C-Suite Conversation: Jill Larsen - CPO, Synopsis

Leading the world in the creation of silicon IP tools, AI tools, and chip-design tools, Synopsys is powered by 20,000 people around the world. Leading this global workforce is CPO Jill Larsen, who manages the growth and changes of the company on a day-to-day basis. With nearly 30 years of HR expertise in talent acquisition and HR leadership, Larsen is in her fourth CPO role at the six-billion-dollar public company. We connected with her to hear her perspectives on the future of the workplace, the value of mentorship, and how she manages such a huge – and international – workforce.

Jill Larsen leads a 20,000-person workforce at Synopsys

At 0:55, Larsen shares some hopes and visions for the future of the workforce, including continued improvements and automations in the devices and technology that we use. She’s keeping her eyes on AI’s evolution and the way it can increase the value we place on employees’ skills, while automating and augmenting other components of traditional job descriptions.

 At 3:32 she shares her perspectives on why mentorship is so important in the HR world. She explains how the scope of the HR leadership job has expounded in recent years, and emphasizes the value of talking through scenarios with a trusted partner.

At 5:55 Larsen reflects lessons she would have told her CHRO-self 15 years ago. Knowing what she knows now, she shares how she may have approached things differently – now with pragmatism, confidence, perspective, and yes, humor.

Lastly, at 8:00, she shares how she manages a 20,000-person workforce by approaching it through a lens of ‘personas’. Not only has the company nearly doubled in size in recent years, but the workforce demographics have shifted younger. With US-based leadership, and 80% of a workforce overseas, Larsen shares how she has had to put a lot of thought into workforce planning.