Penelope Thompson
About Penelope Thompson
Penelope Thompson serves as the Vice President of North America Solution Engineering at OneTrust, bringing extensive experience from her previous roles at Salesforce and other technology firms. She has a strong background in solution engineering and has significantly contributed to team growth and market reach throughout her career.
Current Role at OneTrust
Penelope Thompson serves as the Vice President of North America Solution Engineering at OneTrust. She has held this position since 2023, working remotely. In her role, she has implemented Technical Architecture Optimization (TAO) internal workshops, which have significantly increased the engagement of the Technical Architect team on large deals by 100% and improved forecast accuracy by 10%. Additionally, she has enhanced the company's market reach through the Partner Ecosystem, which has reduced the burden on presales teams by 20% and decreased lost deals by 15%.
Previous Experience at Salesforce
Thompson has extensive experience at Salesforce, where she worked in various roles from 2013 to 2023. She served as Senior Director of Solution Engineering for Analytics Cloud, leading initiatives that enabled the sales team to achieve over 130% of the annual quota in the first year of selling combined solutions. Additionally, she held positions as Manager of Sales Engineering, Principal Sales Engineer, and Vice President of Solutions Specialists. Her tenure at Salesforce included a focus on building teams and enhancing sales strategies.
Background in Consulting and Management
Before her time at Salesforce, Thompson worked at several notable companies. She was a Principal Solutions Consultant at Hyperion Solutions from 2003 to 2007 and later served as a Principal Sales Consultant at Oracle Corporation from 2007 to 2009. Her early career included a role as Department Manager at Mervyns in San Jose, California. This diverse background has contributed to her expertise in solution engineering and sales management.
Educational Qualifications
Thompson holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from California State University, Chico, where she studied German. She also earned a Certificate in Teaching of English as a Foreign Language from the same institution. Additionally, she participated in an exchange program at Johannes Gutenberg University in Mainz, Germany, focusing on English and German studies. Her educational background supports her professional roles in engineering and consulting.
Leadership and Community Involvement
Thompson has demonstrated leadership in her professional community by co-founding the Women in Solution Excellence (WISE) Equality Resource Group, which grew from 7-10 to over 700 members. She has also participated as a panelist at the PreSales Collective's Leadership Now Summit in 2023. Her efforts in promoting diversity and inclusion in the workplace reflect her commitment to fostering a supportive environment for women in technology.