Kari Parker Samarasinghe

About Kari Parker Samarasinghe

A builder of operational systems that scale growth and people.” – former boss“The operations whisperer and game changing executive coach.” – current clientKari is a dynamic, people first executive known for bringing clarity, energy, and operational excellence to high growth organizations. Her career spans engineering, program management, operations, quality, HR, and marketing with one consistent focus: building systems that scale growth and unlock the full potential of people.At Boeing, she led teams of more than 100 reports, drove a 50% reduction in defects quarterly, and contributed to cultural transformation across a person site. At Expedia, she centralized business operations, built the partnerships function from the ground up, and operationalized joint business plans with Google, Amazon, and Microsoft.Currently at Zillow, Kari is building and scaling the Business Operations function for the rapidly growing New Construction team. She leads a cross functional roadmap driving more than $140M dollars in annual revenue and partners with enterprise leaders on five year growth planning. She established the internal rhythm of business to measure performance and maintain organizational health, ensuring alignment across product, sales, finance, and technology. Her work includes developing external artifacts and communications that strengthen sales enablement while advancing continuous improvement. She is professionalizing a high growth organization by introducing structure, clarity, and operational discipline without sacrificing momentum.Throughout her career, Kari has stood up enterprise PMO functions, built operating rhythms from inception, and led cross functional teams spanning product, technology, finance, sales, and HR. She consistently connects strategy to execution and vision to measurable outcomes.In parallel, she serves as an executive coach advising senior leaders navigating growth, transition, and complexity. She is also the founder of #bossbabes, a network of women leaders dedicated to connection and modern leadership.Recently published in Forbes for her framework on leading through crisis and unlocking team potential, Kari is known for asking key questions, connecting silos, and driving clarity in complex environments. She leads with empathy, holds high standards of accountability, and makes ambitious transformation structured and achievable.If your organization is scaling, evolving, or seeking operational excellence, Kari brings the strategic discipline and human leadership required to move it forward.

Experience

1. Principal Business Operations Manager

   Zillow

   Jul 2025 — Present · Seattle, WA, US

Education

• Oregon State University

  Honors Bachelor of Science, Industrial Engineering

  2010 — 2015

• Portland State University

  Certification, Project Management

• University of Oregon Lundquist College of Business

  Executive MBA

  2018 — 2020