Interview With Angie Balfour, Chief People Officer at Weave
This article is part of a series featuring business executives who choose to live and work in Utah. If you know of an executive we should interview, please contact us.
Angie Balfour has always been a people person.
She helped companies such as Facebook and Instagram invest in their employees to ensure they continue to attract and retain top talent.
Balfour is currently the chief people officer at Weave, where she leads the company’s team-building strategy and helps it scale efficiently. She is an integral part of the company’s culture, and Balfour plans to cultivate it as the company grows.
She is responsible for maximizing the company’s employee experience as she works with the human resources and recruiting teams at Weave. The company grew from 300 employees at the beginning of 2019 to now over 630 at the beginning of 2020. Balfour’s extensive experience has proven instrumental in attracting top talent and retaining that talent through a positive, employee-focused internal culture.
The company coined the term “People, not employees,” and recognizes that strategic people operations can drive better performance throughout every part of its organization.
Weave is the complete business toolbox for service-based businesses. From the first phone call to the final invoice, Weave provides personalized, relevant and effective solutions for the entire customer journey. The company’s unique integration of hardware and software solutions help streamline and simplify business growth, retention and communication.
How did you get started in the industry?
I was introduced to human resources and people operations in high school. A friend convinced me to enter a high school business competition, and the only category that was still available was human resources. I did well and was offered an internship.
One of the judges pulled me aside after and said, “You are really good at problem-solving people-focused business issues. Promise me you will take two classes when you go off to college.” I did just that, majoring in human resources, and the rest is history!
What recent professional accomplishment are you most proud of?
Helping scale Instagram from 200+ to 1,400+ and rebuilding such a strong Instagram leadership team.
What do you like best about working at Weave?
The company is mission-driven, and its culture and its people are the priority.
What drew you to Utah?
I love Utah! I lived out of state working in tech for several years but was drawn back by the surge of tech companies within Silicon Slopes.
What do you like most about living in Utah?
The exceptional quality of life that Utah offers. I can work at a world-class organization like Weave and also enjoy going to plays and festivals and dining at great restaurants. All this and housing is still so affordable compared to other states and regions.
What do you like most about doing business in Utah?
The people, without a doubt. They are highly skilled, highly educated and often entrepreneurial-minded.
Utah is a business-friendly state, which is why we sustain such incredible economic development year-over-year.
What is your primary challenge of doing business in Utah?
Scaling our growing business. The good news is there are a lot of highly qualified people in Utah (and those willing to relocate to Utah), so that makes our hyper-growth mode easier.
What is your business philosophy?
When people feel valued and empowered, it unleashes a competitive advantage.
Tell me a fun fact about yourself.
I am a multi-award-winning karaoke singer, despite being tone-deaf and lacking rhythm. I think I make up for it with enthusiasm and style!
Connect with her on LinkedIn.