Women’s History Month: Reflecting on the women who have impacted us

How have women contributed to the success at Horizontal?
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• Jeremy Langevin, Co-Founder & CEO: “With over 57% of our U.S. Horizontal Talent team members and nearly 40% of our consultant population being women, it’s obvious that women play a massive role in the success of Horizontal.”
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• Kris Hancock, Recruiting Director, US – East: “Volunteering for new initiatives around DE&I, Horizontal Cares, leading technology initiatives and pilots and leading new employees (both recruiters and account managers). All the women here have contributed to our growth and success through these ways and more.”
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• Jeff Seebinger Regional Vice President, US – West: “All of our women at Horizontal have contributed to our success. They have contributed to our success as team members, leaders, recruiters and account managers. They are a very important part of our culture and success.”
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• Kevin Erickson, Regional Vice President, US – East: “There have been many influential women who have contributed to the success at Horizontal.  From top performing account managers and recruiters, to key leaders who have shaped how the company runs operationally, women have always been foundational to the overall growth of the company!”
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• Jen Zweig, Vice President of Strategic Initiatives: “I love seeing so many women step up to take initiative to do more, to meet more clients, embrace new technology, train, drive initiatives, mentor and be mentored.”
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• Sreejith Pilassery, Regional Vice President- APAC: “Women constitute nearly 50% of our workforce at Horizontal Talent- APAC. Many of them have contributed heavily to our growth over these years. I have been fortunate to have some amazing female leaders who goes above and beyond to build an inclusive company where people can feel the culture of building something together.”
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• Tracy Beckman, Director, Human Resources: “I am proud to work with very intelligent, smart and collaborative women at Horizontal. The contribution that has been made is immeasurable. Working in the corporate support areas, our job is to pave the way for our client and candidate facing employees to successfully produce results on behalf of Horizontal. The women in the corporate support roles are constantly clearing roadblocks, creating training and tools and partnering with our sales and recruiting teams to enable results. Many of these team members are the unsung heroes, ensuring that issues are resolved quickly, consultants are cared for, paid quickly and efficiently and clients are set up and billed correctly. The women in sales and recruiting at Horizontal are above par! They are dedicated, smart, creative and collaborative. They embrace our company values daily. There is a direct correlation between the contributions made by the women of Horizontal and the success of our company!”

Who is the most inspiring woman in your life and why?
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• Jeremy Langevin, Co-Founder & CEO: “My mother! She raised 5 kids starting at age 19, then went back to school and became a nurse practitioner. At age 72 she still works full time in the oncology unit at Children’s Hospital. She’s simply amazing.”
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• Kris Hancock, Recruiting Director, US – East: “My mom was. She worked as an ER nurse for over 20 years before moving on to lead a college nursing program. Never took summers off, volunteered at hospice enters, traveled to Haiti on a mission trip to provide medicine and care, etc … She lived her entire life selflessly serving others.”
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• Jeff Seebinger Regional Vice President, US – West: “My mom … always someone I could lean on for advice.”
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• Nick Bata, Sales Director: “I am inspired every day by my wife, Emily. She is an incredible mother of three young children, a loving wife and a great HR leader. In every aspect of her life, she is selfless. Through the pandemic, I watched her tirelessly lead her team and our family. All of this was done with a smile on her face and a positive attitude. She is a true inspiration to everyone lucky enough to know her.”
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• Kevin Erickson, Regional Vice President, US – East: “The most inspiring woman in my life is my mom, Pat!  I admire how she loved and raised her three children, held us all to a high standard and taught us the value of hard work and honesty!”
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• Jen Zweig, Vice President of Strategic Initiatives: “I had always had my mom as my biggest advocate and supporter.  She was a special ed teacher, helping those that needed extra help. During her career, she made hard choices and sometimes career sacrifices to be the mom she wanted to be, but she always went back to her career, and I loved seeing the joys she took out of it. When I was young in my career and a new mom, I struggled juggling a demanding career and a young child.  I saw many women step away from their careers.  She never faltered in telling me that there was no reason I couldn’t have it all. She encouraged me to never sell myself short of my career ambitions and instead, find a company that values you enough who will allow you to shine in all aspects of your life.”
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• Naveen Nayak, Regional Delivery Director: “I am a stronger man because I was raised by a working mother, and I must say I always get new inspirations from my mother. Being a mother is a tough job, and being a working mother and raising 3 kids is probably the toughest job in the world. I witnessed how she struggled tirelessly every day with a smug smile. Consciously and subconsciously, I learned countless life lessons from the way she handled her life every day. I learned about life, careers and everything else from my mother. She always inspired me to work hard and achieve my dreams. Like every kid, I threw tantrums about what I wanted to eat, where I wanted to go and troubled her in every possible way. She did everything possible to give me what I wanted and spent quality time with me every day. I still wonder how she managed all of it by just putting a smile on her face.”
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• Alma Allen, Recruiting Director, US – West: “I would have to say my mother. Why? She taught me to always rise above any adversity or challenge we face. My mother worked minimum wage jobs with a limited education. That said, she provided a loving home and kept my sister and I safe. Growing up, she was a mother and a father as I was raised in a single parent household. I saw her face the most challenging situations anyone could ever face alone, BUT never gave up. Her courage and will to survive encourages me to get up everyday and work just a bit harder than yesterday. Her advice – to rise above any challenge and to not let that stop you from what you set out to do. Keep your chin up and keep it moving.”
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• Sreejith Pilassery, Regional Vice President- APAC: “I have been so fortunate to have a lot of women impacting me throughout my journey. The first one is always my mother. A lot of my view on life and principles were shaped by my mother. Her resilience to follow what she is passionate about is inspiring. She published her own book of poems and short stories at the age of 60. Just using a cell phone was very inspiring to me. Apart from this, my wife is instrumental in my growth as a professional over these years. I’m deeply inspired by the level of sacrifices women are ready to make for their loved ones.”
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• Tracy Beckman, Director, Human Resources: “I am lucky to say I have had many great women as mentors and partners over the years. I encourage women in the workplace to seek out those relationships and I encourage you to BE a partner and mentor to others. Lift each other up and encourage their success. Give them honest and supportive feedback and make room for their growth.  I guarantee you will benefit from the experience in ways you weren’t expecting. The most inspiring woman in my life has been my mother. While she has always been a tough critic of me and my 3 sisters, it has driven us to continually find our own way and to strive to do our best. Her greatest inspiration is how she lived her own life. She thrived in overwhelming situations. She strove to make the best of her situation and stepped outside the societal norms.  She was a young mother with 4 little girls. Our family did not have a lot of money, so she got my uncle to teach her to drive, got her license and got a job.  She worked hard, managed a household and always found a way to make our lives a little better along the way. She was the first female to usher in our church and has been doing so for over 35 years. She managed the church finance, the family budget, always had dinner on the table (she is a great cook), hard worker, devoted wife, mother and crisis manager!  As frequently happens, I didn’t always appreciate my mom at the time but have grown to realize how courageous she really was in so many little ways.”

