“Helping create leaders for tomorrow”
Karen L. Willingham is a globally recognized transformation leader, celebrated for over four decades of success in elevating manufacturing, and healthcare packaging through operational excellence, strategic foresight, and people-centered innovation. With a personal mission of “Helping create leaders for tomorrow,” she has turned complex business challenges into catalysts for growth by blending advanced process strategies with empathetic, visionary leadership.
Karen’s professional journey is most distinguished by her 24-year tenure at Avery Dennison, where she ascended through the ranks to become Senior Director of Global Transformation. In this role, she orchestrated a groundbreaking digital transformation strategy that generated $40 million in new revenue and saved the company $2 million. Her deployment of Oracle Cloud solutions, paired with her strategic implementation of CRM, pricing platforms, business intelligence and ecommerce tools, revolutionized customer experience and streamlined business operations on a global scale.
Under her leadership, Avery Dennison’s Identification Solutions Division underwent a significant operational shift. Karen’s initiative to map the center of gravity and expand the distribution footprint led to the creation of four new distribution centers. This initiative supported $220 million in revenue, boosted on-time delivery to 98%, and enabled 94% increased sales channel flow—results that speak volumes about her ability to align infrastructure with market demands and customer expectations.
Karen’s earlier tenure as Director of Global Operations & Supply Chain came at a time of remarkable challenge and opportunity. She skillfully stewarded $18 million in capital investments to accommodate rapid market growth, driving the division from $200 million to $430 million in revenue—all while maintaining uninterrupted supply chain operations through the global COVID-19 crisis. Her proactive leadership also earned her a pivotal role in securing a critical JobOhio grant, catalyzing job creation and innovation in the region.
Her flair for pioneering technology-driven solutions was perhaps most evident during her term as Director of Global Print Management. There, she engineered and implemented a patented “lights-out” manufacturing solution—a fully automated process that yielded $2.1 million in annual savings and was successfully deployed across 11 countries. The innovation became a model of automation excellence, underscoring her rare ability to blend ingenuity with practical, scalable outcomes.
Karen’s leadership in operational standardization and platform development is equally impressive. From overseeing compliance and procurement strategies to optimizing global printing platforms that represented nearly half of division revenue, she built a legacy of excellence in systems integration and quality management. She reduced waste, harmonized global processes, and restored production integrity with an emphasis on customer satisfaction and measurable results.
As Director of Global Process Excellence, Karen collaborated closely with IT teams to shape system requirements for international operations, codified performance metrics, and co-created global business processes that significantly improved internal coordination. Her capacity to simultaneously drive strategic initiatives and motivate high-performing teams was recognized with multiple Leadership Excellence Awards, including honors in both leadership development and logistics innovation.
Earlier in her career, Karen was entrusted with leading complex plant turnarounds. Tasked by division leadership to rehabilitate underperforming facilities, she demonstrated tactical and human-centered management, achieving millions in savings and revitalizing team morale. These early leadership roles laid the groundwork for her later influence on a global scale, reinforcing her commitment to creating environments where people and process work harmoniously toward shared goals.
A certified Six Sigma Black Belt, Karen’s expertise spans Lean Six Sigma, project management, change leadership, business process optimization, P&L accountability, and training and development. Her leadership style is marked by humility, clarity, and a genuine passion for empowering others. These qualities, combined with her deep functional knowledge and global exposure—including experience in Europe, Asia, Latin America and Australia—have positioned her as a respected advisor and mentor.
Karen holds a Bachelor of Science in Global Business Management from the University of Phoenix. Beyond her professional achievements, she finds fulfillment in reading, writing, and cooking—personal pursuits that reflect her values of lifelong learning, creativity, and nurturing connection. Fluent in both English and Spanish, she is now actively pursuing board service opportunities, where her breadth of knowledge and unwavering integrity can support organizations navigating transformation, growth, and cultural evolution.
Character:
Karen embodies integrity, resilience, and a servant-leader mindset. Her ability to foster trust, uplift teams, and model ethical decision-making makes her a powerful role model and cultural steward.
Knowledge:
With over 40 years of expertise in operations, strategy, and leadership, Karen brings a vast and nuanced understanding of business transformation across global industries. Her credentials and accomplishments reflect not only technical mastery but also an insatiable drive for continuous improvement.
Strategic:
Karen has a proven record of scaling organizations and driving multimillion-dollar transformations with foresight, precision, and bold execution. She aligns people, process, and technology to deliver outcomes that are not only efficient but enduring.
Communication:
Karen’s clarity of thought and empathetic leadership enable her to translate complex initiatives into actionable plans that resonate with diverse stakeholders. Whether engaging executive teams or frontline staff, she brings authenticity and influence to every conversation.
