Our Lead(H)er series features impressive women leaders in the tech industry. In this Q&A, we are featuring Sofia Kaufman, Chief People Officer at Aura.
Where did you grow up and how would you describe yourself as a child?
I was born in Riga, Latvia and moved to Brookline when I was a little girl; haven’t left Massachusetts since. I was pretty shy as a child, I liked to observe the world around me and catalog my observations. Sports helped me come out of my shell and I quickly found my immensely competitive nature.
What did you study in college and what was your first job out of school?
I studied Economics in college. While in college I worked at a retail banking branch. Graduated and quickly realized that wasn’t for me and found a job at a comp consulting firm.
Can you share the details on your career path and what were the critical moments that got you to where you are today?
I’m definitely one of those people that are in HR that never thought they would be in HR. I enjoyed telling stories with data and found my way to compensation consulting. I quickly realized that family and billable hours required to excel in consulting 20 years ago didn’t mix and found my way to the corporate world.
My first corporate job was on the compensation team at what was then Genzyme. It opened my eyes to what a great and respected people function looks like. How partnering with the business through creative and effective programs, strong organizational design and an enduring culture help to drive results. After Genzyme, I worked my way up the ladder in the tech industry. First in compensation, then broader total rewards, and then to Chief People Officer.
I don’t know if there were specific critical moments in my career or just the journey overall that has placed me where I am. I have been and continue to be incredibly fortunate to work with and for some pretty amazing leaders and have hopefully picked up a bit of their strengths along the way. For example, I learn from Hari Ravichandran, the CEO of Aura, every single day. His insights on category creation, deep knowledge of the capital markets, and drive for growth have taught me endless lessons for which I will always be grateful.
What is your current role and responsibilities?
I am currently the Chief People Officer of Aura - an intelligent digital safety company. We are on a mission to create a safer internet. I lead a team of amazing people that are responsible for shepherding our awesome people-first culture, attract and retain our greatest resource - our talent, and ensure we are helping our employees grow and they in turn power Aura’s growth.
Looking back, is this where you thought you’d be professionally? Was it always your goal to be in this position?
I always thought I would be in leadership, but definitely not in HR. When I first started college I thought I would go into medicine or the sciences, like the rest of my family. Freshman year chemistry was a humbling experience and I quickly pivoted to economics. I found that I love telling stories with data and then using that data to make immediate impacts. I eventually found my way to compensation consulting. When I transitioned to the corporate world I worked for some of the best CHROs/CPOs in the game. I saw the immense impact that they had on organizations and have been inspired ever since.
For people who are looking to be in a similar position, what advice would you give to others in terms of helping them achieve their career goals?
Two things both equally important:
- Never turn down any opportunity to learn about the business. People functions are so critically important to the success of any organization. But if we are not aware of how an organization ticks, the long term goals of the organization and how people and people strategy align to those goals, then there is no point.
- You don’t need to know everything to do the job. Many times people (especially women) think that because they don’t meet every qualification on the job spec that they are not ready. Most people are willing to help you if you are willing to ask questions.
What are the most important skills that you need to do your job well?
- Empathy above all else. Building people programs requires one to be able to recognize that people are ultimately driven by emotions and to understand various perspectives of any given situation/program and its impact.
- Growth mindset for everything: self, team, company. It's super easy to get comfortable in past accomplishments, but the best feeling is when you keep pushing to level up. It's contagious and makes everyone around do the same.
- Sounds cliche, but being strategic. It's very easy for the People function to just do the HR things because it's what the calendar says to do or because that's what the proverbial HR playbook prescribes. But truly using people and org decisions to drive business outcomes is critical to success.
- Being very comfortable in the abstract. People don’t fit into neat little boxes - nor should they.
What do you find most interesting/rewarding about your work? What’s the most challenging?
The answer to all of the above is the people. It is so rewarding to work with the smartest, kindest, most interesting people in the industry.
Building culture is challenging, hard, and incredibly rewarding work. There is no one size fits all, so keeping everyone happy is impossible. The magic is when most of the pieces start to work together and create a rocketship like the one we have at Aura.
Q&A
What do you enjoy doing in your free time?
Spending time with my family is tops. I’m a workout junky: hiking, running, yoga, gym sessions.
How do you manage stress?
Staying active for sure. Also sleep; I’m famous for my early bedtime, but it truly is important.
How many cups of coffee do you have in a day?
Zero. I am trying to break a decades-long dependency and sticking to tea.
Any book or podcast recommendations?
I love the Pivot podcast. Always pick up interesting tidbits of info about the world there.
What advice do you have for recent college graduates?
Network, network, network. You never know when you might find your next boss, mentor, or ally.
