About

Marissa is a seasoned Silicon Valley talent acquisition expert, angel investor, and career coach. Her work with hyper-growth companies has informed her humanistic approach.

With nearly 20 years of experience in recruiting and HR, Marissa has worked with some of the world’s most popular, and notorious, tech companies including Facebook, Theranos, and Slack. After working first-hand with Elizabeth Holmes and Sunny Balwani at Theranos, she decided to quit, sensing something felt off. She eventually went on to become Slack’s first HR hire playing an instrumental role in growing the company from under 50 employees to over 850 globally, in less than 3 years.

A leading voice on the subject of human capital, Marissa has spoken at various tech conferences across Australia. A former adviser for the global non-profit Girls in Tech, Marissa helped to establish Australia’s first chapter, piloting the mentorship program for the growing community.

Marissa’s experience working with startup ventures at various scales informs her belief in the importance of building people-first and values-aligned companies. Drawing on the lessons of Silicon Valley – the benefits of inclusive, mindful workplaces and the risks of sidelining employee wellbeing – Marissa brings first-hand knowledge to her advisory roles globally.