Bio

From 1993 to 2001, she was a Principal at Integral, Inc. Integral was a boutique firm formed by Dr. Bruce Stangle (Analysis Group, Inc.) and Harvard professors (and later Dean and Assistant Dean) Kim Clark and Steve Wheelwright to bring the best academic thinking to industry. In the early and mid 90s, she helped companies across industries implement product development processes, manage resources and product portfolios, and transition to new leadership and organizational structures. Starting in the mid 90s, she worked with technology strategy affiliate Professor Rebecca Henderson – then at MIT Sloan School but now at Harvard Business School – on improving innovation, and managing technology evolution and discontinuities, most specifically the strategic implications of technical standards and interoperability. Ms. Confrey was the director of Integral’s Corporate Venturing practice and headed Integral’s Academic Affiliate Program.

Ms. Confrey worked for Digital Equipment Corporation from 1984 to 1993. As a Principal Engineer based in DEC’s Emerging Technology Center in France, Ms. Confrey led teams in designing and developing intelligent software systems for manufacturing and finance. On return to the U.S., she led multi-million dollar document imaging programs for Federal Government customers such as the Federal Elections Commission and the Arms Control and Disarmament Agency.

Ms. Confrey received a B.A. from Yale University and an M.S. from Stanford University in Computer Science: Artificial Intelligence. She has written several case studies with Professor R. Henderson and a book on developing real-world expert systems. She was a recipient of the Ray Stata Outstanding Contributor Award for her work with CQM’s Technology and Product Strategy Group.