A Winding Path to People Leadership with Lorena Scott, CPO at Relay

In this podcast episode, Martin Hauck interviews Lorena Scott, a seasoned Chief People Officer, about her unconventional career journey, the influence of her father's resilience, and her insights on leadership and people operations. Lorena shares her experiences from investment banking to private equity, and ultimately to her current role at Relay, where she emphasizes the importance of culture, curiosity, and the impact of AI in the workplace. The conversation highlights the challenges and joys of scaling teams, navigating mergers and acquisitions, and the significance of serving small businesses.

 01:23 Introduction
 02:54 Lorena’s Unconventional Path to People Leadership
 04:49 Inspiration from Family and Early Aspirations
 06:25 Resilience and Reinvention: A Father’s Influence
 09:04 First Jobs and Early Career Experiences
 10:38 Investment Banking as a Learning Bootcamp
 13:28 Transition to Private Equity and Understanding Culture
 20:08 The Shift into People Operations
 23:38 Curiosity as a Key Leadership Trait
 26:10 Testing for Curiosity in Hiring
 28:27 Reflections on Executive Roles in People Ops
 29:57 Scaling, Global Growth, and Career Transitions
 31:53 Navigating Mergers and Acquisitions
 38:10 Finding Fulfillment in Work
 42:17 Scaling Culture While Growing Fast
 47:06 Embracing AI in People Operations
 52:03 Lessons Learned in People Leadership
 57:04 Final Career Advice and Closing Thoughts