Karl Allen
Digital Technology Innovation Advisor at Chevron
Sugar Land, Texas
Overview
Work Experience
Change and Communications Advisor
2024 - Current
Advised on enterprise-wide cybersecurity transformation initiatives by managing contract resources for strategic change management, driving the adoption of enhanced security frameworks while ensuring seamless organizational integration. Crafted and executed comprehensive communication strategies to articulate cybersecurity initiatives' vision and value across diverse stakeholder groups, from technical teams to executive leadership. Built cross-functional consensus and stakeholder buy-in through targeted engagement, securing sustained commitment for mission-critical security programs and implementations. Advised on innovative cybersecurity awareness campaigns that strengthened organizational resilience by empowering employees with practical security knowledge and best practices. Managed communications for cybersecurity initiatives, delivering timely, transparent updates through established channels while maintaining stakeholder trust and organizational stability. Implemented data-driven performance metrics to measure change management and communication effectiveness, leveraging insights to continuously refine and optimize strategies.
Strategic Digital Innovation & Commercialization Advisor
2023 - 2024
Supported Chevron's digital transformation initiatives by integrating advanced data analytics, AI-driven predictive models, and IoT solutions, resulting in measurable improvements in operational efficiency and equipment uptime. Strengthened Chevron's strategic portfolio through targeted investments in transformative digital technologies, building a resilient asset framework that effectively manages operational risks while advancing sustainability goals. Fostered strategic partnerships with leading technology companies and research institutions, accelerating breakthrough innovations and facilitating rapid commercialization of disruptive solutions across global markets. Led enterprise-wide implementation of next-generation technologies—including AI platforms, digital twins, XR frameworks, blockchain systems, and intelligent automation—delivering measurable business outcomes through structured digital transformation programs. Aligned emerging technologies with Chevron's corporate strategy, generating tangible business value through systematic cost reduction, risk management, and enhanced operational performance across platforms. Directed cross-functional teams in piloting and scaling promising digital initiatives, successfully transforming technical innovations into enterprise-ready commercial applications.
Venture Principal
2020 - 2023
Led transformative investments aligned with Chevron's forward-looking vision, orchestrating initiatives across three foundational pillars: Operational Excellence through performance optimization, Digital Innovation leveraging cutting-edge technologies, and Clean Energy Solutions advancing sustainable resource development. This strategic framework catalyzed measurable progress toward a resilient, technology-enabled energy future while maintaining an unwavering commitment to stakeholder value creation. Strategic Portfolio Development: Strategically identified and secured transformative ventures and pioneering technologies that reinforced Chevron's market dominance while advancing long-term enterprise value creation initiatives and sustainable competitive advantages. Investment Analytics & Risk Management: Orchestrated comprehensive technical, financial, and regulatory due diligence initiatives to validate strategic investment hypotheses and architect robust enterprise risk mitigation frameworks for optimal business outcomes. Market Intelligence & Strategy: Spearheaded comprehensive competitive intelligence analyses to evaluate strategic investment opportunities across energy sector dynamics, reinforcing Chevron's market leadership position through data-driven innovation initiatives. Served on multiple portfolio company boards, providing strategic guidance, operational expertise, and industry insights to accelerate growth trajectories and maximize investment returns.
Host, The Collaboration Tech Talks
2018 - 2020
Produced open discussions on digital transformation, facilitating key conversations at the intersection of innovation, technology, and energy advancement. Facilitated dynamic knowledge exchanges between energy, technology, and innovation sector leaders and technical pioneers, crafting impactful narratives that showcased the convergence of cloud solutions, operational excellence, and strategic business outcomes. Formulated comprehensive analyses of emerging technologies and market trends, creating multifaceted content that resonated across Chevron's digital ecosystem—from field operations to executive leadership. Program Vision & Philosophy: • Transformed traditional vendor presentations into engaging “coffee shop talks,” fostering authentic discussions on technology’s transformative potential. • Established a platform for industry visionaries to share insights through meaningful, casual conversations. • Bridged theoretical, technological concepts with practical implementation strategies. Featured Innovation Leaders & Solutions: • AI & Machine Learning: Hypergiant, Otter.AI, Voicea, Soundbite.AI, Zoom.AI. • Digital Transformation Leaders: Scott Hanselman, David Slack, Devlin Liles, Kent Weare, Jon Levesque. • Collaboration & Communications: Microsoft Yammer, Logitech, Zoom.us, BlueJeans, Pexip, Mio. • Enterprise Innovation: Natty Gur, Reginald Davis, Sean Jump, Jeff Jones, Tarek Sabry. • Workplace Modernization: Crestron, Embrava, Mersive, LiveTiles, Humanyze. • Extended Reality & Visual Technology: Spatial, Synthesia, Aerial Applications, Hive Streaming, Haivision. • Enterprise Solutions: Oracle Cloud, Confluent, BA Insight, World Wide Technology, Nectar Services Corp. Program Impact & Reach: • Connected over 50,000 Chevron professionals with industry innovators. • Facilitated engagement between internal teams and technology leaders. • Cultivated partnerships driving innovation and growth. • Developed a knowledge hub featuring industry insights.
