508: Tackling GDPR Compliance & Building a Strategic HR Team
I recently discovered an HR Tech company called PeopleDoc that began life in Paris but is now growing rapidly in the US with high profile clients that include Nestle, GoDaddy, and Starbucks.
At PeopleDoc they also encourage businesses to "Join the global movement to be better by being digital." I wanted to find out more about their approach and how they are helping over 800 clients from all over the world prepare for the arrival of GDPR.
We also discuss how Aasonn recently partnered with PeopleDoc to further SAP® SuccessFactors® By providing a complete HR Service Delivery Platform Joint Customers Increase HR Agility and Deliver Better Employee Experience.
About the guest
Clément Buyse is the co-founder and President of PeopleDoc and has the difficult job of making HR easier. He holds a Master's degree in Science from l'Ecole des Mines de Nancy in Business from HEC Paris. Clement is also in charge of R&D, product strategy, product lifecycle, and technical operations. He is fueled by innovation and his mission is to offer high-value solutions for the HR community. His number one metric is customer satisfaction.
In 2001, Walker Sands set out to make an impression on businesses and the world alike. That mission prevails, as evidenced by their longstanding partnerships and expansion from Chicago to San Francisco and, most recently, Seattle.
In the past two decades, they've cultivated a culture that prioritizes collaboration. While other agencies have struggled to bring PR and digital services together, they have made it their foundation.
This approach has paid off. The company is a six-time Inc. 5000 honoree that has grown revenues 194 percent over the last six years. These numbers are the result of a thriving culture, which Inc., Crain’s Chicago Business and Entrepreneur have recognized in their best places to work rankings.
Annie Gudorf is a partner and Senior Account Director at Walker Sands Communications and leads the firm's Seattle office which is fastest growing tech hub in the US.
Outside of focusing on growing Walker Sands' presence in Seattle and across the West Coast, she manages a talented team in the agency's enterprise software/professional services practice area with the goal of delivering creative and strategic programs for clients.
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nH7r_RUXWRU
Synergis, a globally focused technology venture capital firm whose existing investments include SMIC, WuXi AppTec, eSign, etc., launched its flagship Venture Fund I earlier this year. In addition to sectors such as SaaS, Biotech, and Consumer, the fund also has a dedicated Crypto/Blockchain strategy that has already allocated to six seed-stage funds and made one direct investment.
Synergis is set to launch Shanghai-based “Synergis LaunchPad” to assist portfolio GPs and companies in expanding founder-sourcing and community-building capabilities throughout Asia.
Jerry Shi is also a crypto evangelist and investor based in Toronto and New York. He institutionalized Synergis Capital with a strong team based on his differentiated model and track record with family assets and managed SPVs. I invited him on the podcast to learn more about his story.
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hlqw445JQwU
Denis O’Shea joins me on Tech Talks Daily in a discussion about securing remote workers using their personal devices. We also talk about balancing security with employee experience, and he shares a few tips around running a paper-less, server-less, password-less business. Finally, I learn more about the story behind Mobile Mentor. Denis O’Shea founded Mobile Mentor in New Zealand in 2004. Since then, the company has helped millions of people unlock the full potential of their technology. In 2017, O’Shea moved to Nashville, Tennessee to launch the company’s US business, with a focus on securing the mobile workforce in industries such as healthcare, education, finance, and government services.
Mobile Mentor is a global leader in the endpoint ecosystem, helping clients navigate the right balance between security and employee experience. The company was named Microsoft’s 2021 Global Partner of the year for Modern Endpoint Management primarily for their work helping Alive Hospice safely treat patients during COVID 19.
In addition to being a top Microsoft partner, they are also certified by Apple and Google. In addition, mobile Mentor has recently worked with Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Michigan Medicine, Mayo Clinic, and the US Coast Guard.
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JCNbBodKVv4
Mark McClain, CEO, and Co-founder, SailPoint, has over 20 years of experience developing and leading innovative technology companies. Under Mark’s direction, SailPoint has grown from a collection of fresh ideas into a publicly recognized leader in the identity management software market.
Mark recently released his first book Joy and Success at Work, which delves into his history and experience as a tech entrepreneur; navigating complex market conditions, boards, IPOs and scaling; trying to disrupt an industry while ensuring a strong culture for employees; how to embrace key employees’ exits and why long-term success starts with hiring.
When it comes to starting up and scaling, Mark stresses the importance of building your core team: the first twenty-five to fifty people you hire are critical to future success not only from a business perspective but also from a cultural perspective. Think about building a company like a construction project – you have to lay a strong foundation first as everything that follows will rest on top.
I invited Mark onto Tech Talks Daily talk about all of this and also discuss some of the core concepts he explores within his book.
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KOTAhZzQ4mw
Owl Labs is a software-led hardware company dedicated to creating a better workplace experience for today's hybrid workforce of remote and in-office employees in over 20,000 businesses. The Meeting Owl is the first intelligent all-in-one 360° video conferencing device that combines video and audio to simplify your meeting set up.
