Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Carlsen Resources, Inc., Ann Carlsen is the force behind the brand considered to be the gold standard of boutique search firms, having placed more than 2100 exceptional executives and rising stars in critical industry roles over the span of 28 years. An internationally respected executive search leader, consultant, coach and champion of workplace diversity, Carlsen is a results-oriented strategist who intimately understands the goals and needs of her clients and has an uncanny antenna for the trends and pulse of the overall marketplace in the cable, media, entertainment and technology sectors worldwide.
Carlsen’s reputation as an excellent judge of talent and more importantly, the right talent and cultural fit for organizations, has evolved over 28 years through the day-to-day and hands-on experience of helping her clients build and grow their companies. She is considered an expert advisor on leadership development, diversity, workforce issues and trends, and the advancement of women and people of color on corporate boards. Carlsen’s commitment to diversity is reflected by her leadership on several key Industry initiatives. She founded the Telecommunications Diversity Network (TDN), an industry-wide initiative that provided the Industry with a ‘no fee’ job bank populated with the best diversity candidates. Carlsen was also the architect of the very successful industry wide mentorship initiative designed to pair diverse candidates with mentors in their areas of interest. It is now called the L. Patrick Mellon Mentorship Program and housed by the National Association for Multi-Ethnicity in Communications (NAMIC). As an author, Ann has written numerous white papers and thought provoking articles including: Studies in Black and White, Are Aging Boomers your Biggest Liability or Most Precious Asset, Do You Have Enough Human Capital to Win, Where the Jobs Are – And Will Be, Mentors: Not Just for Kids Anymore,Gathering Your Ammo, and The Downside of Downsizing to name a few.
Carlsen has been recognized by many industry organizations for her professional excellence, leadership and personal accomplishments. She was inducted into the Cable Hall of Fame in 2012; National Cable Television Association (NCTA) presented her with its Distinguished Vanguard Award for Leadership, the organization’s highest honor; she was awarded Women in Cable and Telecommunication’s (WICT) Woman of the Year honor and served as its national president and chairwoman of the foundation. She served ten years on the NAMIC board and has served on numerous national boards and committees for The Cable & Telecommunications Association for Marketing (CTAM) and its Educational Foundation, The Cable Center, the Cable TV Pioneers and the NCTA. Carlsen has been selected to CableFAX magazine’s “CableFAX 100” and “Most Powerful Women in Cable” lists multiple times.
Carlsen began her career in 1980 in sales and marketing for United Cable. She was then recruited to Cardiff Publishing, where she led national sales and marketing for Cable Television Business Magazine. In 1984, she became vice president of marketing at Business Venture Investments, a venture capital and venture management firm. Carlsen joined the Winston Management Group as vice president in 1986, where she discovered and developed her unique gifts and passion for executive search. She founded FutureSense, Inc 25 years ago, the precursor to Carlsen Resources, Inc. She is a graduate of the University of Colorado with a degree in Journalism.