What valuable advice have you received from a female mentor? 

• Jeremy Langevin, Co-Founder & CEO: “This may sound corny, but a long time ago when I was painting houses during college, I was painting the house of an older women who had raised a number of kids. She told me her philosophy was similar to holding a handful of sand: If you squeeze tightly the sand falls out, but if you keep your hand open it all stays there. That’s stuck with me all these years, and I’ve incorporated into my personal and professional lives.”
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• Kevin Erickson, Regional Vice President, US – East: “One of my professional mentors from the early part of my career helped me identify the need to be more empathetic. Through those discussions, I learned the importance of emotional IQ and personal relationships in business.”
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• Jen Zweig, Vice President of Strategic Initiatives: “First, if you’re on the call, in the meeting, at the table, you deserve your seat there. Secondly, don’t apologize! So often as women, we apologize for speaking up, having an opinion or speaking our mind – things that aren’t our fault.”
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• Sreejith Pilassery, Regional Vice President- APAC: “When I got promoted as a young manager and had a lot of women team members, my mentor at that time helped me forge an amazing partnership and taught me that helping people achieve their personal & professional goals creates great business results.”
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• Tracy Beckman, Director, Human Resources: “When you are feeling uneasy or uncomfortable, stop and ask yourself why. Too many people start focusing on other people or situations. The answer is usually within yourself.”

Tell us something that you admire about the women of Horizontal? 

• Jeremy Langevin, Co-Founder & CEO: “I have incredible admiration for the mother’s at Horizonal. I can’t fathom the responsibility of being the mother of children and working full-time. They have superhero powers for sure!”
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• Jeff Seebinger Regional Vice President, US – West: “I admire all the women at Horizontal. Specifically, as parents I admire those who have both the balance of being a mother and a provider for the family. It is a lot to balance, and I have a lot of respect. In general, I value the diversity of thought, compassion and empathy.”
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• Kevin Erickson, Regional Vice President, US – East: “Their hustle! We have so many amazing women working at Horizontal who have grit, determination and push their teams and co-workers to find new heights. I appreciate their work ethic and ability to GET THINGS DONE!”
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• Jen Zweig, Vice President of Strategic Initiatives: “I admire the collaboration. Everyone is busy, but everyone is willing to help, and I am frequently asked “how else can I help you?”
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• Sreejith Pilassery, Regional Vice President- APAC: “I am admired by the amount of empathy, creativity and positive energy they bring to our workplace. Most of them go above and beyond their call of duty to make us a great company with an amazing culture.”
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• Tracy Beckman, Director, Human Resources: “The women of Horizontal are some of the smartest women I have worked with. They are creative, intelligent and driven to contribute to the company’s success.”
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