The company's products use emerging technology such as artificial intelligence to bring teams together for better work. While focused on its core hardware, the company is developing advanced software technology to reinvent the conference room ecosystem and make it smart.
The Meeting Owl product line is driven by Owl Labs' proprietary Owl Intelligence System™. While sitting in the center of the table, it uses vision and voice recognition to automatically shift the camera to focus on whoever is speaking.
This creates a fully immersive experience for those who can't be on site. Both products are compatible with all popular video conferencing platforms (i.e. Zoom, Google Meet, Skype for Business, etc.) and accessible to nearly all businesses at a sub $1,000 price point.
Frank Weishaupt is the CEO at Owl Labs, creator of the smart conferencing camera Meeting Owl. Weishaupt previously served as SVP of Sales at CarGurus and played an instrumental role in the company' company's growth, leading to a successful IPO in October 2017.
Before joining CarGurus, Weishaupt served as Chief Operating Officer at Jumptap, leading to an acquisition by Millennial Media. He also served in executive roles at Yahoo! and Criteo, which had a successful IPO in 2013.
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4yjejplzJfs
Chancellor Rishi Sunak recently published his 2020 Spending Review and kicked off the new £5bn UK Gigabit Broadband Programme. Even though the promise of full-fiber is great for 85% of the population by 2025, it’s imperative it’s delivered, so the whole country has access to it.
To help accomplish that, Zen has focused on full-fibre for 2021 and upgraded its core network. Paul Stobart, CEO, Zen Internet, the UK’s largest independent telecommunications and technology service provider, joins me on the Tech Talks Daily Podcast.
Paul has been in the technology industry for over 20 years, 16 of those years being in CEO positions at Sage (business software), CPP (financial services), and Tunstall Healthcare (healthcare technology), and has developed a strong belief that having inspired people inside a business will deliver superior financial returns.
We discuss why full-fibre is key to the growth of the UK in 2021 for businesses and what other tech investing in full-fibre enables for companies. Paul also shares how Zen is investing in its core network to allow every customer to access full-fibre and why he left a multi-national company like Sage, where he grew the company from £120m turnover to £1.3bn, to join Zen.
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=73h1Pcz3A1U
The case for diversity in the workplace is straightforward: it's the right thing to do, and numerous studies suggest it can drive better business performance, too. For example, a 2018 report found that gender-diverse executive teams, which make the most important strategic and operational decisions, were correlated with profitable outcomes across geographies; and companies with the most ethnically/culturally diverse boards worldwide are 43% more likely to experience higher profits.
However, an organization might consider its workforce "diverse," but that doesn't mean all employees feel valued or are given the same opportunities. Far too often, because of unconscious bias, inclusivity is left out of the equation.
In the past, unconscious bias was often perceived as subjective or circumstantial versus a larger systemic issue. Now, rather than taking action against an individual, emerging technologies are empowering business leaders to analyze the different ways that diversity and inclusion are hindered at a foundational level and inspire action to remove those factors from the equation.
The team at Knockri, for instance, understands the detrimental effects unconscious bias has on applicants and organizations—and has designed a suite of AI-powered behavioral assessments that help eliminate these issues and shortlist the best-fit job candidates to interview during the early screening process of hiring.
Knockri's CEO, Jahanzaib Ansario joins me in a conversation about how tech can foster great inclusivity in the workplace.
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cRUvtV46tC0
In today's episode, we're joined by James Brundage from Ernst & Young to unravel the dynamic shifts and significant trends in the technology mergers and acquisitions sector for 2023. Why was technology singled out as the EY M&A Sector of the Year? Amidst a landscape marked by economic turbulence and evolving market demands, technology has not only rebounded but has also carved new paths for strategic growth and innovation in M&A activities.
During our discussion, James sheds light on the factors that fueled a resurgence in tech M&A activities, particularly in the latter half of 2023. From AI-driven transformations in company strategies and operations to the burgeoning importance of cybersecurity in transaction considerations, we delve into how these elements are reshaping acquisition priorities.
Moreover, the conversation explores the significant role of private equity in navigating the current valuation landscape, highlighting how investment strategies are adapting to capitalize on emerging opportunities.
James also provides insights into the headwinds and tailwinds affecting the sector. With geopolitical tensions, regulatory challenges, and financial conditions dictating the pace and nature of deals, what strategies are firms adopting to thrive? And how is the CHIPS Act influencing investment trends, especially in semiconductors and related technologies?
As we look ahead, what can we expect for tech M&A in 2024? Are we poised for an upturn in deal volumes and values, and how might emerging technologies like generative AI influence future M&A landscapes?
Join us as we explore these intricate dynamics with James Brundage, uncovering how today's challenges are paving the way for tomorrow's opportunities in the tech sector. What do you think the future holds for technology M&A? Share your thoughts and join the conversation.
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ImIQU0_d8I4