Merline Saintil

Merline Saintil is a technology and business leader with extensive experience assisting both privately held and Fortune 500 companies, including Intuit, Yahoo, PayPal, Adobe, Joyent, and Change Healthcare in developing global award-winning products. A former software engineer and COO, she has taken six companies through their IPOs and is an active investor in numerous ventures shaping the future of work, e-commerce, and technology.

Saintil has a proven track record of scaling high-performing teams and leading large-scale transformation initiatives for software (B2B and B2C) companies. She strategically positions herself at the forefront of emerging technologies as a change management leader, excelling in challenging environments with a calm and steady approach.

As a respected member of the CXO community and an active board member, Saintil is frequently featured as a speaker and quoted in major publications such as The Wall Street Journal, Forbes, and Fortune. She was recognized by Business Insider as #6 of the 22 Most Powerful Women Engineers in the World, honored as a Women of Influence 2017 by Silicon Valley Business Journal, and received a Lifetime Achievement Award by Girls in Tech. Saintil is a co-founder of Black Women on Boards, an organization dedicated to advancing Black women into corporate boardrooms.

Saintil is also a passionate STEM advocate, focusing on mentoring emerging leaders and bolstering women and girls in leadership and technology roles. She serves as the lead independent director of Rocket Lab and advises the C-suite as a board member and committee chair at GitLab, Symbotic, Lightspeed Commerce, and TD Synnex. Additionally, she sits on the boards of Banner Corporation and Nav Inc., where she contributes expertise in cyber risk and technology trends.

Originally from Haiti, Saintil holds a bachelor's degree from Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University and a master's degree in software engineering from Carnegie Mellon University. Her speaking engagements span conferences, corporate meetings, and industry conventions where she tailors her presentations to meet the specific needs of her audience.