Meet Karen

Karen Roem entered the world of work as a secretary. After various jobs in Human Resources (HR) she found her niche in 1988 when she combined her love for working with people with a job in Information Technology. Before moving to England she was the Service Centre Coordinator of Shell's IT company in the Netherlands. As the manager of the Service Centre she was responsible for the support of local help desks and individual clients. In that role, she supervised five members of staff. She also chaired the company's Staff Council.

In 1993 Karen moved from the Netherlands to England and swapped her career with Shell for one in the University of Cambridge Computing Service, training staff and students in the use of Microsoft Office software. Karen planned and developed a series of training modules specifically for Assistant Staff, focusing on their needs, encouraging and motivating them to use their software more effectively. In October 2000 Karen was awarded a Master of Arts degree of the University of Cambridge.

Going it alone

On 1 January 2001 Karen turned her idea into reality and started her own business. Since then Karen has established a highly respected software training company in Cambridge, offering hands-on courses for groups and individuals as well as 60-minute Microsoft Office webinars.

Karen has worked as an independent OpenText Content Server training consultant with large organisations such as the European Central Bank, Shell International, Lloyd's Register, NATS and Tullow Oil, assisting them with documentation, training development and conducting hands-on and virtual training classes.

When Karen isn't busy working she likes to travel. Escape isn't just a button on her keyboard.