Centro Stories: Creating a New Corporate Blueprint, with Elles Skony

Our people are a large part of what makes Centro such a great place to work. We’re excited to introduce you to some of Centro’s most interesting people in our newest blog series, as they share their ‘Centro stories’ and a variety of experiences that have impacted their work and life.

As VP of Talent Management, Centro’s Elles Skony is tasked with implementing Centro’s core ideology, which holds that a company’s investment in its team members is key to corporate success. Through its commitment to the wellbeing of its employees, Centro seeks to serve as a blueprint for an improved corporate structure and culture.

Read on to learn how this HR disruptor is transforming corporate culture one team member at a time.

Clare McKinley: What makes you excited about coming into work each day at Centro?

Elles Skony: Being part of a company whose mission is centered around investing in its people makes my job fun. Centro’s commitment to its people is right there in our mission statement:

“To create a successful corporation which contributes to the health and wellbeing of the community through continual dedication to the personal growth and self-development of every team member.”

Shawn (Riegsecker, Centro’s CEO and Founder) keeps me here by continuously reinforcing the mission I signed on for. We’ve been through a lot of ups and downs since I started here, but regardless of what stage we’re at, that mission has remained constant.

CM: Why is Centro’s investment in each team member’s personal development so important to our culture?

ES: It’s a core understanding of our leadership team—if our people are healthy and happy, that will show in quality of their work – and ultimately, result in more profitability for the company.

There are metrics that we correlate directly to the business to prove that out, but most of the time we look at engagement scores over monetary results. If we notice highly engaged workforce scores from our pulse surveys, that means the things we’re investing in are valuable for the company as a whole.

CM: How do you see yourself impacting Centro’s overall success as a company?

ES: I think my team and I create the most value for the company by constantly asking ourselves how we can improve each individual team member’s experience of working at Centro.

For example, let’s say we’re talking about a process we could implement that would benefit our business. The first question we always ask is, “How will an employee experience that process?” Will it create road blocks for them? If so, let’s figure out a different way to do it, even if it means doing more work on our end.

Essentially, my team’s work revolves around a strategic plan of employee experience that we are always looking to improve—and most importantly, that sets up the entire company for success.

CM: Part of Centro’s vision is to become a blueprint for an improved corporate structure and culture—how does your work tie into that?

ES: I’ve really taken to heart Shawn’s mission to create a model for great workplaces everywhere. That plays out in my work via my passions for networking and sharing Centro’s story. For instance, we’re constantly sharing knowledge with our competitor HR teams in order to improve things for everyone in the ad tech industry.

CM: Thanks, Elles! Anything else you’d like to add?

ES: You’re welcome, Clare!

Hmm. Here’s something I often mention to candidates who are thinking about joining our team:

If there was ever a day where I didn’t laugh at least once at work, that would probably be the day I would consider looking elsewhere. However, there hasn’t been a single day in almost 8 years when I haven’t had an authentic laugh with the people around me—that’s really important.