 I believe organizations that want to attract female talent need to have women advocates within the organization to authentically share their experiences.
— Gianna Driver, chief people officer, BlueVine
As the chief people officer of BlueVine, Gianna Driver leads the fintech company’s global human resources teams and works with leaders to craft organizational culture that is human-centric and celebrates achievement, diversity, and growth. Driver believes that excellence begins by setting clear objectives, working diligently toward those goals, measuring success, and then iterating. In the words of Peter Drucker, “If you can’t measure it, you can’t improve it.â€.
In this edition of HR Talk Women in HR series, Driver talks about her roots and life experiences and how they brought something different and meaningful to the boardroom discussions. She also highlights how BlueVine’s ‘Diversity & Inclusion Council’ a women-focused affinity group tracks the company’s progress on female talent and diverse hiring.
Key Takeaways on How To Empower Women in HR:
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- Have strong women leaders in top positions.
- Create awareness and advocacy for female talent.
- Encourage mentorship for female employees.
Here’s the edited transcript from our exclusive interview with Gianna Driver:
1. How do you view diversity, inclusion, and equity in your organization today? What are some of the challenges you encountered as a leader at the nascent stages of your career?
Since I joined the company in 2019, our initiatives have come a long way, however they are still works-in-progress. We, like many other organizations are honest in our admission that there’s always room to grow — progress isn’t linear and can take time.
The Unconscious Bias workshops, we have rolled out, raise awareness. The diverse hiring, we have implemented have helped us look more like our communities. The BlueVine Diversity & Inclusion Council continues to keep us honest in reviewing and celebrating our progress, but the work continues.
— Gianna Driver, chief people officer, BlueVine
In terms of challenges, I encountered as a leader in the nascent stages of my career, I would say my biggest limiting factor was myself. I felt like I didn’t belong at a company accomplishing “big things.†There were voices in my head that told me I wasn’t good enough, didn’t deserve that type of success, and would never make it out of the impoverished community into which I’d been born. But with time, the endless love from my family and friends, and through deep personal work, I began to slowly step into my power.
I realized that as a Filipina woman, I was different from many of the people in executive conferences and boardrooms, and that was okay; in fact, it was a reason for celebration. My very roots and life experiences brought something different and meaningful to these tables. It is this type of diversity and belonging I strive to help create at BlueVine. We’re well on our way.
2. Which initiatives at BlueVine have empowered the women at your workplace? How did you measure the success of these initiatives?
Having strong women leaders in top positions, creating awareness and advocacy, and encouraging mentorship are just some of the most effective initiatives we have at BlueVine.
When women are successful, everyone is successful. Women take others with them as they break glass ceilings and chart new courses that are more inclusive and equitable.
— Gianna Driver, chief people officer, BlueVine
Our #OneBlueVine internal initiatives have helped us increase the representation of women at BlueVine, and our BlueVine Diversity & Inclusion Council has a women-focused affinity group that helps us track progress and come up with new programs. We also regularly conduct internal surveys to measure engagement and success.
3. In your opinion, what is the best way to create a culture that helps to retain and engage its diverse and inclusive talent?
One of the most effective ways to create a diverse, inclusive culture is to have internal advocates and champions. Empower these individuals, help them find their voice, and celebrate them and their causes. These actions create a culture where people feel safe to be themselves.
This journey has not been an easy one and we have made mistakes along the way. I’ve learned that while employees don’t always expect perfection, they do expect honesty, awareness, and progress. It’s important to always recognize your mistakes when they’re brought up, learn from and create a dialogue about them, and communicate authentically with your employees as you work together to do better.
Also read: Empowering Women in HR: Q&A With Donna Kimmel, Chief People Officer, Citrix
4. Programs designed to increase diversity and inclusion in the workplace often fail, according to the Harvard Business Review’s 2016 articleOpens a new window . What concrete steps should leaders take who are seeking to include female talent as an important part of their recruiting strategy?
It’s true that simply having a diversity program or a “check-the-box†approach isn’t sustainable or effective. I believe organizations that want to attract female talent need to have women advocates within the organization to authentically share their experiences, and active allies of all genders who also value inclusivity and diversity. A robust communication plan that shares these accomplishments with prospective candidates is also imperative.
Our BlueVine Diversity & Inclusion Council has helped us engage people throughout the organization in “women’s initiatives†and created more accountability. Updating our job descriptions to be more diverse and investing in hiring platforms that target women and diverse talent, like Pink Jobs, Afrotech, Techqueria, and Tech Ladies, has further amplified our ability to attract and recruit women.
— Gianna Driver, chief people officer, BlueVine
Also read: Why an HBCU Recruitment Strategy Is the Pillar of Diversity Hiring: Q&A With PwC
5. Which are the top 3 tools, skills, and mindset women in HR need to embrace today to succeed in the workplace?
When I think about the toolkit needed for success, these three items come to mind:
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- Keep your “eyes on the sparrow,†and as we make progress, maintain your resiliency. Change takes time. Continue pushing for equality, inclusion, and belonging, celebrate the wins, and do not be discouraged by the setbacks. We are part of a sea change that started well before us.
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- Be yourself and embrace being a woman. I hear stories about women who have had to become “more masculine†to succeed, and my heart hurts. Be who you are. It is the world that needs to adjust to women being equal, not women who need to adjust to an unequal world. The greatest gifts we can offer come when we are true to ourselves.
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- Bring others with you as you succeed. We stand on the shoulders of giants, and as we accomplish and break those glass ceilings, let us remember to mentor, to inspire, and to hold up other women and minorities. When one of us rises, we all rise.
About Gianna DriverOpens a new window :
Gianna Driver is the chief people officer of BlueVineOpens a new window , a fintech company empowering small businesses with innovative banking and financing solutions. She has a passion for helping organizations scale by creating diverse ecosystems that enable employees to unlock their full potential. Responsible for leading global human capital strategies, Gianna brings over 15 years of executive management experience in small, large, private, and public global companies.
About BlueVineOpens a new window :
BlueVine provides small and medium-sized businesses with fast and simple access to financial services built with them in mind. BlueVine’s advanced online platform is intuitive and offers a convenient solution for business’ banking and working capital needs. BlueVine offers a suite of products designed to meet the diverse financial needs of today’s business owners including BlueVine Business Checking, Payments, Line of Credit, and Invoice Factoring. Based in Redwood City, California, BlueVine has provided small and medium-sized businesses with access to more than $8 billion in financing and is backed by leading private and institutional investors, including Lightspeed Venture Partners, Menlo Ventures, 83North, Citi Ventures, SVB Capital, Rakuten, Nationwide Insurance, and M12 (Microsoft’s Venture Arm). All lines of credit and term loan products are issued by Celtic Bank, a Utah-chartered Industrial Bank, Member FDIC.
About HR Talk
HR Talk is an interview series that features top people and talent leaders from HR tech and Fortune 500 companies who are redefining the future of work. Join us as we talk to these HR tech and people analytics experts to get in-depth insights, and some pro-tips on how HR tech can best work for you and your people. If you are a people expert and wish to share your thoughts, write to [email protected]Opens a new window .
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