Thursday WISF-Sponsored Lunch Featuring Keynote Speaker Karen Sturges, Chief Financial Officer, LA28
This session is sponsored in part by SFNet's Women in Secured Finance Committee
Keynote introduction by Nick Ply, Head of Underwriting, White Oak Commercial Finance
With an accomplished career in finance spanning more than three decades, LA28 CFO Karen Sturges is leading LA28 to a fiscally responsible Olympic and Paralympic Games. With just over 400 employees today, the organization will grow to 5,000 in 2028 when the city will welcome the world to LA. Karen’s leadership touches every functional area in the organization. Her oversight of the finance function and implementation of hundreds of strategic initiatives will allow the organizing committee to deliver Games that will make and leave a positive impact on Los Angeles.
Karen reports directly to LA28 CEO Reynold Hoover and is a key player on the senior leadership team. As an advisor on all business decisions, she works to optimize and protect LA28’s financial assets and ensure proper investment on the road to the LA28 Games.
Since joining LA28, Karen has developed and implemented a vision for how the finance function operates at LA28 and is executing how the team delivers value to the organization. Not afraid to think differently, Karen’s approach blends quantitative data with a qualitative perspective, leaning into relationships and partnerships with key stakeholders in the Olympic & Paralympic Movement: hundreds of organizations from the International Olympic Committee and International Paralympic Committee to the United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee, dozens of commercial partners, the City of Los Angeles and beyond.
Known as a leader by example, as Karen drives LA28’s financial strategy and operations, she prioritizes people, teamwork and employee development and growth. Karen is a trusted voice and reliable teammate for the entire organization.
Sponsored by
