Spark Award

Carmen Fuhrich is a business leader with more than 37 years of experience in operations, service delivery, consulting, and research and development in Brazil and Latin America. She recently accepted a position as the Strategic Planning and Operations organization leader within a new HP software division designed to create innovative and seamless lifelong relationships and experiences with customers. Before this role, she served as director of HP Print Software Brazil Research and Development, leading a strategic organization with a diverse portfolio of programs. Her team led new product development of software that provides innovative solutions and experiences to HP customers worldwide.

Fuhrich has 24 years of executive management experience and is skilled at building solid teams, recognizing strengths, and supporting growth. She mentors women and men at various career stages, including their transitions from technical roles to leadership positions. She emphasizes work/life balance and networking for growth and collaboration. Fuhrich’s commitment to personal growth and career development also led her to be a member of the HP Print Americas Technical Career Path Review Board from 2020 to 2021, through which she supported the skills development and career progression of technical employees across HP.

Her commitment to supporting others extends beyond one-on-one mentoring. She volunteered within HP, promoting workplace diversity and inclusivity centered on women. As chair and then co-chair of the Women’s Impact Network, she leveraged her understanding of the challenges women engineers face in their careers. Fuhrich created the Female Development Program at HP Brazil, offering mentorship, training, and lectures on career development and gender equality. She has offered mentorship to numerous women since the program’s inception, and 140 women have already attended this program.

Fuhrich currently leads the HP SWE Americas (AMS) non-U.S. community (representing South America, Central America, and Mexico) and has successfully created networking opportunities, increased visibility and collaboration, and fostered inclusivity within the community. She has helped fashion a vibrant team that supports its members’ professional growth and development by promoting engagement and participation in Society of Women Engineers events. She has been instrumental in identifying and collaborating with SWE AMS non-U.S. communities outside of HP.

Outside work, Fuhrich volunteers for many organizations, such as Rail Girls, Django Girls, Women in Tech, and WoMakersCode. She also enjoys making handmade pottery and watching films.

Fuhrich earned a B.S. in business administration/system analysis at the Pontifical Catholic University of Rio Grande do Sul in Brazil, followed by postgraduate work in system analysis. She lives in Porto Alegre, Brazil, with her husband, Sergio. The couple has two children. A daughter, now residing in the United States, is becoming a certified family and lifestyle medicine physician, and their son is a tattoo artist in Australia. Together, the family cherishes their close bonds across distances.