Fran Maier

Fran Maier is Founder and Chair of the Board of TRUSTe. Since 1994, Fran has focused on building online brands and enhancing consumer trust online.
Fran joined TRUSTe in 2001 and drove the expansion of TRUSTe’s business, product portfolio and brand. Fran was instrumental in the policy and product development of TRUSTe's TRUSTed Download Program, TRUSTed Ads, and to TRUSTe's flagship web privacy seal program. In 2008, under her leadership, TRUSTe secured significant investment capital to transform TRUSTe from a non-profit industry association to a for-profit growth enterprise.

As a co-founder and general manager of Match.com, Fran established credibility, safety, and trust in online dating, making Match.com the leading online dating service. In executive marketing roles at Women.com and Kmart’s BlueLight.com subsidiary, Fran both established online start-up brands and brought blue-chip offline brands onto the Internet. Earlier in her career, she held brand management roles at the Clorox Company and California’s Automobile Association. In addition to her expertise in online privacy, she is also known for her expertise in brand building, online marketing, and marketing to women.

Fran speaks and writes widely on issues of online privacy, security, and trust and frequently represents TRUSTe in front of domestic and foreign regulatory audiences, including the Federal Trade Commission, Congressional committees, and foreign data protection commissioners.

In 2009, Fran won a Stevie Award for Women in Business for Best Executive in the category of Service Businesses with less than 100 employees. In 2010, AlwaysOn named Fran among the Top 25 Women in Tech to Watch in Silicon Valley. In 2011, San Francisco Business Times named Fran among the 150 Most Influential Women in Bay Area Business.

In addition to TRUSTe’s board, Fran serves on a number of Internet, community, and trust-related advisory boards. She is also active in mentoring women in technology.

Fran holds a BA and MBA from Stanford University and lives in San Francisco.