IAMPHENOM VX: Claude Silver is the Cheerleader Without Pom-Poms

We recently sat down to talk with Claude Silver, one of the speakers for our upcoming live event on Wednesday, September 26th – IAMPHENOM The Virtual Experience. If you don’t know her already, Claude is the Chief Heart Officer at Gary Vaynerchuk’s company headquartered in NYC, VaynerMedia. She will be speaking on a panel discussion with other CHROs beginning at 1:35PM ET to talk best practices for engaging employees.

Claude, the People Leader

Outside of the killer view from her office overlooking the Hudson with Freedom Tower and the Statue of Liberty in view, Claude is literally the biggest cheerleader for the 800-plus employees in the office. She oversees all people and experience, and is in charge of driving the culture, HR, employee engagement, and anything that has to do with every single human heartbeat.

“I love coaching people. I root for people. I’m like a cheerleader without the pom-poms.”

-Claude Silver, Chief Heart Officer at VaynerMedia

When asked about her excitement around participating in IAMPHENOM VX, Claude said she’s most looking forward to learning from others. She views herself as a student always. She gets to be a part of a virtual conference, which is a great idea because not everyone can’t get out to a physical location. She looks forward to taking best practices and insights from other people in a position like hers.

When it comes to improving the employee experience at VaynerMedia, her focus is very grassroots. For example, she started a group called Vayner Allies to help with diversity and inclusion. It’s a support group where people can come together to talk about uncomfortable work situations and things going on in the world without having to go to HR.

The hard skills get taught, and Vayner Media hires for skillset and culture addition. Claude’s job is to really teach and impart life skills, and that’s her main focus aside from safety. With 85 percent millennials in the company, she’s always thinking about how to foster learning for them.

Claude, the Adventurist

Claude only lives a few blocks away from the office. In her spare time, she’s really into snowboarding in the winter and wakeboarding in the warmer months. She loves anything active, including soul cycling and being in the wilderness or somewhere where there’s greenery.

A fun fact: Claude completed a 93-day outward bound course several years ago. She was the only girl with nine guys. She didn’t shower for 18 days at a time, carried around 85 pounds on her back and had zero toilet paper. She enjoys riding the rails of things, pushing the boundaries a bit and challenging herself.

Check out this short video highlighting a few of the speakers for the upcoming event:

Getting excited for the big event? If you haven’t registered for one or more of the sessions, visit vx.IAMPHENOM.com to view the agenda, speakers, and select your free sessions today!