Solutions Architect
2017 - 2020
Architected enterprise-wide digital transformation initiatives, implementing next-generation Cisco telepresence systems, Microsoft Teams, and hybrid collaboration platforms across 24 global locations, resulting in 40% improved cross-border team connectivity and $3.2M annual travel cost reduction. Guided cross-functional teams in modernizing mission-critical collaboration infrastructure, including migration to cloud-based solutions and integration of secure remote access protocols, enabling 12,000+ employees to maintain operational continuity during the 2020 workplace transition. Established AI-augmented meeting ecosystems leveraging Microsoft Teams and custom analytics tools, achieving 35% increase in distributed team productivity and strengthening data-driven decision-making capabilities across upstream and downstream operations.
Web Conferencing Architect
2013 - 2017
• Solution Architecture Leadership: Architected Chevron's enterprise-wide migration to Office 365 Skype, Teams, Cisco Webex, and Cisco TelePresence platforms, establishing a unified collaboration ecosystem that streamlined operations across 180+ global locations. • Strategic Technology Innovation: Orchestrated comprehensive platform assessments of SharePoint, Skype for Business, and custom-built Chevron Hub, resulting in 40% improvement in cross-functional team productivity and $12M annual cost optimization. • Global Collaboration Excellence: Guided the implementation of Chevron's digital workplace strategy, integrating cloud-based video conferencing, secure mobile access, and enterprise social networking tools across distributed teams. • Strategic Stakeholder Management: Fostered cross-functional partnerships between IT infrastructure teams, business units, and executive stakeholders, ensuring seamless adoption of collaboration solutions while maintaining increased platform availability.
Video Collaboration Architect
2009 - 2013
• Enterprise Video Solutions: Architected global video conferencing infrastructure utilizing Tandberg TelePresence and Polycom RealPresence platforms, enabling C-suite communications across 60,000+ users worldwide. Supported the migration from OCS 2007 to Microsoft Lync enterprise-wide. • Strategic Technical Leadership: Optimized mission-critical support protocols for board-level meetings while establishing 24/7 incident response procedures for executive communications across global operations. • Enterprise Systems Integration: Orchestrated cross-platform integration between Tandberg Telepresence, Microsoft Lync, and Polycom systems, achieving seamless interoperability while driving 90% user adoption across executive teams. • Information Security & Governance: Implemented AES encryption standards and TLS protocols for video communications, establishing end-to-end security frameworks aligned with federal compliance requirements.
Unocal Corporation explores, develops, and produces natural gas, crude oil, condensate, and natural gas liquids
VC Infrastructure Engineer/Project Manager
2007 - 2009
• Enterprise Video Solutions: Supported the integration of Marratech video conferencing technology, architecting scalable infrastructure that reduced global communication latency by 25% across 20+ Google campuses, supporting the early Google Apps Premier Edition rollout. • Strategic Agile Development: Cultivated cross-functional excellence through focused sprint management, guiding 12 major releases that modernized Google's collaboration stack while maintaining 95% stakeholder alignment during the critical Google Wave beta phase. • Enterprise Systems Integration: Facilitated the seamless fusion of Google Apps, Sites, and Video platforms, establishing unified authentication protocols that heightened operational efficiency by 30% across Google's proprietary tech infrastructure. • Technical Operations Excellence: Refined system resilience through proactive monitoring and automated deployment protocols, sustaining 99.9% uptime across enterprise collaboration systems while scaling from 10,000 to 50,000+ users during rapid global expansion.
Google is a multinational corporation that specializes in Internet-related services and organizes the world’s information.
Raised $26,100,000.00 from Angel Investors LP, Kleiner Perkins, Signatures Capital, Sequoia Capital, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Shaquille O'Neal, Henry Kissinger, Google and Tiger Woods.
