Heather Gift
DE&I, HR
Hermosa Beach,CA
Summary
Highly-motivated employee with desire to take on new challenges. Strong worth ethic, adaptability and exceptional interpersonal skills. Adept at working effectively unsupervised and quickly mastering new skills. Focus has been on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) with a proven track record of fostering inclusive environments, building diverse talent pipelines, and promoting equitable practices. Skilled in Strategic Planning, and Employee Relations. Passionate about advocating for underrepresented communities, including Veterans, and mentoring diverse employees. Recognized for establishing and leading the successful Veterans Employee Network, implementing initiatives to support transitioning military veterans and creating opportunities for their career growth.
Overview
6
6
years of professional experience
5
5
years of post-secondary education
Work History
Global Employee Networks Manager
Activision Blizzard
Santa Monica, CA
05.2022 - Current
- Develop and support 10 global employee networks, delivering impactful programming to a diverse global audience
- Create and implement recruitment and retention strategies, resulting in a diverse talent pipeline for each network
- Ensure compliance with DEI policies and regulations, fostering inclusive and equitable practices
- Developed mentorship program with a 95% satisfaction rating, and employee engagement of more than 46%.
- Attended conferences, workshops and special events to recruit qualified candidates for company.
- Launched innovative incentive program to achieve low turnover rate in highly competitive market.
- Recruiting applicants actively nationwide via multiple channels and for wide-ranging positions.
- Define current and future talent needs, methods of team development and capability gaps to help leaders maximize performance.
Founding Member, Global Chair - Veterans Network
Activision Blizzard
Santa Monica, CA
03.2018 - 08.2022
- Establish the Veterans Employee Network, providing a platform for career development and support for transitioning military veterans
- Develop a comprehensive talent pipeline strategy, resulting in the successful hiring of over 96 veterans into the organization
- Create and disseminated a widely recognized veterans recruiting guide, downloaded over 45,000 times
- Introduced a highly effective internship program for Veterans which led to the direct hire of over 96 veteran employees in a 3-year span.
- Fostered a culture of flexibility and acceptance by maintaining open communication with personnel, and factoring team perspectives into new strategies.
- Used data and analytics to improve company processes for recruitment, selection, and onboarding.
- Anticipated and responded to emerging business needs by serving as change advocate.
- Cultivated community relations with referral agencies to maintain strong diverse applicant flow.
Investor Relations
Activision Blizzard
Santa Monica, CA
03.2018 - 05.2022
- Build and lead executive teams in Investor Relations, driving effective communication and engagement strategies with key stakeholders
- Develop deep relationships with executives, fostering informed engagement for DE&I initiatives and gaining crucial support for diversity and inclusion efforts
- Office of the CFO
- Answered clients' questions about purposes and details of financial plans and strategies.
- Exuded professional expertise and resourcefulness to gain trust and confidence of clients, vendors and other professionals.
- Developed financial analysis reports and presentations by applying acquired financial principles.
- Illustrated concepts with charts and graphs showing historical and forecasted trends.
- Built and strengthened client relationships to form long-lasting, profitable bonds.
- Determined and tracked budget expenses with accuracy and transparency.
- Informed investment decisions by analyzing financial information to forecast business, industry or economic conditions.
- Evaluated financial and operational performance of companies facing financial difficulties to determine possible remedies.
- Interpreted data on price and yield future investment-risk trends, economic influences and other factors affecting investment programs.
- Created detailed technical reports highlighting findings to diverse stakeholders.
Office of the CFO
Activision Blizzard
Santa Monica, CA
05.2017 - 03.2018
- Collaborate with executive leadership to align DE&I goals with overall business strategy, resulting in increased executive buy-in and support
- Provide strategic support to senior management in financial analysis, budgeting, and forecasting processes.
- Created and implemented best practices to standardize internal processes and procedures.
- Prepared financial forecasts to support fiscal planning and management.
- Analyzed operational processes and implemented continuous improvement initiatives to promote profitability and efficiency.
- Sourced, installed and implemented new accounting systems to streamline operations.
- Negotiated and managed contractual agreements to secure ideal terms and drive effective financial engagements.
- Provided strategic and financial growth advice to other company executives.
- Formulated and delivered financial and budget reports for investors, partners and stakeholders.
- Made proactive adjustments to fiscal policies according to available company resources and desired outcomes.
- Monitored business trend forecasts and adjusted budgets and operational plans to maximize growth and opportunities.
- Oversaw monthly, quarterly and annual financial reporting while developing annual operational budget and 5-year projections.
- Managed company-wide budgets, payroll, accounting and other financial operations.
Education
High School Diploma -
Linfield High School
Temecula 08.1987 - 06.1990
Some College (No Degree) - English Lit, Spanish Linguistics, Art Hist
Whitworth University
Spokane, WA 09.1990 - 06.1992
Some College (No Degree) - Liberal Arts And General Studies
Mt. San Jacinto Community College
Wildomar 09.1992 - 06.1993
Skills
- DEI Strategy and Implementation
- Strategic Planning
- Data Management
- Directing Teams
- Strength in Research
- Employee Relations
- Talent Acquisition and Retention
- Microsoft Office Suite (Outlook, Excel, PowerPoint)
- Business Development
- Fostering inclusive environment
- Building diverse talent pipeline
- Investor Relations
Affiliations
- Board Member, HR.com DEIB Council Council (2022-2024)
- University of California Riverside - Transformational Leadership Council (2020-2023)
- Santa Monica Chamber of Commerce Board Member (2023 term)
References
References Available upon request
Timeline
Global Employee Networks Manager
Activision Blizzard
05.2022 - Current
Founding Member, Global Chair - Veterans Network
Activision Blizzard
03.2018 - 08.2022
Investor Relations
Activision Blizzard
03.2018 - 05.2022
Office of the CFO
Activision Blizzard
05.2017 - 03.2018
Some College (No Degree) - Liberal Arts And General Studies
Mt. San Jacinto Community College
09.1992 - 06.1993
Some College (No Degree) - English Lit, Spanish Linguistics, Art Hist
Whitworth University
09.1990 - 06.1992
High School Diploma -
Linfield High School
08.1987 - 06.1990
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