Scott Warren — Mentor profile, Title: Director, Business and Financial Operations, Company: Microsoft, Industry: Finance | Software | Tech, Mentor Type: Albers

Background

Job Description

I lead Business & Financial Operations for Microsoft's Copilot, Agents, and Platform (CAP) engineering organization, a large, globally distributed engineering and design team building AI-powered innovation across Microsoft 365, Dynamics 365 services, BizChat, Power Platform, Work IQ, Agent 365, and the agent runtime for the next era of work.

Our team runs the operational engine behind the organization: budgeting, forecasting, headcount strategy, reporting, data clarity, vendor management, and org transitions. In practice, that means making sure the numbers match reality, the right people get hired, and the important things don't get lost between HR, Recruiting, Finance, Legal, and the business.

A meaningful part of my work is University Recruiting and intern program operations, including placements, manager assignments, rotations, and onboarding readiness, plus financial education initiatives to grow the next generation of talent.

I spend most of my time now bringing AI into how business operations run. I build and test agents and workflows to automate work that used to depend on manual data pulls, copy/paste, status chasing, and repetitive analysis. My bias is simple: accuracy before speed, data that reflects reality, and automation that scales instead of manual steps that multiply.

 

Company Description

Microsoft's mission is to empower every person and every organization on the planet to achieve more. My organization, Copilot, Agents, & Platform, is at the center of the company's AI shift, building Copilot, WorkIQ, autonomous agents, and the low-code platforms (Power Platform, Copilot Studio) that millions of people and businesses use every day. It's a good vantage point for students curious about where AI is actually changing how work gets done, not just how it's talked about.

Employment History

I've been at Microsoft for 23 years working across products including the Xbox, Windows, Office, Power Platform, Copilot, Cowork, Dynamics 365, HoloLens, and incubation projects in engineering, business, and marketing roles. Previously, I've worked at National Bank of Alaska, Washington Mutual and Activision-Blizzard.

Education

MBA and BABA, majoring in Finance, both from Seattle University

No civic involvement entered

Mentoring Objectives & Scope

As a mentor, I can support students in the following: 
- Resume review, interview prep, LinkedIn branding
- Career exploration, matching interests and talents with professions and industries
- Student transition from college to first professional role
- Improved communication and interpersonal skills
- Development of leadership skills, confidence, and executive presence
- Career Pivot - transition to new role, career, and industry

Here is the agenda I usually follow for undergrads:
Dec: Meet and Greet, plan out the next 6 months
Jan: Resume review, start 5 year career plan
Feb: 5 Year career plan review #1
Mar: MS Lunch + Senior Leader meeting
Apr: Business lunch+ career plan review #2
May: Executive Speaker Series or business discussion

When and where do you hold meetings with your students?

100% in person. On or around the SU campus in late afternoons/evenings.

Additional Information

Alpha Kappa Psi