Global Diversity Awareness Month offers the opportunity to stay intentional about diversity and inclusion in the workplace. A really important piece of D&I at Zuora comes from our employee resource and global culture groups. By coming together around shared interests, passions, and game-changing ideas, these groups champion awareness and advocacy and build community across 12+ countries.
These 8 groups and their leads volunteer to provide other ZEOs with experiences that drive our authentic and representative culture. We’re very excited to introduce you to Andrea, Customer Success Manager & Z-Familia Lead.
Navigating Success Globally as a Zuora CSM
I’ve been with Zuora for over two years, working as part of the west coast CSM team. My role involves ensuring our customers, spanning Canada, the west coast, and the central time zone, are not just satisfied but thrilled with Zuora. For instance, I played a key role in supporting a fitness center customer navigate their post-pandemic realities, helping them navigate challenges, utilize features, and ultimately renew. Our goal is to leave our customers with a positive sentiment, knowing they’re cared for.
Andrea’s Journey to Becoming a Z-Familia Leader
When I joined, I felt a lack of Hispanic presence until I discovered Z-Familia. The group had a committed leader who did a great job at offering ways to connect, share experiences, and build a community. When the opportunity arose for a new leader to step in, I felt a responsibility to keep it alive to give current and future ZEOs the same warm and welcoming space that made such a difference for me.
Z-Familia: Creating a Safe, Supportive and Fun Space
Z-Familia aims to be a safe space for all Hispanic Zuora employees, offering support both professionally and personally. It’s open to everyone, not just those of Hispanic or Latino heritage and it’s great to see more and more new faces joining in offering their interest and support.
We recently hosted a virtual cooking class for our community to learn together how to prepare authentic guacamole, quesadillas with handmade flour tortillas, and our traditional Margaritas. We’re all so proud of where we are from, and it’s fun to talk about how our cultures, recipes, and traditions vary—especially for each of our independence days! We bring together ZEOs from Colombia, Spain, Mexico, and more, and I’m from Venezuela.
Executive Support: A Recipe for Success
Our recent Hispanic Heritage Awareness Month celebrations included a “cafecito” session with Daisy Hernandez, Zuora’s Chief Strategy and Operations Officer. The time with each other was fantastic. Daisy, being close to the culture through her family, openly shared her experiences and created connections between her Filipino background and our own. It was a prime example of genuine executive support.
Joining the Conversation to Celebrate Our Community
Inside and outside of Zuora, I encourage others to come into groups to learn and connect. I invite ZEOs to join our Z-Familia Slack channel, engage in our events and share them with each other is a great way of offering support. Also, asking questions, seeking advice, and participating in our activities helps bridge the gap and strengthen our community. Even if you’re just planning a trip—we love to offer our insights!
Celebrating Gaitas
One thing close to my heart is gaitas, our holiday music. Gaita zuliana (often simply called “gaita”) is a style of Venezuelan folk music (and dance) from Maracaibo, Zulia State, one of the 23 states of Venezuela. It’s joyful and uplifting, and I personally enjoy it throughout the year.
If you’re curious, my favorite song is Amparito by the band Maracaibo 15.