The Markkula Center for Applied Ethics is pleased to welcome Jim Welsh, technology executive, as the newest member of the Ethics Center Advisory Board. The Advisory Board consists of esteemed members from the off-campus community who offer valuable guidance from an external perspective, and contribute ideas for event planning, fundraising, and external communications for the Center.
Welsh's involvement with the Ethics Center began in 2019 as an adviser on the creation of the Center's Institute for Technology, Ethics, and Culture (ITEC). ITEC has developed an actionable framework for companies that want to establish and operationalize codes of ethical technological conduct.
Welsh recently retired from Western Digital where he was Senior Vice President & General Manager, Consumer Market. Welsh led development and execution of the strategy to scale the company’s consumer business worldwide. Under his leadership and P&L accountability, the consumer business grew, and he played a critical role in the company’s significant growth trajectory.
Welsh developed broad risk and crisis management expertise and perspective as he led the consumer business from start-up to scale. His tenure included addressing business challenges which included cyber threats, technological changes, economic cycles, and the global pandemic.
A native of the United States and France, Welsh has a bachelor’s degree in Organizational Behavior & Management from Brown University and a French baccalaureate from the Collège Stanilas Paris. He speaks fluent English, French, and Spanish.
Welsh is a Bay Area resident, and enjoys his family, pets, active sports, and serving his church.
“Jim Welsh has been an integral part of our ITEC (Institute for Technology, Ethics and Culture) which has produced a handbook and valuable resources for technology companies wanting to work toward the common good,” said Ethics Center Executive Director Don Heider.
Heider and the rest of Ethics Center staff welcome Welsh’s guidance and look forward to incorporating his expertise in business management to future Ethics Center work.
Grace Woidat ‘25, communications and French studies major and marketing and communications intern at the Markkula Center for Applied Ethics, contributed to this story.