Natalie Robichaud

I attribute my success to my family - my amazing husband, two kids, my parents, and my extended family, who have always supported me wherever I am in my career. Whether that's attending leadership summits or HR conferences, or being on the leadership team here and knowing that I sometimes have some long days, they've always been there for me. They also supported me when I took time off to raise my kids and then when I decided to get back to work, because I do love my job. I love what I've done, and I love that I had the time off, but I'm really thankful that I was able to do that and learn from that. I'm now back at work and really flourishing in my role.

The best career advice I've ever received is to go out and try the hard things, the things or do the things that aren't as glamorous. Sometimes you learn a lot from getting your hands dirty, and especially in HR, doing the things that maybe aren't as popular, but they are a way to learn and to move forward and grow in your career.

Being in the manufacturing industry and startups is challenging for a woman. It's exciting, but a lot of times, I am the only woman leader in the room, which means I do have to speak up and make myself known. But it is great to find a company that has leaders that appreciate my background. So when you're interviewing, look for those types of people that want more women in the leadership circle. Really strive to find those types of organizations, and be yourself, and just say what you think is most important - what you need and what you think the company needs.

I think being in a startup is very challenging. I'm trying to hire great people to join the organization, and it's definitely hard. Some people don't want to take those risks to come join us, even though I think it's a very rewarding type of organization. So that's a challenge for me professionally - getting the right people in. Even as I said before, I am many times the only woman in the room with the leadership. We only have about 5 or 6 women here, so I think that's challenging to make sure that everybody's viewpoints and stuff like that are being heard. I will say I'm very fortunate to have leaders that do appreciate my perspective and want to bring amazing people into the organization, no matter what background they are.

I think it's important to be open, honest, and transparent - those are very important values to me, as well as family. I took a good amount of time off when my kids were younger, and I think that made me into the HR person that I am today by having empathy for people in the workforce that are dealing with different things. You never know what's happening in someone's personal life, so be kind and give them space. I've gone through my own ups and downs and have learned a lot, and I'm just happy that I am where I am today. A lot of that has to do with my family and being able to spend time with both of my kids early on.