Karen Allen Lee
Senior director, global internal communications
SAS
Karen Allen Lee is the senior director of global internal communications at SAS, where she leads the well-oiled global internal communications newsroom at the world’s largest privately held software company. Over the years, she’s merged her technical savvy and communications know-how to foster trust and engagement among SAS’ more than 14,000 global employees. Providing communications outlets for employees to demonstrate integrity and authenticity has been a guiding principle of her leadership tenure. Whether leading efforts to put breaking news at employees’ fingertips on the company’s intranet, creating channels for company executives to personally connect with employees, or spearheading an internal social media network where employees can share their curiosity and innovative ideas, she has led the charge to help make employees passionate about their work, collaborative with their peers and accountable to each other. Under her leadership, a cross-company team of communications professionals have helped SAS garner numerous accolades for their bar-setting workplace culture, including Great Place to Work awards in countries around the world.