Sandy Hoffman

Sandy joined LinkedIn as the company’s first Global Inclusion Director in November 2015. She has developed a global inclusion strategy that is helping the swiftly growing company build on its strong culture, cultivating inclusion in day-to-day interactions while increasing workforce diversity. She and her team are responsible for driving a new diversity recruiting strategy, developing and scaling best practice talent programs, and partnering across the functions to leverage the LinkedIn platform in ways that grow the pipeline and connect diverse professionals to opportunity externally. Sandy works cross-functionally to infuse an Inclusion & Diversity (I&D) mindset into LinkedIn systems and communities, from learning and talent development to communications to new analytic tools. She also leverages a variety of external partnerships to strengthen the company’s internal and external I&D work.

Prior to joining LinkedIn, Sandy held an array of roles with progressive executive leadership experience. Sandy began her management career leading operations and supply chain initiatives with technology leaders Apple, Radius, Inc., and Nortel Networks. These experiences led to a 15-year career with Cisco Systems, Inc. Joining Cisco in supply operations, she was promoted to Senior Director, Global Supply Chain Operations, where she managed the $32B supply chain operation across 140+ product families. Acknowledged for implementing innovative global transformation strategies, her transition into global I&D seemed a natural move.She led three large-scale, enterprise-wide transformational programs for operations before being promoted to Chief Diversity Officer in 2012. As CDO, Sandy facilitated a global I&D board, developed the strategic plan for I&D cross-functionally, and led Cisco’s external diversity partnerships. In this role, she managed business transformation, strategic planning, promotion, and advancement for global initiatives across 8 business units in 165 countries.

Sandy’s work on I&D metrics is presented in Diversity Best Practice’s “Global Diversity Primer” and she published on the importance of a diverse pipeline, especially in STEM, in Latino Magazine’s “Unleashing the Potential of Young Latinos.”

Sandy holds a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from the University of Phoenix, certificates in Supply Chain Management as well as Leadership Development, and is a Cornell University Certified Diversity Professional Advanced Practitioner (CCDP/AP). The latter is the first such program in the US, signifying recognition of the growing complexities and depth in the field of workplace diversity.