Her Story
About Lorraine
Lorraine Thompson is a Senior Service Management Consultant at Capgemini with more than 20 years of experience in IT, specializing in cloud infrastructure services, IT Service Management, and large-scale technology transformation. In her current role, she works with organizations to modernize and migrate legacy environments into newer technologies while improving efficiency, service delivery, and operational performance across enterprise systems.
Lorraine’s career began at the University of Minnesota, where she worked as an administrative assistant and volunteered to support early IT initiatives by assembling laptops and desktops and training users—an experience that launched her transition into technology. She later joined 3M, starting in corporate IT training before advancing into infrastructure leadership roles managing servers and software environments. Her experience spans multiple industries, including insurance (St. Paul Travelers and Blue Cross Blue Shield), manufacturing (3M), and higher education (Kennesaw State University), where she has served in roles such as data center manager, business analyst, and corporate trainer.
Throughout her career, Lorraine has been recognized for her strengths in process improvement, training, and operational leadership. She is a Six Sigma Black Belt and received a Georgia Governor’s Award for Process Improvement for reducing the onboarding process from nearly two weeks to approximately three days. She has also led technical and leadership training programs for IT professionals and higher education faculty. She credits mentorship from Nancy Fuennfinger as an important influence in her professional development. Her work is guided by a focus on continuous improvement, collaboration, and practical problem-solving, with an emphasis on efficiency, teamwork, and treating people with respect in high-pressure environments.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Lorraine
01What do you attribute your success to?
I would say understanding who I am and understanding that I know I would want to be treated a certain way, so I'm going to treat others in the way I would want to be treated. It kind of goes back to the golden rule. Regardless of what their demeanor is, never match negative energy. If it's a negative person, don't match that energy. Stay positive. No matter what it is that you're dealing with, stay positive. It's not productive to match negative energy at all.
02What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
I would say find your passion. What do you love to do? If it's in technology, what do you love to do? And then beyond that, stay current. I'm a lifelong learner. Stay current, understand the customer needs. Think ahead about and anticipate what they may need. That's advice I would definitely share with anybody, either in the field already, or wanting to get into the field of IT.
03What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
Find your passion. What do you love to do in technology? Stay current because I'm a lifelong learner and that's so important in IT. Understand the customer needs and think ahead to anticipate what they may need. Keep up with the latest trends that are applicable for the client you're working for. As a consultant, we're the experts, so we need to make sure we understand the client goals. Be willing to learn if it's something you don't understand. Be flexible, open-minded, and willing to roll with the flow. Treat everybody the way you would want to be treated. Stay calm even under pressure and work with your team to talk the client through whatever situation arises. Teamwork and collaboration are very important because we're only as strong as our team.
04What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
The biggest challenges I face are short timelines and lack of sufficient budget. I've also had to deal with economic shifts that affect employees. I've been through about three major downsizings from companies, so no matter how hard you work, if there's an economic shift, you have to deal with that and bounce back. Being flexible, open-minded, and willing to learn are essential to rolling with the tide and the flow.
05What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
Honesty and integrity are at the top of my list. The company I work for has those as two of their core values as well. Ethics and adhering to ethics are very important to me. Being approachable and collaborative matter a lot. Being a team player and exercising leadership skills when necessary, even if you're not in leadership, is important. Understanding how to work in difficult situations to resolve issues is also a key value I hold.
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