When we think about the job of Chief Executive Officer, there may be a myriad of images or words that come to mind. For Kelly Schmitt, the current CEO of Benevity, the job comes down to one thing: people.
Growing up in small-town Saskatchewan, the job of a CEO was not something that Kelly Schmitt had envisioned. Even as she grew in her career in finance and entered the C-Suite as a Chief Financial Officer, the top job was still not something she saw herself doing.
However, one day, the opportunity to become the CEO of Calgary-based software company, Benevity, came across her desk, and it allowed her to step into something she had become deeply passionate about—people development—and she succeeded the founder as CEO and has been leading the company for just over a year.
In that year, Kelly has focused her efforts on continuing to develop a culture where humility, inclusion, and belonging sit at the centre of every decision-making table, at every level, and within every team, especially amid an impressive growth streak and a global pandemic.
In this episode, Kelly talks about the imperative of building a strong, values-based corporate culture, attracting top talent and investment into Alberta’s growing tech and innovation ecosystem, and what’s next for the company.
In this episode:
- Kelly’s leadership journey and philosophy
- Kelly’s day-in-the-life
- Benevity as a tool to drive social and business impact
- Benevity’s culture of belonging and inclusion
- Maintaining culture in a global and virtual context
- Kelly’s passion for EDI work and how Benevity performs in representation
- Advice to other business leaders looking to advance EDI
- Attracting talent and investment to Alberta
- What makes Kelly excited for the future of Benevity and Alberta
- Investing in digital literacy and arts and culture in Alberta
Resources mentioned:
About C-Suite Unplugged
In this series, C-Suite Unplugged, host Adam Legge talks to Alberta’s top CEOs, entrepreneurs, and business leaders about their journey to the C-Suite, what keeps them up at night as an Albertan and as a leader in their industry, and what their outlook is for the future.
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