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Dr. Zara F. Larsen is President of The Larsen Group: Architects of Change, a private consulting firm dedicated to helping others unleash potential through transformational change. She is committed to repositioning organizations for breakthrough performance via individuals playing to their natural giftedness and motivated abilities. Zara’s passion lies in upending the status quo for sustainable system change, not just capturing point opportunities or resolving point issues – doing so with speed and process discipline.
Involved in a diverse set of client projects ranging from strategic talent acquisition campaigns to merger integrations, Zara also serves as an executive and career transition coach leveraging SIMA technology, the System for Identifying Motivated Abilities. She is the host of Tucson’s live FM talk radio show “Circles of Change: Conversations on Change Leadership and Career Fulfillment”, which is simultaneously web streamed at www.1041thetruth.com every Saturday 9-11:00 a.m. pst(12:00-2:00 est)
Formerly, Zara was Director of Enterprise Effectives for Raytheon Missile Systems, a division of the Raytheon Corporation, the world’s prominent developer of innovative missile systems for worldwide military customers. Program business planning, government certification deployment, and a large cadre of senior organizational development consultants reported to her there.
Prior to joining Raytheon, Zara was Director of Engineering for Hamilton Sundstrand, United Technologies Corporation, where she led 800 professionals responsible for all commercial and military aircraft engine electronic control and external engine systems. Zara joined UTC in 1994 as a member of the Otis Elevator Company’s worldwide executive team in Farmington, CT, leading the global development of innovative mechanical, electrical, power electronic and software components for full range transportation systems. She joined Pratt & Whitney in 1998 as Director of the Controls and Externals Product & Module Center, ultimately combining Connecticut and Florida Operations, and moving the center to Hamilton Sundstrand in 2002 to grow the integrated commercial and military systems business.
Zara spent three years as Vice President of Engineering for Branson Ultrasonics, a division of the Emerson Electric Company, prior to joining UTC. This firm is the global leader for ultrasonic plastic joining and precision cleaning equipment to service the automotive, medical device and packaging industries. Like her days at Otis, the multinational nature of the industry, customer and supply base leveraged and expanded upon her earlier career and educational experiences overseas.
Zara is actually a “professional product” of the US automotive industry, launching her career with General Motors Corporation during her undergraduate days at Purdue University, where she earned the BSME in 1979. From 1979 to 1991, Zara held progressively more responsible positions, beginning as a strategic product planner for Corvette, to being Assistant Chief Engineer for the Camaro/Firebird sports car program. She has worked extensively in Europe and speaks German fluently. During this phase of her career, Zara also earned the MS in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Michigan, and MS in Management from Stanford University as a Sloan Fellow. While at Raytheon, Zara participated in a cohort-based doctoral program for global leaders and in 2007 was awarded the doctor in management from Case Western Reserve University. Her research was on executive leaders and the role of social capital in high impact change.
Zara is a frequent guest speaker and panel participant at conferences. She is active philanthropically at Purdue University via several industry advisory committees, having formerly been a member of the Board of Trustees. Zara is on the doctoral faculty at the School of Management at Case Western Reserve University, is a Research Fellow at Babson College, and guest lecturer at the University of Arizona. She and her husband, Ted, and two children reside in Tucson, Arizona.
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