ActiveCampaign, the leader in customer experience automation (CXA), has appointed Michael Rico as its first Chief People Officer. In this role, he will lead talent acquisition and business partnership teams, champion DEI, advance learning and development, and foster an award-winning workplace culture for this rapidly growing SaaS unicorn.

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“To be a customer-obsessed organization, we must be an employee-obsessed organization first”

Marking the company’s eighth senior executive hire of 2021, Rico joins ActiveCampaign from Salesforce, where he spent over a decade aligning corporate HR with the specific needs of every team member. As a leader in employee success, he was responsible for Salesforce’s employees across the globe and led a team of regional HR business partners. He brings this global perspective to ActiveCampaign, which has employees across five continents. Rico has also previously held HR leadership roles at Gap Inc. and Old Navy.

This announcement comes as ActiveCampaign continues on an accelerated growth trajectory and continues to invest in its customers, partners and employees. Recently, the company crossed the 1,000 employee milestone and introduced a slew of new and enhanced employee benefits, including the creation of a business partner model that brings ActiveCampaign’s people team closer to each employee. Additional benefits include equity and sabbatical programs, as well as increased flexibility for hybrid working.

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Supporting quotes

“To be a customer-obsessed organization, we must be an employee-obsessed organization first,” said Jason VandeBoom, founder and CEO of ActiveCampaign. “As we continue to scale beyond the 150,000 customers and 1,000 employees we have currently, welcoming Michael as ActiveCampaign’s first-ever Chief People Officer is the next step on our journey to continue the investment and commitment in every individual employee. His passion for DEI and learning and development were critical in our search for this role.”

“I believe that a positive employee experience is a key ingredient in any business’ success,” said Michael Rico, Chief People Officer, ActiveCampaign. “This is why I’m excited to join ActiveCampaign, as the company truly values its people and has been recognized time and time again for its top-notch culture. I look forward to further advancing all facets of the employee experience, from DEI initiatives to employee development to top talent acquisition and retention and more.”