Lisa Reshaur

WORK HISTORY

EDUCATION

SKILLS

ABOUT LISA RESHAUR

How did a girl from central Canada with a BA in Anthropology and Ph.D. in Sociology end up as a Vice President at Microsoft? I never imagined I’d be where I am today. We often think about our careers as these fairly linear paths with different stops and milestones along the way but in reality, they are more like a maze with all sorts of unexpected turns and even dead ends. My meandering path from academia through different types of consulting at PwC to Microsoft, has taken me on an adventure that has given me the skills and knowledge I needed to become a General Manager.I have 3 core principles that have guided my career journey: 1. Take chances – I’ve focused on finding things that I love to do. This curiosity and love for culture (vs getting a stable job) led me to leave Canada and study at the best disaster research center in the world which completely changed the trajectory of my life. Keep learning – I’ve always said yes when interesting and hard opportunities come up, knowing I can learn something new. During my PhD, I chose to write my dissertation on the Los Angeles Riots. I learned that the riots were not just about race but were more a reflection of the socioeconomic situation at the time than about racial differences. Rely on others – I’ve had incredible mentors for guidance and advice throughout my career and great teams to help me learn new things and get things done. With these core principles guiding me, I’ve received 3 degrees and worked 14 years at PwC which included becoming a Six Sigma Black Belt and getting a partner nomination. In the spirit of learning and taking a chances, I dove into the world of security 9 years ago at Microsoft and haven’t looked back. As a Vice President in Microsoft’s Digital Security and Risk Engineering team, I lead a global program of nearly 100 people focused on enterprise-wise risk and compliance challenges in the security, resilience, and privacy spaces. Our team helps protect Microsoft by focusing on the largest security and resiliency efforts and by responding quickly when risk becomes reality.It’s my Enterprise Crisis Management Program that has prioritized the health and safety of our Microsoft employees and customers during COVID-19. From our employees’ remote working circumstances across 100+ countries to our customers’ data being protected and secure, it’s my job to manage a crisis and work to prevent it from ever happening. Over the next year I am looking to join a public company Board and share the knowledge I\'ve learned during my career to help others.