Lisa Nelson

Lisa Nelson is an accomplished finance and business development executive with nearly 25years of global operating experience across the financial services, software, and technology industries. Lisa’s experience spans companies of all sizes-from early-stage, high-growth startups to mature, multi-national corporations Lisa currently serves as a board director and strategic advisor to a variety of organizations around the world including venture capital and private equity funds and early-stage startups. Lisa’s unique breadth and depth of experiences as both a strategic and operational leader has helped her developed valuable perspectives on matters critical to boards including digital transformation, business growth strategy and risk management. Lisa is also an Edmund Hillary Fellow where she leverages her unique experiences and personal passion to progress financial literacy for young girls and women around the world Prior to her current roles, Lisa spent almost 15 years at Microsoft, where among roles in Business Development, Finance, and Investor Relations, she co-founded Microsoft’s venture fund M12. During her time managing M12 she closed over 80 deals in less than three years. She also worked in financial services in the UK and in public accounting in Australia and the US. Lisa is a CPA and a qualified SEC financial expert. Throughout her career, Lisa has been an active champion of diversity and inclusion. While at Microsoft, Lisa founded the Annual Female Founders Competition which has provided $10 million in venture funding and tech resources. Lisa is a frequent speaker on this topic to academic institutions and industry organizations around the world. Lisa’s professional experience and personal passions have taken her to over 90countries. She has lived and worked in Australia, Europe, the Middle East, North America, and SE Asia. These experiences, combined with her Asian Pacific heritage, have given her a truly global perspective. She currently resides in Seattle, Washington. Lisa earned her bachelor’s degree from the University of Washington in Business Administration with a focus on finance and statistics. Lisa is an accomplished triathlete and is an avid runner. She has completed over 100 races, including Ironman.