If you met Fran W., you would encounter someone who is always learning and growing both personally and professionally. She likes change and new challenges and, because of it, she has built an impressive 18-year career at Kimberly-Clark. Fran has navigated her way through various functions and roles, which is no easy feat. But with Kimberly-Clark's commitment to growth and development, as well as the support of many leaders along the way, Fran has been able to achieve this.
As Fran puts it, 'I've been able to work across multiple businesses and functions, from local to global responsibilities, giving me a better understanding of how Kimberly-Clark goes to market. It's been an incredible journey.'
At Kimberly-Clark, we aspire to create an environment where you can build a career as bold as your imagination, and Fran has build a bold career. She started her journey at Kimberly-Clark as a process engineering co-op in Wisconsin before earning her Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in Chemical Engineering and Paper Science. During grad school, she interned with Kimberly-Clark Professional (KCP) and Kimberly-Clark Corporate, Research and Engineering. She then started her full-time career in 2006 with KCP Research and Engineering, focusing on new product development of wipers and skin care. Fran's career then took her to KCP strategy, where she worked on The Efficient Workplace strategy before leading the rollout of iPads as sales tools for KCP North America (NA) sales team. Fran then served as Chief of Staff for the Vice President of KCP NA Sales, worked on go-to-market strategies for sales teams, led KCP Industrial Sales for the Western United States, and then moved over to the consumer side of Kimberly-Clark to lead Personal Care for Costco NA. Now, Fran has pivoted her career to serve as the Global Head of Talent Intelligence, building a new team and capability for Kimberly-Clark from the ground up.
Fran's impressive career at Kimberly-Clark is a result of her owning her career, dedication to hard work, commitment to building and maintaining relationships, and the great managers who provided her with opportunities and believed in her ability to succeed in other areas of the business. Through these things, Fran gained the trust of her managers and takes on new challenges, which allowed her to navigate various functions and roles.
In addition to her successful career at Kimberly-Clark, Fran is also a passionate, competitive curler. She frequently travels to tournaments and has been able to pursue her passion while working for the company. It's impressive how Fran has been able to balance her career and personal interests with the support and encouragement from her leaders, peers, and team.
Her journey is a testament to the importance of owning your career and having great managers who provide opportunities for growth and development. As Fran says, It's been an incredible journey, and I'm excited to see where it takes me next!