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Liam D'Ortenzio
Global Culture & Engagement Lead @ Xero
Professional Background
Liam D'Ortenzio is a dynamic and commercially focused HR and Sales professional whose career has been marked by significant achievements and contributions within the tech industry. With a robust background in Human Resource Management and an entrepreneurial mindset, Liam has cultivated a broad spectrum of skills spanning HR, Organization Development (OD), Learning & Development (L&D), Sales, Leadership, and Commercial roles. He has a proven ability to navigate the complexities of hyper-growth businesses, demonstrating a keen focus on both strategic direction and the finer details—the '1 percenters' that can make a substantial difference in organizational performance.
Throughout his career, Liam has held various roles at Xero, a global leader in online accounting software. His trajectory at Xero has seen him step into progressively responsible positions, ultimately leading to his current role as Global Culture & Engagement Lead. In this pivotal position, he plays an integral role in fostering an inclusive and engaging workplace culture that drives employee satisfaction and organizational success. Prior to this, Liam has excelled as the Partner Sales Team Lead, where he successfully bridged the gap between sales strategies and human resource management to enhance productivity and business outcomes. His earlier experience at Xero includes roles as a People Experience Business Partner, where he was instrumental in aligning HR practices with the organization's strategic goals, a People Experience Advisor that focused on enhancing employee engagement, and a People Experience Coordinator helping to build foundational HR processes.
Before his extensive tenure at Xero, Liam garnered valuable experience as an HR Officer at Holmesglen, where he took on dual responsibilities as the Return to Work Coordinator and Health & Safety Officer. His efforts in establishing and maintaining health and safety protocols contributed to a safer and more compliant work environment. Liam also honed his leadership skills as the Director at Loaded Events, proving his versatility in managing diverse teams and projects beyond the traditional HR scope.
Liam's passion for coaching and mentorship has always shone through his work, particularly in nurturing leadership skills among his peers. He thrives on watching leaders evolve and ultimately, seeing the ripple effects of that growth within their teams and the broader organization. This commitment to leadership development reflects his belief in fostering a culture of continuous improvement and innovation.
Education and Achievements
Liam's academic journey began at Swinburne University of Technology, where he pursued a Bachelor of Commerce with a focus on Human Resource Management and Entrepreneurship. This educational foundation not only equipped him with the essential skills needed to excel in HR but also instilled an entrepreneurial spirit that has underpinned his approach to problem-solving and strategic planning.
His involvement in multiple HR roles, especially at a high-growth tech company like Xero, has provided Liam with unique insights into the intersection of technology and human capital management. He has demonstrated a notable capacity to influence change and drive innovation in organizational culture—all while maintaining an unwavering focus on the individuals who make up the teams.
Furthermore, his tenure in various roles has been characterized by his eagerness to innovate and disrupt conventional paradigms, pushing boundaries to enhance both employee experiences and business results. Liam remains excited about the intersection of HR practices and emerging technologies, constantly looking for simple solutions to complex challenges, ensuring that his organizations are well-equipped to adapt to ever-evolving market demands.
Notable Achievements
- Leadership Development: Coached and mentored numerous leaders within organizations, helping them improve their skills, which positively impacted team performance and employee morale.
- Cultural Transformation: As Global Culture & Engagement Lead at Xero, played a pivotal role in transforming the company culture, enhancing employee engagement, and creating an environment where individuals feel empowered and valued.
- Process Improvement: Implemented HR processes at Xero that streamlined operations and enhanced employee experiences, promoting efficiency and effectiveness in personnel management.
- Safety and Compliance: Developed and enforced health and safety protocols at Holmesglen, significantly contributing to compliance and the overall safety culture within the institution.
- Event Management: Successfully directed Loaded Events, which showcased his ability to balance creative leadership with operational excellence, illustrating his versatility beyond HR.
In summary, Liam D'Ortenzio's journey showcases an accomplished professional who combines technical knowledge with practical experience to drive meaningful change in organizations. He is passionate about leadership coaching, innovative problem-solving, and creating impactful people-centric strategies in the fast-paced and ever-evolving tech landscape. With a vision of making a difference in every role he undertakes, Liam continues to inspire those around him while also contributing to the advancement of HR practices within the industry.
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Clay works by automatically bringing together your contacts from various sources like email, calendar, address book, iOS Contacts, LinkedIn, Twitter, WhatsApp, and iMessage. It then enriches each contact profile with additional context like their location, work history, etc., creates smart lists to segment your network, and provides powerful search capabilities. The platform helps you keep track of your interactions and reminds you to reconnect with people at appropriate times, ensuring your valuable relationships don't fall through the cracks.
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Clay offers tiered pricing options to suit different needs. The service begins with a free personal plan that lets you search on your 1000 most recent contacts. Clay offers a Pro Plan ($10 when billed annually) with unlimited contacts. Clay for Teams starts at $49/month/seat. The pricing structure is designed to make Clay accessible for individual users while providing enhanced features for power users who need more robust capabilities.
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Clay offers many advantages over other personal CRMs. Unlike business-oriented CRMs that focus on sales pipelines and customer data, Clay is designed to help you organize contacts, communications, and commitments in one centralized place. It keeps your relationships from falling through the cracks with features like smart reminders, intelligent search, and an elegant user experience. Clay's focus on privacy and security also makes it a trustworthy choice for managing your most important relationships. Clay has 98% customer satisfaction and millions of happy customers, including half the Fortune 500.
Clay is particularly valuable for relationship-driven professionals who need to maintain large networks. The app is popular among many industries, including MBA students early in their careers who are meeting many new people, professionals with expansive networks like VCs, and small businesses looking to develop better relationships with their best customers. Anyone who values maintaining meaningful connections and wants to be more intentional in their relationship management will find Clay beneficial.
Clay offers competitive pricing in the personal CRM market. Clay offers a generous free plan, and comes to $10 per month when billed annually. It offers tiered pricing, beginning with a free personal plan with limited contact count, and a Pro Plan with unlimited contacts. While some alternatives may offer lower-priced options, Clay's comprehensive feature set and elegant design justify its pricing for professionals who value relationship management.
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Yes. Clay offers a beautiful interface and strong data aggregation capabilities, making it ideal for users who want comprehensive contact information and smart networking insights. Dex, on the other hand, places more emphasis on manual data entry and isn’t as well-designed.
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