Alexandria Rickard, MBA
Alexandria Rickard, MBA is an accomplished People and Business Operations leader with over six years of experience in fast-paced startup environments. She has built a reputation for empowering employees, strengthening organizational culture, and driving operational excellence. Her career began in the hemp and CBD industry, where she developed a strong foundation in business operations, people management, and organizational effectiveness before transitioning into the financial technology sector.
Alexandria currently serves as Chief of Staff at Hiatus, a financial technology startup dedicated to democratizing financial advice and helping individuals achieve their financial goals. In this role, she acts as a strategic internal advocate, partnering closely with leadership teams to improve both employee and user experiences. She has held multiple leadership roles at Hiatus, including Head of People Operations and Community Manager, where she led initiatives in employee engagement, people development, labor and employment compliance, and performance management. In addition to her corporate work, Alexandria is the founder of Your Corporate Bestie, a platform designed to provide guidance, mentorship, and support to professionals navigating their careers.
Alexandria holds both a Bachelor of Business Administration and a Master of Business Administration from the University of North Carolina at Pembroke. She is passionate about challenging the status quo, fostering inclusive workplace cultures, and building scalable people systems that support business growth. With a people-first leadership philosophy, she continues to drive meaningful impact across organizational strategy, talent development, and business operations, while helping others thrive through her mentorship and thought leadership at Your Corporate Bestie.
• Cannabis Consultant Training
• Cannabis Product & Sales Training
• Extraction & Concentrates Fundamentals
• Professional Interpening
• Specialized Certificate in Culinary Cannabis and Edibles
• Cannabis Master Certificate
• Google Analytics Certification
• University of North Carolina at Pembroke - BBA
• University of North Carolina at Pembroke - MBA
What do you attribute your success to?
I attribute my success to resilience, setting healthy boundaries, listening to myself, and trusting my instincts.
What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
The best career advice I’ve received is that everything worth doing will feel scary at first, and that fear is often a sign you’re on the right path. I’ve learned to push through that discomfort, trust myself, and persevere, knowing that growth and success come from taking courageous steps even when the outcome is uncertain.
What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
I would advise young women entering the industry to be fearless trust your abilities, speak up with confidence, and pursue opportunities boldly, even when they feel challenging.
What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
The values most important to me in both my work and personal life are the ability and willingness to compromise, along with having the courage to take a stand between right and wrong. I believe in collaboration, fairness, and integrity, and I strive to make thoughtful, principled decisions while respecting different perspectives.