Lauren Giroux
Senior Director, Cloud Operations
Plex Systems
Manufacturing creates REAL things that we rely on in our daily lives. Working in math and IT, much of what I do is interesting but not tangible. Manufacturing makes this work real; it takes ideas and turns them into things we can see, touch and use.
In a field where even a few moments of delay can impact an entire supply chain, Lauren’s work at Plex, delivering industry-leading ERP, MES and IoT solutions, has helped more than 600 manufacturers around the world stay on time and on target. Daily, she must consider everything from the quality of the product experience to malware attacks to natural disasters and more. Thanks to Lauren’s technological knowledge and her strong leadership of a team of experts, Plex achieved an industry-leading 99.998 percent uptime rate through most of 2019.
Lauren is a respected and reliable resource to customers, communicating through any disruptions while helping plan for future manufacturing technology innovations. She’s also particularly known for her strong attention to detail, and this care and consistency makes her a go-to leader at Plex to deal quickly with complicated matters.
One of the most high-profile women leaders at Plex, Lauren is always looking for opportunities to promote other women’s careers as well. She is a chair of Women at Plex, an interest group that supports diversity and inclusion initiatives. Through this group, she has introduced female “Plexians” to leaders from global technology organizations such as Microsoft. In addition, Lauren is always looking for new ways for her team of over 30 employees, which includes several senior technical women, to develop professionally. Both men and women receive regular coaching to improve their leadership skills and voices. She also meets individually with her direct reports and works to empower them to define and work toward their career goals.
Supporting families is an especial passion for Lauren. She started Plex’s New Mom support group, which provides support and encouragement to women who are returning to work after welcoming a new child. She is also on the elementary and middle school teaching team at First Presbyterian Church of Northville.