Meet Martina an Adventure Seeking Director of Product Management.
Martina is a fitness enthusiast, lifelong learner, and adventure seeker who cannot wait to begin her global travels again.
Just about to celebrate her three years of service with Workhuman, Martina wasn’t always sure of what direction she wanted to take her career. When she originally graduated from college, she worked in Supply Chain Operations in fast-moving commerical goods. While she was there, she had the opportunity to work on a technical project which inspired her to return to college to study Information Technology. Since then, Martina has spent the past 14 years working in the technology industry.
You might have already guessed by now; Martina is an eternal student. In 2018 she undertook a postgraduate in Product Management which led to her Master’s. As part of the course, there was a project where Martina had to review various company’s cultures and values. During this study, Workhuman stood out to her. So much so that three years later, she is working here as the director of product management.
Product isn’t where she first began her Workhuman journey, though. Martina first started on our e-commerce team. In her own words, “Working on such a wide-reaching product that has a very complex backend was challenging and enjoyable at the same time. There was never a dull day and through the role I worked with so many people across the company including the e-commerce, operations, supply chain, finance and customer support.
Recently, I moved into the area of human engagement. Starting off with a small team, in the past few months we have quickly grown and have added the most wonderful humans. Some, like myself, have come from different areas of the company and are bringing a wealth of experience. Others are brand new and have brought fresh eyes and perspective to the team.”
Both inside and outside of work Martina is passionate about diversity, equity, inclusion(DE&I) in STEM. “I am an executive member of WITS Ireland (Women in Technology & Science) and also co-lead on the WITS events sub-committee where I lead the annual careers event for university STEM students. I was introduced to WITS by Andrea Johnson and from this have met so many new people. Being remote has opened up different opportunities for the organisation. I find the saying ‘It’s hard to be what you can’t see’ – absolutely true, so I enjoy sharing my story and helping people move into technology and product roles.”
Inside of work Martina is an active member of two employee resource groups (ERG’s): SPARKLE (Supporting Pride, Awareness, Recognition and Knowledge: LGBTQIA+ Employees and Allies) and Women & Allies. Being a part of these groups allows Martina to work closely with the Workhuman community to ensure that the groups are progressing the narrative and making meaningful progress.
“Some highlights of mine from my involvement with these groups are establishing the Virtual Coffees for Women & Allies over lockdown and taking part in a panel to discuss ‘LGBTQIA+ Visibility in the Workplace’ for SPARKLE.”
Martina has also placed in the top 3 in Workhuman Innovation – twice . Workhuman Innovation is an employee competition where our own humans can pitch ideas about our products, how we work or how we serve our customers. The groups then present to our leaders including our co-founder and CEO, Eric where a winner is announced and their idea is put into practice! “Being part of a company that celebrates innovation is fantastic especially when you see the level of ideas that are entered.”
“Since 2020, the need for products like ours has really grown. I work with an amazing team of people who are passionate about ensuring our users are engaged, informed, and get the best experience possible from our platform. Getting the right message to the right person at the right time. We take very opportunity possible to learn and iterate.
“This data-informed approach allows our users and clients to see first-hand how our products can boost employee engagement and performance, expand inclusion and connectedness, and empower employees and program teams. Everyone on the team is a leader in their area and has accountability for what they work on. Trust is the key thing. We are scaling like crazy so things are moving fast, and the team is growing.
“For anyone interested in moving into product, I suggest that they start to do their research. There are so many tools, free resources, and books available that shine a light on the area. Connecting with others and learning what their day to day looks like is important too. Product roles have many flavours so it’s important to learn to adapt.
Workhuman allows you to bring your full self to work. What you put in, you get out. There are so many ways to make an impact. Not even just in your role, but across the company – from the ERG’s to the sports groups to in-person and virtual events. I am also looking forward to Workhuman Live this year, where I will get to share human engagement insights with attendees through a fireside chat with one of our customers. Having the opportunity to speak at such a leading HR conference is going to be a career highlight for me.”
“Our human engagement team is making a huge impact and we have only just started!”
Without our humans, it’s just work.
We. Are. Workhuman.