Whenever the mind observes an uncertainty, Karine Picard uses the ever-advancing power of her analytical approach to prepare for the sudden, plan for the best, and be ready to alter the plan for the unexpected. That is how she established herself in the tech industry, which recognizes her impressive two-and-a-half-decade journey and celebrates her as one of Europe’s Most Influential COOs to Watch in 2025.
As EMEA (Europe, the Middle East, and Africa) Chief Operating Officer and GVP at ServiceNow, Karine, along with her team, puts AI to work for you, the client. As she defines it, “ServiceNow makes the world of work function better for people.” She proudly expresses that 85% of the Fortune 500® companies, including Uber, Delta Air Lines, KraftHeinz, Mondelez International, DISH and VISA, work with ServiceNow. Adding to this, the company has been recognized as a Great Place to Work in France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, and the UK in 2025.
In this very uncertain world, organizations need to be able to innovate and to adapt quickly, she adds. “Our workflows and ServiceNow AI Platform provide organizations the tools to maintain the agility, speed, and reliability required to keep their businesses running securely, despite what is going on in the world. This is one window to the world, and we know how customer and employee experiences are critical today to stay on top of the game and ensure the best engagement.”
A Tech Transformational Journey Across the EMEA Region
With over 25 years of experience, Karine’s career began in consulting, where she advised organizations on financial transformations. This early exposure to operational change sparked a lasting fascination with technology’s ability to drive meaningful business evolution, leading her naturally into the dynamic world of enterprise software.
“I have always been drawn to technology because innovation — the ability to transform companies through technology — has been central to everything I have pursued in my career,” Karine reflects. The fast-paced nature of the tech industry, coupled with the continuous learning that comes from solving diverse customer challenges, has consistently fueled her professional growth. “Every day brings a new opportunity to learn. Every customer has a unique story and unique needs, and that constant discovery has guided my entire career,” she adds.
Karine’s passion for innovation and strategy led her to pivotal pre-sales leadership roles at Hyperion, SAP, and Oracle. During her 13-year tenure at Oracle, she advanced from Finance Solutions strategy roles to leading the entire strategy for all Oracle SaaS applications, expanding her expertise across HR, supply chain, and CRM domains. She later took charge of Oracle’s applications business in France, culminating in a three-year tenure as the leader of Oracle France. This experience honed her expertise in enterprise software, strategic planning, and market leadership.
Her transition to ServiceNow as EMEA Chief Operating Officer was a natural progression, combining her regional experience and deep market insight with operational and strategic execution capabilities. “Becoming COO allowed me to integrate go-to-market strategies with sales and operational excellence while always looking ahead to future transformations,” Karine notes. The role positioned her at the intersection of planning, execution, and innovation, providing a dynamic platform to drive company-wide change.
Throughout her career, Karine has been behind major organizational shifts—most notably, leading Oracle’s decade-long transformation of business applications from on-premise to cloud . At ServiceNow, she now contributes to the company’s evolution from an ITSM leader to an end-to-end AI workflow platform, reshaping go-to-market strategies and enabling broader business transformation.
Karine’s remarkable journey across continents and eras of technological change exemplifies her strategic acumen, operational excellence, and unwavering commitment to using technology as a force for lasting impact.
Navigating Complexity: Karine’s Strategic Vision for EMEA at ServiceNow
As Karine stepped into her expansive role overseeing ServiceNow’s operations across Europe, the Middle East, and Africa, she quickly embraced the broad diversity and complexity of the region — a challenge she views as both exhilarating and deeply strategic.
“EMEA is incredibly diverse, and that is both its beauty and its complexity,” Karine acknowledges. “Much like leaders in the Asia-Pacific region, we must navigate varied languages, cultures, economies, and political climates. It’s a balancing act that demands precision, agility, and local understanding.”
At the heart of her strategy is empowering strong regional leadership. “You cannot drive success without trusted leaders who deeply understand their markets,” she explains. “I aim to ensure that while approximately 70% of our execution is aligned to our global strategy, the remaining 30% allows for regional flexibility, respecting the specificities of each market.”
Karine emphasizes the importance of smart resource allocation in a landscape where proximity matters. “In the U.S., someone in Alabama can easily support a customer in California. But in EMEA, someone in Italy cannot just serve a client in Norway,” she notes. “We have to plan meticulously — investing resources where they make the most impact, without ballooning operational expenses.”
She also highlights the importance of prioritization: “Not every country can be covered in the same way. Strong local leaders must make and explain strategic choices — where to invest, where to focus, and, sometimes, where to step back — based on industry strength, workflow potential, and customer segmentation.”
That ability to adapt is crucial in a region so deeply affected by geopolitical and economic shifts. “The external environment — wars, recessions, tariffs, regional tensions — directly impacts our customers’ investment behaviors,” Karine reflects. “As COO, you have to be nimble, adjusting strategies to the changing tides while staying aligned with corporate goals.”
Despite the complexity, Karine finds deep motivation in the richness of the region. “It’s never uniform — one quarter, Germany and Switzerland might outperform, the next, it could be the Middle East. It’s like solving a dynamic, ever-changing puzzle, and that challenge is what makes leading EMEA so thrilling.”
In Karine’s hands, the future of ServiceNow’s EMEA operations is not just managed — it’s orchestrated with vision, agility, and an unrelenting drive toward transformational success.
Championing a Culture of Agility at ServiceNow
In an era where change is the only constant, Karine has positioned agility as a defining pillar of ServiceNow’s success across the EMEA region. With the global landscape reshaped by supply chain disruptions, talent shortages, and political realignments, Karine leads with a future-ready mindset—one that embraces continuous evolution without ever losing strategic focus.
