MEET KAREN HINDS
Karen Hinds is the Founder and CEO of Workplace Success Group. For over twenty years, she has served as a trusted advisor to C-Suite executives committed to building talented leaders and inclusive cultures. Workplace Success Group is a global training and strategic consulting firm founded when Karen used her experience in building talent pipelines for financial services companies to jump-start the organization.
She is the author of 5 books: Get Along, Get Ahead: 101 Courtesies for the New Workplace; Networking for a Better Position and More Profit; and A Young Adult’s Guide to the Global Workplace. She has been quoted in, featured in or written articles for Black Enterprise, Family Circle, The Boston Globe, The Hartford Business Journal, and The CIM Toronto Manager, to name a few. Karen has worked with organizations such as the United Nations, Turner Construction, Avangrid, Webster Bank, AmeriHealth Caritas, United Technologies, Post University, Access Rehab, and The Girl Scouts of Connecticut, among many others.
Originally from the Caribbean island of St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Karen left the island at age 15 with her parents and siblings to pursue educational opportunities in the United States. The transition to a new country, culture, and school made it imperative for Karen to learn how to quickly adapt to change, thrive as an outsider, and build strategic relationships.
Karen hosted an international global leadership conference for girls and women on her native island of St. Vincent and the Grenadines. It was an opportunity to share her expertise with women from around the world and at the same time showcase the beauty and culture of her homeland.
Equipping the next generation is a critical part of her life’s mission. Karen supports youth development initiatives such as STEMSVG, a program dedicated to exposing young people to STEM careers, and Madre Latina’s college scholarship fund. She is the vice president for The Community Foundation of St. Vincent and the Grenadines. In 2019, Karen served as co-chair for the United Way of Northeastern Connecticut Power of the Purse luncheon, which is still the highest-grossing fundraising year in the event's history. She sits on the board of the United Way of Greater Waterbury and St. Mary’s Hospital Community Board.
A graduate of Bowdoin College with a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science and Spanish, Karen was a recipient of the national Thomas J. Watson Foundation Fellowship, a grant that enables recipients to pursue a yearlong independent study outside of the United States. The Fellowship was established by the children of Thomas J. Watson, a former Chairman, and CEO of IBM.
In her spare time, she enjoys weight training, the beach, traveling, and tending and eating daily from over the 30 tropical fruits and vegetable varieties in her backyard.