apple’s first digital communities in 1985. Her work with Google (2008 – 2010) helped fuel the rise of search, Google Apps, geo, and security products across global enterprise, educational, and government markets.
Ellen created one of the first applications to launch on the Facebook platform (2007) and has built and sold two entrepreneurial ventures focused on design. She has been featured in Inc. Magazine’s cover story on “DIY Job Creation” and has advised entrepreneurs and innovation hubs on six continents.
Today Ellen teaches “Enlightened Innovation” at Stanford, coaches executives and startup teams, and speaks/writes on entrepreneurship, diversity, and product design. She has been named one of tech’s Top Five Marketers and a Silicon Valley Woman of Influence. Ellen spoke at TEDx Berkeley (2016) on Happiness by Design.
My Sessions
Closing Keynote Panel: Diversity & Inclustion Trends
Solo Talk – Experience Diversity: The Power of Age & Perspective
“Age” continues to be a dividing line and hot button in tech. But Ellen Leanse, a 35+ year Silicon Valley veteran with experience at Apple, Google, Stanford, and some 40 startups, sees road-tested experience as a secret weapon in helping the best tech companies succeed. In this engaging talk, Ellen will open perspectives on the […]