“Today, the idea of rigid 18-month planning is obsolete,” Karine shares. “While we maintain a clear vision and trajectory, agility demands that we reshape our strategies almost every quarter—adjusting operations, reallocating resources, and realigning our go-to-market approach to meet emerging realities.”
This adaptability was recently put to the test. “At the start of the year, our focus was on enhancing citizen experience across governments,” she reflects. “But with Europe’s renewed focus on defense autonomy, we quickly pivoted—recalibrating our messaging, retooling our teams, and accelerating efforts to meet the evolving needs of public sector transformation.”
For Karine, agility goes beyond strategic shifts—it’s embedded deep within ServiceNow’s organizational fabric. “Continuous learning is non-negotiable,” she emphasizes. “Annual training cycles no longer suffice. In today’s world, we foster constant enablement, feeding innovation and strategic updates in manageable, impactful ways.”
At the heart of this agile transformation is a culture of relentless communication. “Our people must always know where we are headed,” Karine asserts. “Through ongoing dialogue and growth conversations, we empower teams to adjust, innovate, and lead change.”
In Karine’s vision, agility is not just a leadership trait—it is a shared responsibility woven into every layer of the organization. “It’s not enough for leadership to adapt. True agility thrives when managers, teams, and individuals move in unison—fueled by clarity, purpose, and the confidence that they are an integral part of shaping the future.”
In a world marked by volatility and opportunity, Karine’s leadership illuminates the path forward: agile, resilient, and forward thinking to transform challenge into opportunity.
Empowering the Future of Work Through Innovation and Enablement
For Karine, innovation is not just a buzzword—it’s embedded in every heartbeat of ServiceNow’s operations. Leading with a pragmatic yet visionary approach, she ensures her teams are equipped, enabled, and energized for the future of work.
“We are fortunate,” Karine reflects, “because when you work for a technology company, you get to drink your own champagne. Technology isn’t just what we sell—it’s how we work and operate every day.”
Under her leadership, ServiceNow’s employees are empowered with seamless digital experiences. “Everything—from submitting expenses, requesting IT support, to HR interactions—can be done effortlessly on mobile. We have designed our workflows to match the flexible, on-the-go nature of modern work.”
Embracing the latest innovations, Karine has also championed the integration of generative AI. “We have embedded chatbots, voice commands, and AI-powered summarization into our daily operations. It’s not just about efficiency—it’s about transforming how people experience work.”
However, Karine knows that technology alone isn’t enough. “Innovation is only powerful if people understand and embrace it,” she insists. “That’s why continuous enablement is at the heart of our strategy. We invest heavily in training—both in-person and online—ensuring everyone knows how to use new tools and why they matter.”
Annual learning days, like the company’s global AI Day, provide intensive training and enablement, but Karine emphasizes that learning must be “constant and embedded into everyday life.”
“For us, training on AI, automation, and emerging technologies isn’t optional—it’s survival. You cannot sell or deliver technology if you don’t understand it deeply.”
By marrying cutting-edge innovation with relentless investment in people, Karine is building a resilient, future-ready workforce—one where technology amplifies human potential and where continuous learning is a way of life.
Building a Future-Ready Organization Through ESG Leadership
For Karine, ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) is not a choice—it’s a responsibility deeply woven into ServiceNow’s culture and operations.
“Sustainability is an ongoing focus and we not only provide the tools for our customers to manage their supply chain, we do this ourselves,” shares Karine. “We are mindful of the impact we leave in the world – from the energy powering our data centers to the design of our offices, where everything, down to the coffee we serve, reflects our environmental commitments.”
Karine emphasizes that the company’s environmental focus is matched by a powerful social commitment. “We have a very strong culture of inclusion,” she explains. “In our EMEA leadership team led by EMEA President, Cathy Mauzaize, we have equal representation of men and women. Our leadership must reflect the diversity of the EMEA region—because if people don’t recognize themselves in the leadership, they won’t feel truly included.”
As the proud sponsor of the “People” pillar in ServiceNow EMEA’s strategy, Karine measures progress closely. “We value female leadership representation as well as generational diversity, cultural backgrounds, and inclusion across all dimensions.”
Beyond structure, ServiceNow’s values of “Create Belonging” and “Hungry and Humble” foster a culture of genuine care. “The company offers six well-being days a year, born after the COVID-19 pandemic,” Karine highlights. “It’s about allowing people time to refresh, volunteer, or simply focus on themselves—a true recognition of employee well-being.”
Karine believes the results speak volumes: “We’ve won ‘Best Place to Work’ awards in many countries. It’s proof that employees and customers alike value companies serious about culture and inclusion. We’re not perfect, but we’re continuously improving.”
With unwavering commitment, Karine is shaping an organization where workforce innovation and culture is not a project—it’s a way of life, creating a company future generations will be proud to call their own.
Karine’s Final Words: A Call to the Next Generation of Leaders
As the conversation drew to a close, Karine shared heartfelt advice for tomorrow’s visionary leaders.
“As a woman, my journey has been about challenging myself, daring to take risks, and embracing change,” she reflected. “Today, change is business as usual. You have to love it, not fear it.”
Karine emphasized the power of collaboration: “The best leaders are those who build teams of leaders. Success today is about collective intelligence—you cannot do it alone.”
She also underscored the critical balance between technology and humanity. “Embrace innovation and let technology augment you, not replace you. But just as importantly, create a culture of transparency. People cannot work in the dark—they need to understand the vision to give their best.”
With a smile, Karine concluded, “Leadership is not about standing alone at the top. It’s about walking together with your team, embracing change, and inspiring others to rise alongside you. and I am lucky to be surrounding by amazing and trusted leaders”
