We Have Liftoff: This Global Company Is Launching Initiatives to Take Its Workforce to the Next Level

Gartner defines a performance-driven culture as one that sets its sights away from a “rearview-mirror perspective” to one that is grounded in tangible progress and measured in financial milestones and clear key performance indicators. The research firm says performance-driven cultures have been proven to bolster business outcomes and create alignment between leaders and individual contributors. 

In Liftoff’s performance-driven culture, the importance of a healthy work-life balance is also recognized, along with the unique needs and strengths of each employee, said VP of Talent Yvette Kamperin. She explained that a work culture that prioritizes flexibility, autonomy, collaboration and career development fosters an environment in which employees can do their best work. 

“Our top performers have a mindset of taking pride in their work, moving fast and striving to  deliver results,” said Kamperin, who has a hand in talent acquisition, onboarding, internal mobility, employer branding, DEI and people analytics. “People who show dedication and agility thrive in our environment.” 

Beyond valuing agility and drive, Liftoff is creating an ecosystem that nurtures its employees. Kamperin has also been focused on launching Liftoff’s employee resource communities, as well as a new internal mentorship program. 

Heartened by the positive internal interests — and the fact that mentorship can boost retention by up to 50 percent, according to Randstad — Liftoff’s leadership was inspired to open the opportunity to join the mentorship program to the entirety of its workforce. 

“We are building new DEI efforts, fostering ERCs and launching this mentorship program,” Kamperin shared. “And we’re just getting started.”

Built In sat down with Kamperin to learn more about her vision for the future of Liftoff’s talent efforts — and what exciting developments are on the horizon.  

What’s your vision for leading talent at Liftoff?

My vision for Liftoff is to provide an environment that nurtures and develops our talent. Our goal is to not only attract but also retain top talent by creating rituals and policies that help drive employee engagement and promote career development. Our internal mobility strategy is just getting started and we want to create an environment that fosters long and successful careers for our people. 

What does team culture look like at Liftoff?

As of October 2021, Liftoff came out of the merger between Liftoff and Vungle. Naturally, we have had a lot of organizational changes, and we are building the future of our company and culture with a new workplace strategy: redesigning our office spaces as “collaboration hubs” — places to come together with our teams and colleagues for meetings, company events, brainstorms and social gatherings. Being a global company, we work across different time zones to accomplish projects and deliver results. It has been part of our collective DNA for several years.

How do you help your team grow their careers and stretch their skills? 

This year, one area our Talent team is focused on is mapping the key skills of high performers across different roles to inform our hiring criteria and drive the quality of our hires. This initiative will not only help us attract, develop and retain top talent, but also design new career ladders throughout the organization.

What are you most excited about accomplishing with your team in the next year?

I am excited to see how we can all work together to drive employee engagement through a variety of events, learning opportunities and camaraderie — both virtually and in person. For example, our Employee Experience team, led by Kristin Seuell, our VP of People, brings regional teams together throughout the year at special multiday, in-person events to collaborate, strengthen team cohesion and learn from one another. These events may include team-building exercises, workshops or other sessions as a product of cross-functional collaboration spanning multiple departments. These highly anticipated events are designed to foster a sense of community and to encourage employees to get to know one another on a personal level, beyond just their roles in the organization.