Carol Lang
HP Inc. (Retired)
For technical leadership that sparks product innovation; for dedication to uplifting women in technology; and for serving as a gold standard for what mentors, leaders, and advocates can be.
Carol Lang recently retired as director of HP Anyware (formerly Teradici) product development at HP Inc., where she led a global team accountable for the planning and delivery of the Anyware remote visualization and management tool, a multimillion-dollar software product.
Her key responsibilities included delivering the Anyware management plane strategic roadmap for on-premises, SaaS, and service deployments; simplifying and modernizing the Anyware user experience through customer-centric research and testing; leading the Anyware product development innovation process and outcomes; and facilitating the ZCentral installed base transition to Anyware. In 2020, both ZCentral and Anyware (then Teradici) won Engineering Emmy awards for enabling the entertainment industry to engage in remote visualization during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Previously, Lang held various hardware and software engineering and leadership positions within the Applied Computer Solutions (ACS) Desktop Workstation Business, beginning as a software engineer in the HP-UX Workstation Business. Later, as a manager in that business, she led the development of the last HP-UX Workstation and finally, the product family’s planned obsolescence. In 2008, Lang transitioned to the x86 workstation products for which she led multiple initiatives, becoming the first engineering director in the desktop workstation business.
Throughout her career, Lang has championed diversity in STEM and her industry. She served as the executive sponsor of NoCo-IN, an inclusive business impact network designed to encourage creativity, innovation, inclusion, and community; she has also served as a board member on two HP technical talent-development boards, and as a member of the SWE Colorado State University Collegiate Section.
She is an often sought-after mentor, and many of her mentees have received a range of technical promotions or found their dream jobs. She has also been instrumental in leading policy and processes that increase opportunities for women engineers at HP. For example, in 2020, Lang led the reinvention of technical talent acquisition within ACS by breaking the process into phases (such as recruiting, screening, interviewing, and onboarding), researching the barriers to attracting women at each phase, and providing direct guidance to hiring managers. Job postings are now written in inclusive language, narrowing job requirements to essential “must haves” to reduce self-selection. This change resulted in Applied Computer Solutions hiring 15 women in technical roles in about two years.
Since 2015, Lang led change through the ACS Women in Technology task force, whose aim is exceeding the company’s social justice goal to have 30% of its technical and engineering roles filled by women by 2030. Through her leadership, more than 50 ACS business leaders have pledged to change the work environment in positive ways for women engineers. Her efforts also raised broad awareness of the challenges women engineers face and engaged committed men as allies.
Lang graduated with honors from Oakland University in Rochester, Michigan, where she earned a B.S. in computer science with minors and extended graduate work in chemistry and applied math. In her free time, she enjoys spending time with family, including her three adult children. She also enjoys cycling, swimming, and reading. Lang and her husband of 33 years reside in Fort Collins, Colorado.