My experience
Hi, I’m Maria! I’ve built a career working in high-growth tech startups, developing people processes & frameworks and building culture. My favourite part is the journey from Series A to C and headcounts 30-250. I was the first people leader at GoCardless, Monzo, Snyk and Permutive. I’m currently VP People at Griffin. My focus is on developing human-first structures that make work an enjoyable place to be, and as fulfilling as possible – and growing teams quickly, healthily and deliberately!
I have a theory that most people quit their jobs either because of HR failings, or for reasons that modern people practices could mitigate (e.g. having an ill-equipped or unqualified manager). The role of a people team is to centre people’s experience of work, and design each of these experiences to be positive and useful for both the business and the individual. Through this, we can build successful businesses and develop highly talented, engaged individuals.
I have comprehensive experience in
Candidate experience, Career framework, Company community, Company culture, Compensation, Diversity and Inclusion, Employee engagement, Employee experience, Employee Value Proposition (EVP), Feedback, Flexible working, Hiring, Internal comms, Interviewing, People Management, Managing underperformance, Onboarding, One-to-ones, Performance reviews, Progression, Recruiting, Rewards & benefits, Surveys, Team building, Terminations, Trust, Values
I have intermediate-level experience in
Being agile, Burnout, Change Leadership, Decision-making, Events & offsites, Failure, L&D, Leadership, Meetings & Facilitation, Org design, Remote working, Wellbeing
I have experience working in
Size of companies
11-500.
Stage of funding of companies
Series A, Series B, Series C.
Stage of growth of companies
Creating a team, Growing really quickly.
Countries
I’m based in London and have experience working in London-HQ’s of international companies with offices in Israel & the US.
Language
English.
Type of support I offer
Advice or mentoring.
Coaching.
My working style
I’m discursive – I like to listen to understand before offering advice; I’m collaborative rather than directive; I’m up front when I don’t know but together we can work it out. I have high EQ, highly developed listening skills, a bias to pragmatism, and I focus on outcomes.
My other interests
I spend most of my free time reading fiction, painting & making art, spending time in green spaces in the city. I love puzzles, trying new things, and understanding what drives other people.
