Karen Kocher

As global General Manager for Learning and Skilling at Microsoft, Karen Kocher shapes advocates for and enables skilling organizations, teams and individuals to achieve business and employability outcomes. Her work centers on aligning business strategy with workforce strategy, strengthening culture and capabilities, and enabling leaders and employees to thrive amid rapidly evolving ways of working. Known for modernizing performance and learning systems and unlocking human potential, she brings a people-first philosophy focused on expanding opportunity, cultivating a continuous learning mindset, and helping organizations and individuals succeed in the future of work. Previously, she served as Chief Learning Officer and Talent Executive at Cigna Corporation, where she led workforce development and optimization for the global organization. Her career includes senior leadership roles at IBM, Aetna, and IKON Office Solutions across product strategy, general management, risk management, and sales, consistently delivering growth, transformation, and measurable business impact. Karen holds a B.A. in Political Strategy and Communications from DePaul University and is a strong believer in lifelong learning, having completed leadership and management programs at Harvard Business School, the University of Chicago’s Graduate School of Business, and Dartmouth’s Tuck School of Business. Her passions center on human advancement, preserving ecological spaces and humane treatment of animals.