Fran Grigsby, Founder and Managing Principal

Fran Grigsby, Founder and Managing Principal of Next Level International, established the firm based on her 25 years experience leading technology companies through critical growth challenges. Previously, she was Senior Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of GigaNet, a successful startup acquired by Emulex. She joined GigaNet as its fourth employee and played a leadership role in venture financing, corporate alliances and company launch.

As Vice President of Enterprise Networks for Motorola, Grigsby managed and developed new networking businesses. Earlier, she held senior positions at Digital Equipment Corporation, where she doubled revenue from an award-winning business and formed two new product lines. She has also held management positions with the American Red Cross and the U.S. Postal Service. Harvard Professor Rosabeth Moss Kanter featured Grigsby as an innovative leader in her bestseller “The Change Masters”, and the videotape series “Management Speaks” highlighted her as an outstanding technology manager. She speaks and writes frequently on management topics.

Grigsby holds MBA and BA degrees from Vanderbilt University and received an Executive Certificate at INSEAD Graduate School of Management in France. She serves on the Boards of Directors of the Massachusetts Network Communications Council, the British American Business Council and United Cerebral Palsy.