Changemaker Series: Andrea Tsingos

Welcome to Changemaker Stories from LOCAL - an ongoing series of personal interviews with leaders driving change across every industry and discipline. Because change shouldn’t mean going it alone.
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This week, we caught up with Andrea Tsingos, a seasoned executive who spent over two decades at Autodesk, leading through waves of transformation from internal change to global disruption. She reflects on scaling from 3,500 to over 13,000 employees, embracing ambiguity, and finding purpose after a bold career shift.

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We went from 3,500 employees to 13,000 and over $5 billion in revenue. That kind of scale is never linear. Sure, we experienced contractions during tough economic cycles like everyone else. But the biggest shifts came from the pace of technological innovation, the changing demographics of the workforce, and our own acquisition strategy. Change was constant—inside the company, among our customers, and across the globe.

After 25 years, I knew it was time for a change. I had just completed a major assignment and felt a strong pull to dedicate more time to volunteer and community efforts—the kind of work that had always fueled me. I didn’t know exactly what I wanted to do next, but I trusted that it would unfold. Ironically, that leap of faith brought me back full circle to Autodesk in a consulting role I never expected—but deeply value.

Plan, plan, plan—and then leap. Leaving a stable, structured environment can be terrifying. But if you’re too attached to predictability, you miss out on what could be. I didn’t have all the answers when I stepped away, but I was open. And that openness made room for opportunities I couldn’t have planned.

I’ve been both the driver and recipient of change. I supported international business transformation as an expat. I helped lead mergers and acquisitions. And I experienced the downstream effects of those changes in my own role. That dual perspective helped me build empathy—and strategy—for everyone impacted.

You can’t motivate people, but you can inspire them. Motivation comes from within. What leaders can do is create the right conditions—through culture, enablement, support, and leadership—that help people feel self-motivated. It’s about the environment you build, not just the goals you set.

People need to see themselves in the change. Whether through storytelling or clear processes, they need to know what’s in it for them. Help them visualize the future. And if there’s resistance, don’t brush it aside—dig in. Understand what’s behind the discomfort, and address it thoughtfully.

Trust is the ultimate change currency. Sometimes you can’t pre-socialize change due to confidentiality. That’s why your day-to-day credibility matters. Build those deposits in the trust bank so that when big shifts hit, your team has the resilience to absorb the impact.

Influence isn’t about having a title—it’s about having trust. The most impactful change agents often don’t sit in leadership roles. They’re the ones others naturally follow—whether in meetings, in Slack, or at the coffee machine, and their buy-in can make or break your strategy. Make sure they’re a part of the conversation.

Humility is an underrated leadership trait. It takes strength to be humble. When leaders approach change with curiosity instead of certainty, they create space for more honest dialogue and better outcomes.

Culture is the soil where change grows—or dies. If you want people to speak up, disagree, or offer ideas, you need a culture that makes that safe. Welcoming diverse perspectives isn’t just nice—it’s strategic. Listening deeply helps you mine insights that can shape a better path forward.

People learn differently, so communicate accordingly. Some absorb information visually, others through reading or discussion. Reach both the head and the heart. Don’t just send an email—connect emotionally.

Trust your instincts. Data is critical—surveys, engagement scores, and pulse checks all have their place—but if something feels off, don’t dismiss it. Gut instincts often surface the truths that numbers can’t fully capture.

Change is harder in a hybrid world, but not impossible. During COVID, I helped shape our hybrid philosophy. It forced us to get intentional about when and why we gather. In a dispersed workplace, connection doesn’t happen by accident—you have to plan for it.

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