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Log InNewly appointed VP of Social Impact Emily Sweet will lead our initiatives to solve complex workplace inequities.
What a company stands for from its inception reflects its future. While it’s easy for early stage companies like OpenComp to wait for some future fundraise or product launch to think beyond profit, we want to build the future company we hope to be from the beginning.
That’s why, today, I’m thrilled to share that OpenComp is formalizing its commitment to building a social enterprise focused on solving complex inequalities in the workplace. Today, we formally announced that OpenComp’s Executive in Residence Emily Sweet joins us as VP of Social Impact.
What social enterprise means for OpenComp
As a social enterprise, we aim to not only maximize profits, but to also maximize our positive impact on society and the communities in which we operate.
This initiative isn’t about good optics with no real action. It’s not about creating a standalone, one-off program. It’s a firm rejection of the idea that business growth and social good are mutually exclusive.
We believe that businesses can do good while doing good business - even while navigating uncertainty in the economy.
We also hope this is an investment all businesses make. Those who do stand to benefit by competing more effectively in a world where employees and consumers seek purpose-driven companies, investors link funding to ESG performance, and are held to account on DEI performance.
Prioritizing social good from day one
OpenComp’s co-founders, Thanh Nguyen and Nancy Connery, were the founding HR team at Salesforce, where they helped architect the social enterprise model firsthand.
When Thanh and Nancy co-founded OpenComp in 2021, they wanted the company to be different. They drew inspiration from social impact models at some of the world’s fastest-growing companies (which they’d advised for 15+ years at the first company they cofounded together). But their desire was also more personal than that.Nancy had been deeply influenced by her experience as the first female on Saleforce’s leadership team, and Thanh was similarly impacted by the significant pay disparities he’d uncovered during his work designing compensation programs for companies big and small.
OpenComp, they decided, would amplify the best and eliminate the worst of their experiences and insights.
For this reason, we consulted with many experts as we formed our social impact vision and strategy, including the Salesforce.org team. And we’re inspired by Rob Acker, CEO of Salesforce.org’s words:
“Salesforce was founded with philanthropy baked into its core, and Salesforce Foundation strives to inspire other organizations to put their time, resources and money toward serving their communities. We are excited to see OpenComp prioritize social impact at an early stage and hope their example will influence others to take action. We look forward to supporting Emily as she spearheads OpenComp’s ambitious goals.”
Introducing our new vice president of social impact
Veteran philanthropic advisor Emily Sweet will lead our initiatives as our newly appointed vice president of social impact. In her role, Emily will ensure we’re making good on our promises with our employees, customers, partners, products, and communities and ingraining best practices in everything we do. Read more about her vision for our social impact function here.
During her more than 20 year career, Emily has tackled society’s most urgent challenges as an executive at Lefkofsky Family Foundation, the Jewish United Fund of Metropolitan Chicago, the Jewish Women’s Foundation of Chicago and the Mayor’s Office on Domestic Violence at the City of Chicago. She was a 2013 Leadership Greater Chicago Fellow and past recipient of the Jewish Federation of Chicago’s Samuel A. Goldsmith Award.
Emily joined OpenComp in November 2021 as executive in residence and founding advisory board member of OPEN Imperative, a coalition of 250+ startup leaders committed to ending gender pay inequity by 2027. With her rare combination of expertise in navigating the complexities of social justice and a keen understanding of what it takes to succeed in business, Emily is uniquely qualified for this role. Simply put, Emily knows how to get things done.
A better way of doing business
As a social enterprise, our employees have a sense of purpose that gives meaning to the work we do every day. Our mission powers us through the late nights or early mornings when we’re tackling our latest challenge.
Investing in social good doesn't mean dialing back in other areas. It lifts our entire company and the ecosystem around it.
Welcome, officially, to the OpenComp family, Emily. And if you’re a startup leader who wants to take action toward gender pay equity, we invite you to join OPEN Imperative.
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Ian Gover is President & COO at OpenComp. An innovative leader with 20 years’ experience in HR tech, people innovation and operations, Ian cares about helping people work better, faster and smarter. He founded and exited two HR tech companies, Everwise and Better Workplace. Ian also worked as principal in the human capital management practice at PwC and led people innovation at Sun Microsystems.
