Sarah O'donnell
About Sarah O'donnell
Sarah O'Donnell serves as the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Officer at Digital River, where she has worked since 2021. Her extensive background includes various roles at VMware and Serena Software, alongside significant contributions to diversity initiatives in the tech industry.
Current Role at Digital River
Sarah O'Donnell serves as the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Officer at Digital River since 2021. In this role, she has implemented a global diversity data self-disclosure process for employees and candidates during the hiring process. She launched a Global DEI Advisory Council to enhance diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives within the organization. Additionally, she has collaborated on a pay equity review and initiated pay transparency measures across Digital River. Sarah also partners with the Marketing team to design and launch the initial Diversity & Inclusion webpage for the company.
Previous Experience at VMware
Sarah O'Donnell has extensive experience at VMware, where she held multiple roles over several years. She worked as a Senior Deal Desk Analyst in Cork from 2010 to 2011. Later, she served as Manager of the EMEA Deal Desk from 2012 to 2013. From 2014 to 2015, she was the Manager of Partner Deal Desk. Sarah then took on the role of Diversity & Inclusion Program Lead and Senior Manager for Global Deal Management Operations from 2015 to 2019, before returning as the Diversity & Inclusion Program Lead and Senior Manager, Deal Management Strategy & Operations from 2019 to 2020.
Diversity & Inclusion Leadership Roles
In addition to her current position at Digital River, Sarah O'Donnell has contributed to diversity and inclusion initiatives in various capacities. She served as the Diversity & Inclusion Conference Co-Chair at Work With Pride in 2020. Her leadership in diversity efforts is further supported by her educational pursuits, including an Executive Certificate in Diversity Coaching from Howard University in 2020 and a Certificate in Diversity & Inclusion from Cornell University since 2019.
Educational Background
Sarah O'Donnell has a strong educational background in business and diversity studies. She achieved a Bachelor of Arts in Economics & German from the National University of Ireland, Galway, from 1996 to 2000. She later studied at the Dún Laoghaire Institute of Art, Design and Technology, obtaining a Master of Business in Equality, Diversity & Inclusion from 2020 to 2021. She is also pursuing a Diploma in Management Accounting from CIMA, which she started in 2011.
Career History at Serena Software and Cisco
Before her roles at VMware and Digital River, Sarah O'Donnell worked at Serena Software in various financial and managerial positions from 2002 to 2011. Her roles included EMEA Accounts Receivable Manager, EMEA Senior Financial Analyst, International Revenue & Reporting Manager, and Credit Controller. Additionally, she worked as a Credit Controller at Cisco in the Amsterdam Area from 2000 to 2001.