EMPLOYMENT HERO’S FIRST CHIEF PEOPLE OFFICER REVEALS WHY STARTUPS NEED PEOPLE CHAMPIONS

Hot on the heels of an $8 million Series B funding round, Cloud-based HR, payroll and benefits platform Employment Hero has recruited former Google executive Alex Hattingh as its inaugural Chief People Officer.

In Conversation with Dynamic Business, Hattingh – an HR specialist who has also served CBA, Yahoo!, St George Bank and Lendlease in senior roles – revealed what drew her to Employment Hero. She also discussed her plans for the Sydney-based HR tech company and the value Chief People Officers can generate for startups.

DB: What circumstances led you to join Employment Hero?

Hattingh: I implemented Employment Hero as our People & Culture platform in my prior role over three years ago, so I’ve known Ben Thompson (founder and CEO) and his company for a while now. Following the company’s series B capital raise, Ben started conversations with me about investing in the Chief People Officer role. The opportunity to head up People & Culture internally for a business with aggressive growth plans and a culture I knew was amazing was a perfect fit for me. I wanted to be part of it.

DB: What about the startup resonates with you?

Hattingh: As someone who values high engagement and performance, I’m drawn to organisations with a mission and a purpose that resonates with me on that level. Employment Hero’s mission is to transform how businesses manage their HR functions and so make employment easier for employers and more rewarding for employees. Moreover, with the financial rewards that we offer, we are providing all Australians who use our platform the opportunity to be better off financially. To be part of a company changing employment for Australians on such a large scale is very powerful. Read more

James Harkness - Dynamic Business - 6 Apr 2018