Shellye Archambeau
Shellye Archambeau | |
|---|---|
| Occupation(s) | Entrepreneur, Business executive |
| Years active | 1980s–present |
| Known for | Former CEO of MetricStream; first African American woman with an international assignment at IBM |
| Notable work | Unapologetically Ambitious; Marketing That Works (co-author) |
Shellye Archambeau is an American entrepreneur and the former chief executive officer of MetricStream, a governance, risk management, and compliance (GRC) firm headquartered in Palo Alto, California. Her career includes executive positions at multiple organizations, notably a 15-year period at IBM where she became the first African American woman to hold an international assignment. Archambeau also serves as a guest lecturer at her alma mater, the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. She is the author of Unapologetically Ambitious and co-wrote Marketing That Works. Additionally, Archambeau frequently contributes articles to Xconomy.
Early life and education
As the eldest of four siblings, Archambeau credits her competitive spirit to growing up with brothers and sisters close in age. During her early education, she participated in athletics but later concentrated on extracurricular clubs due to her height. She attended the Wharton School of Business and gained experience as a sales assistant at IBM while studying. Motivated by CEOs who began their careers in sales, she decided to pursue sales full-time after graduation.
Career
Following college, Archambeau dedicated 15 years to IBM, progressing through various leadership roles including heading IBM’s Asia Pacific public sector division—marking her as the company’s first African American woman with an international posting. Subsequently, she was president of Blockbuster’s e-commerce division, where she developed its online platform and was recognized among Internet World’s Top 25 Click and Mortar Executives.
Archambeau later joined NorthPoint Communications during its merger process with Verizon. After Verizon exited the deal, she stayed with NorthPoint until it sold certain assets to AT&T. Invited by Andy Rachleff from Benchmark Capital, she took on the role of chief marketing officer at Loudcloud before departing in 2002 to become CEO of Zaplet, Inc. She guided Zaplet through its 2004 merger with MetricStream and assumed leadership as CEO of the combined entity.
During her tenure at MetricStream, Archambeau held a board position at Arbitron from 2005 to 2013 and currently sits on the boards of Verizon Communications and Nordstrom Inc.
Awards and recognition
Throughout her professional journey, Archambeau has received numerous accolades. She was named one of Internet World’s Top 25 Click and Mortar Executives. Business Insider ranked her No. 11 on their 2014 list of 46 Most Important African-Americans in Technology and placed her No. 2 in their 2013 compilation of the 25 Most Influential African-Americans in Technology. She has also been honored as one of the 50 Most Important African Americans in Technology.