Meet Anthony Onesto, Chief People Officer at Suzy:
Anthony Onesto, Suzy’s Chief People Officer, transitioned from accounting to HR and tech startups following a transformative career shift. Fired from his first accounting role, he discovered his passion for recruiting and HR.
With 20+ years of experience, Anthony’s expertise drives Suzy’s growth in market research SaaS. Beyond Suzy, he advises startups, focusing on product development and go-to-market strategies. He champions diversity in STEM through projects like LV Engineer with his daughters.
Anthony’s journey showcases adaptability and an unwavering dedication to innovation in HR and tech, embracing advancements like AI in his pursuit of industry evolution.
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Quick Read: Anthony Onesto, Chief People Officer at Suzy, Interview Highlights
From Failure to Success in Tech & HR
I sat down with Anthony Onesto, Chief People Officer at Suzy, a market research SaaS platform. Anthony’s journey in tech began with a failure – he was fired from his first job as an accountant. However, this failure led him to shift his career towards HR and recruitment, where he discovered his passion for helping startups.
“I’ve learned a heck of a lot about starting companies, closing companies, exiting companies,” said Anthony.
His years of experience and insights into the tech industry have led him to believe in the potential of AI and its role in future innovations.
Gen Z in the Workplace
Anthony’s latest project is a book titled “The New Employee Contract: How to Find, Keep and Elevate Gen Z Talent.” The book serves as a guide for companies to understand Gen Z and cultivate a work environment that caters to their needs. Anthony believes that Gen Z’s digital upbringing has shaped their work habits and preferences, making them different from previous generations.
“This generation is bringing a new set of norms,” he said.
Companies need to adapt to these norms to retain and elevate their Gen Z employees.
Suzy’s People-First Approach
At Suzy, the mission is to enable human understanding. This mission is reflected in the company’s approach to both its clients and employees. Suzy helps companies bring the consumer’s voice to the table, leading to data-informed decisions. Internally, Suzy regularly polls its employees to understand their needs and improve their work experience.
“We needed to get the data,” Anthony said, emphasizing the importance of understanding employees’ needs in real-time.
Global Hiring at Suzy
The pandemic pushed Suzy to transition to fully remote work, and this shift led them to tap into talent from diverse locations. Anthony refers to Suzy as a “cloud organization.” The company now has employees in almost all states in the U.S., and a few outside the country. Anthony believes that this approach to talent acquisition brings value to the company and helps support local communities. However, it also comes with challenges.
“You have to operationalize these ideas,” Anthony said, referring to the need to build and maintain a cohesive company culture in a distributed team.
Future Work Trends
Looking ahead, Anthony believes that AI will have a significant influence on hiring processes. He foresees AI replacing sourcers for recruiting and facilitating global talent acquisition. He also predicts that advancements in technology, like AR, will make remote work feel more local, opening up more opportunities for global talent. On a broader scale, Anthony anticipates a surge in migration to the U.S. due to demographic challenges in other countries, which will require changes in immigration policies.
He concluded, “I think all of these things are going to enable more global talent.”
