Kirsten
Garen

Kirsten joined Fortium Partners with expertise in technology strategy, digital modernization, and cybersecurity. Throughout her career, she has led business transformation initiatives designed to drive revenue growth, reduce costs, and deliver an improved customer experience. Her collaborative style has propelled complex change programs that impact culture, operations, and product development. Kirsten places a priority on establishing a strong team, goals, and governance resulting in operational excellence at the enterprise level. She has demonstrated leadership across banking, brokerage, payments, insurance and software products. Her credentials also include leading IT for several M&A transactions and serving on the board of a NASDAQ-listed bank. Known for her ability to build high-performing teams, she is committed to talent development, mentoring, and succession planning.

As a CIO, Kirsten led enterprise-wide technology for sophisticated global, national, and regional firms. She leverages her business acumen and management talents to position technology as a competitive advantage. Kirsten improved customer satisfaction while also ensuring new products met regulatory scrutiny. She places a laser focus on supporting product development, which has yielded new applications released on accelerated delivery schedules. Her ability to deliver mission-critical projects is evidenced by successful launches of new capabilities like digital wallets, direct to consumer products, integrations with SaaS platforms, data analytic dashboards among many complex initiatives. Kirsten is skillful at balancing revenue growth and cost optimization efforts to achieve sustainability and market leadership. She capitalizes on curiosity and collaboration as she challenges and rewards technology professionals.

Kirsten graduated with a Bachelor of Business Administration from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor and a Master of Business Administration from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. Recognized as a technology leader and change agent, she has been honored by the American Banker, Silicon Valley Business Times, and San Francisco Business Times. Reflecting her commitment to empowering others, she serves on the board of the International Women’s NorCal Forum and as a mentor at the Miller Center for Social Entrepreneurs at the University of Santa Clara. Away from the office, Kirsten can be found on the tennis court, at tennis camp, or enjoying pickleball with friends and family.