Karen Franzino is Director of Growth at TrustScale, a company that’s empowering individuals and enterprises to evaluate and trust AI through deterministic solutions.
Karen has spent her career helping companies grow through digital transformation and now she is applying that same mindset to AI. Her experience spans operations, customer success, account management, data analysis, and revenue optimization. Before joining TrustScale, Karen held senior leadership roles across the adtech and gaming media industries, leading teams responsible for customer client success, operations, and commercial growth. Her background in analytics and advertising technology has given her a strong understanding of how organizations use data to make better decisions and improve performance.
How did you land your current role? Was it planned?
It wasn’t planned at all, and honestly, some of my best career moves have come from the unplanned ones. About ten years ago, I worked with Lawrence Snapp, now CEO of TrustScale, when we were both at National CineMedia. Fast forward to this past April, I was running my own consulting firm, and TrustScale became a client. A couple of months into that engagement, I made the leap to join full-time.
TrustScale is tackling a real problem at the center of AI adoption: hallucinations and the lack of deterministic training solutions. Their mission is to make AI safer and more trustworthy, which resonated with me and added a purposeful drive to my career.
What are the key roles in your field of work, and why did you choose your current expertise?
There are many roles within marketing, go-to-market, and growth – VP of Marketing, Chief Marketing Officer, Product Lead, Revenue Operations, to name a few. Each one draws on a different piece of the puzzle, whether that’s brand strategy, product alignment, or driving revenue.
My own path started in digital advertising and sales support, and while it hasn’t been a straight line, every step built toward where I am now: advertising and marketing execution, client success, sales support – each one adding a different lens on how a business actually grows. Director of Growth ended up being the role that let me pull all of those threads together into one strategic seat, where I get to wear multiple hats rather than specialize narrowly.
I chose this path because I’ve always been drawn to the intersection of strategy and execution. I don’t want to just set the direction, I want to be close enough to the work to help build it too.
Did you (or do you) have a role model in tech or business in general?
I’ve always admired Indra Nooyi, former CEO of PepsiCo, for how candid she’s been about the real tradeoffs of building a career while raising a family. She’s talked openly about the guilt, the juggling, the moments where something had to give, that kind of honesty is rare at the executive level. So often, women in leadership are expected to make it look effortless, and family becomes something you quietly manage rather than something you’re allowed to talk about. Nooyi gave a lot of women, myself included, permission to stop pretending it’s easy.
Beyond well-known figures, though, some of my biggest influences are those I work(ed) with everyday including mentors, managers, colleagues, and direct reports who’ve shaped how I lead and think. I’ve learned just as much from someone three years into their career as I have from someone thirty years in. Growth doesn’t only flow downward or upward; it moves in every direction, if you’re paying attention.
A few qualities I’ve picked up along the way and try to carry into my own leadership: composure under pressure, empowering those around you, holding yourself and your team accountable for the work and collaboration over ego. Those aren’t just values I admire in others; they’re the standard I try to hold myself to every day.
What are you most proud of in your career, so far?
The biggest leap was starting my own business. I never saw myself as an entrepreneur, so taking on that challenge, and succeeding, proved something to me: that everything I’d learned, my approach, my knowledge, was actually needed in the market. It wasn’t just personal growth; it was validation that I could bet on myself and it would pay off.
On a more tangible note, earlier in my career I built an automated reporting solution for the Digital Operations team, before AI made that kind of thing common. It ended up saving the team over 50 hours of manual work a month, but the real win wasn’t the time saved, it was what the team did with it. They went from spending hours pulling numbers to actually acting on them: focusing on partnerships, learning, and growing the team’s value in ways they simply hadn’t had the bandwidth for before.
Sometimes it’s about betting on yourself and sometimes it’s about the trust your team and managers place in you to execute solutions that make a real impact. Either way, the biggest wins come from creating the opportunity and having the room to try.
What does an average work day look like for you?
I start my day by reviewing my priorities (I normally take time at the end of each day to jot down tomorrow’s needs) and what’s on my schedule, usually with coffee in hand. From there, I check newsletters to stay current on industry information, then review dashboards and reporting for site and campaign data. If something’s underperforming or there’s been a significant change, like a large swing site traffic, or sign ups, for example; that jumps to the top of my list to investigate, even if it means shifting other things around.
The rest of the day usually includes meetings with the product team, leadership, and colleagues across marketing disciplines, depending on what’s needed. Alongside that, I am working on deliverables that tie to our overall strategy, CRM needs, marketing materials, site updates and more. Being part of a growth company with a tight-knit team allows me to be involved in the execution, which keeps my strategy grounded in what’s actually happening
No two days look exactly the same, and honestly, that’s part of what keeps this work interesting.
Are there any specific skills or traits that you notice companies look for when you’re searching for roles in your field?
Every company is different, and my own searches have mainly focused on companies in emerging and growth stages, so my perspective is shaped by that.
That said, a few things come up often. There’s usually a need to balance strategy with tactical, hands-on work. Companies want people who can zoom out and think big picture, but also roll up their sleeves when needed.
Given how quickly AI is changing the nature of work, the ability to adapt and to stay curious. Always approaching things like a student that has become increasingly important. And I think soft skills matter more than people give them credit for. It’s less about having one specific background and more about how you frame your experience around helping a company achieve its goals. There’s usually more than one way your skills and experience can be applied, even if it’s not the obvious path.
Has anyone ever tried to stop you from learning and developing in your professional life, or have you found the tech sector supportive?
No one has actively stopped me from learning and developing, though I’ve faced my share of adversity along the way – some of it tied to age early in my career, and some tied to gender. Being in a male-dominated room is something you have to get comfortable with and not every woman is an ally. I’ve never really expected the industry to hand me growth opportunities; I’ve always paved my own path, driven by a strong desire to succeed.
That said, my role is tech-adjacent rather than squarely in tech, so my experience may look different from someone in a more traditional technical role.
Have you ever faced insecurities and anxieties during your career, and how did you overcome them?
Yes, like most women I know, insecurities show up at different points throughout a career. Early on, it was questioning whether I was good enough. Later, it became about balancing motherhood with career ambition. Those doubts are real, and I don’t think they ever fully disappear. What’s helped me manage them is leaning on my community – friends, mentors, and professional groups – people who understand what I’m navigating and remind me I’m not doing it alone.
Entering the world of work can be daunting. Do you have any words of advice for anyone feeling overwhelmed?
The feeling doesn’t need to go away entirely and that’s okay. You can be overwhelmed and still perform at the top of your game. Being uncomfortable is often exactly where the best growth happens.
In technology especially, change is constant. It can feel overwhelming in the moment, but it’s often that same change that leads you down unexpected paths, sometimes into areas of tech you never planned on, but end up loving.
And don’t underestimate your connections. They’re one of the best places to start. If you don’t have many yet, professional meetups are a great way to get a foot in the door and build ties within your local community.
What advice would you give other women wanting to reach their career goals in technology?
No matter what industry you’re looking to go into, there will be challenges. If technology is what lights you up, that’s not a reason to shy away, it’s the reason to go all in. Discomfort is often exactly where the best growth happens.
Women in tech professional groups are popping up everywhere – women in programmatic, women in AI, and so many more. I’ve found real inspiration being part of these communities. The same way I’ve relied on my own network through tough moments in my career, I’d tell other women: surround yourself with people you respect and admire, and don’t underestimate how your community can support you and lift you up.
And ultimately, bet on yourself. Some of the proudest moments in my own career came from doing exactly that, even when it wasn’t the safe or obvious choice.
