I caught up with Lightspeed portfolio executive and Director of Talent Acquisition at Dremio, Naché Robertson, to hear about her experience as part of Valence’s BONDS program.
This is a continuation of the Lightspeed “Valence Voices” series highlighting some of the amazing executives from our community participating in Valence’s BONDS program. With more than 25,000 members, Valence is a platform and community dedicated to creating paths to success for Black professionals. In September 2021, Lightspeed joined Valence as a Founding Partner of their BONDS executive program.
Jasmine: Naché, glad to be catching up with you. Would love to start with your story. Your background and path to where you’re at today.
Naché: I am a first-gen; proudly born to St. Lucian parents that value family and relationships, ambition, hard work, and good character…amongst other things. My mother has worked in the title industry for almost 30 years and tried really hard to convince me to follow suit but I always resisted. Funny enough, I started out as a pre med major and quickly found that I really enjoyed the hands-on work and labs but not the lectures…which wouldn’t make for a great physician, so I pivoted to accounting since I’ve always been good with numbers. What I hadn’t realized is how much I’d miss interacting with people. I discovered recruiting during my time at Disney after working closely with two recruiters and boldly telling them “I think I want your job”! It was the first time I saw women in that profession that looked like me (one of them was a Black woman and the other, Latina). Their immediate reaction was “are you sure” and when I said yes, they showed me the ropes with no hesitation and have cheered me on every step of the way since. Today, I lead the Talent Acquisition team at Dremio. We’re on a mission to reinvent SQL for data lakes and meet customers where they are in their cloud journey. My team contributes to this mission by identifying and hiring the people that make it happen.
Jasmine: I’m curious, how’d you first learn about the BONDs Community?
Naché: I was introduced to BONDS by our CEO and Chief People Officer at Dremio when they offered me the opportunity to join. After learning more about it, I looked forward to connecting with other Black professionals, utilizing the resources provided for growth and development, and hearing real stories from others that may be in different industries and career stages but have a common thread of shared experiences.
Jasmine: How has your experience been? What has been one aspect that you have particularly enjoyed?
Naché: My experience has been enjoyable. The camaraderie and connectedness that BONDS provides through the monthly cohort meetings and numerous events have been one of the best parts. I also greatly appreciate BONDS’ focus on ensuring that we’re well-rounded professionals while also reiterating the importance of balance and self-care.
Jasmine: What has been the positive impact so far in your life? How has it been practicing what you’ve learned?
Naché: Diving deeply into our core strengths has armed me with additional factors to consider when making decisions. I now have the necessary tools to help recognize situations, tasks or projects that might be energizing, detracting or challenging and how to best prepare in advance so that I can show up in the best way possible for myself, team, and personal relationships.
The biggest aha moment I had was during one of the mindfulness sessions. The facilitator read “Fire” by Judy Brown, which was an eloquent and beautiful reminder that the space between the logs, the breathing space, is what makes a fire burn, and it’s just as important for us to keep that in mind for our own wellness and productivity.
Jasmine: Who would you recommend the BONDS Community to? Why?
Naché: Better yet…who have I already recommended BONDS to? [Naché laughs]. The referral links were a nice surprise. I sent invitations to those in my network who are leaders in their own right and are committed to their development and the advancement of their communities. BONDS is a safe space for all Black professionals. It provides an incredible opportunity to learn and be challenged while being seen, heard, and understood.
Jasmine: Last question, where can others learn more about you and connect with you?
Naché: Connect with me on Linkedin!