Architect of Secure & Efficient Communication for High-Stakes Operations
2005 - 2007
• Secure Videoconferencing Systems Management: Orchestrated the integration of WIN-T-compliant videoconferencing infrastructure, ensuring encrypted communications across theater-level operations with 99.9% availability for classified transmissions. • Operational Leadership in High-Threat Environments: Cultivated and mobilized a specialized 8-person technical unit supporting TDN deployments, instituting adaptive security protocols while maintaining mission-critical communications in contested environments. • Advanced Technical Troubleshooting: Architected fault-tolerant response protocols for SATCOM and tactical network systems, achieving 45-minute mean-time-to-resolution across distributed battlefield communications platforms. • Stakeholder Engagement & Communication: Interfaced directly with Joint Forces command elements and defense sector executives, facilitating secure TACP modernization initiatives while upholding TS/SCI protocols.
DRS Defense Solutions develops electronic systems and other military technologies for military forces.
Digital Transformation Leader in Video Conferencing & Healthcare Innovation
2001 - 2005
• Sales and Business Development: Galvanized regional market expansion in telecommunications through innovative video conferencing solutions, driving sustained quarter-over-quarter growth and exceeding targets by 25%+. • Project Management and Implementation: Architected and steered enterprise-wide video conferencing initiatives for Fortune 500 clients, orchestrating $5M+ deployments with 100% on-time delivery and 98% client satisfaction. • Team Leadership and Development: Cultivated a dynamic team of sales and technical professionals, fostering a culture of continuous improvement that elevated team performance by 40% while maintaining industry-low turnover rates. • Client Relationship Management: Forged and deepened strategic partnerships with key enterprise accounts ($10M+ portfolio), providing thought leadership and ensuring seamless service delivery across multiple business units.
Champion of Customer-Centric Technical Excellence & Innovation
2001 - 2001
• Installation & Configuration: Coordinated and executed deployment of VTEL video conferencing solutions across enterprise environments, crafting custom configurations that enhanced system performance while seamlessly integrating with clients' existing network infrastructure. • Technical Support & Troubleshooting: Delivered responsive on-site and remote technical support, efficiently diagnosing and resolving mission-critical issues spanning network connectivity, hardware failures, and software conflicts to maintain uninterrupted service delivery. • Maintenance & Upgrades: Managed proactive system maintenance and strategic platform upgrades, implementing cutting-edge software releases and hardware optimizations to drive peak performance and system reliability. • Client Training & Documentation: Facilitated comprehensive training programs and technical documentation, conducting interactive workshops that accelerated user adoption and measurably improved client system utilization.
VTEL Products Corporation is the global leader in fully integrated, PC-based group videoconferencing systems.
Technical Trainer & Digital Transformation Enabler
2000 - 2001
• Curriculum Development & Design: Architected and implemented comprehensive training programs aligned with diverse learning styles, incorporating emerging technology trends and industry standards while ensuring content accessibility across proficiency levels. • Training Delivery & Instruction: Led dynamic learning sessions combining interactive multimedia presentations with practical hands-on labs, fostering deep engagement and knowledge retention through varied instructional approaches. • Assessment & Feedback: Developed robust evaluation frameworks to measure learning outcomes, providing targeted, constructive feedback that catalyzed skill development and career advancement. • Continuous Improvement: Iteratively enhanced training content based on quantitative metrics and learner insights while staying current with technological advancements through strategic professional development.
Aviation Electronics Technician
1994 - 1998
• Avionics Maintenance & Repair: Supported intermediate-level maintenance operations on mission-critical aviation electronic systems, utilizing state-of-the-art diagnostic equipment and mil-spec testing protocols. • Advanced Troubleshooting & Diagnostics: Specialized in EA-6B Prowler's AN/ALQ-99 tactical jamming systems, TACAN/TACNAV navigation arrays, and electromagnetic warfare components, ensuring optimal electronic countermeasure capabilities. • Aircraft Electrical Systems: Mastered complex aircraft schematics and wiring diagrams, performed comprehensive system validations, and verified operational readiness through rigorous post-repair testing. • Military Tactical Systems Support: Sustained mission-essential electronic warfare and reconnaissance systems, ensuring 24/7 combat readiness of Navy aircraft across global deployments. • Commission Selection: At the end of my first enlistment, I was honored to be selected for a commission, recognizing my technical expertise, leadership abilities, and contributions to mission success.
US Navy is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services.