Meet a HUMAN: Gina Taddeo, Senior Manager, Strategic Accounts
At HUMAN, we believe everyone is a hacker. But even though we share a similar mindset and a common mission, we know that our true strength lies in the diverse people and backgrounds that make our team a community. Learn what it’s like to work with us through the experiences of our Humans.
Meet Gina Taddeo
Gina Taddeo says that HUMAN exceeds her expectations of what it’s like to work in the tech industry on a daily basis—an experience that began during the recruitment process. The hiring team invited Gina to consider accepting a position other than the one she was interviewing for—a role in technical account management (TAM) that she’d had her eye on but didn’t apply to. She was thrilled.
Since joining the TAM team, Gina has enjoyed collaborating with colleagues across the organization, learning from her clients, and pursuing personal passions by getting involved in HUMAN’s diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging (DEIB) initiatives. Gina says there’s a lot to love about working at HUMAN, but at the top of her list? Opportunity. “There’s so much available to you," she says. “Whatever your interests are, there’s something there for you.”
Describe your role at HUMAN.
“We on the Customer Success team are the first point of contact for existing clients within HUMAN. Most of our days revolve around our clients. As brokers between the more technical teams—like the detection and threat intelligence teams—we are responsible for coordinating development efforts, troubleshooting technical issues, and reporting discrepancies as they arise.”
What key skills does a TAM role require?
We’re dealing with high-risk situations and sensitive information—and we’re not always delivering amazing news to the customers because of the nature of our business. Demonstrating high EQ [emotional quotient] by being able to translate that information in a way that’s digestible for clients—while keeping it honest but amicable—is something that has benefited everyone.”
What do you love about your role?
“The collaboration. I appreciate and value insights we gain from the highly technical teams that we work with and enjoy developing and nurturing relationships with customers by getting to know their business and how we can help them.”
Is there anything about your job that a prospective employee would be surprised to learn about?
“How open everyone is and how many opportunities there are available to you—you just have to put your feelers out.”
HUMAN’s website says that all Humans are hackers in their own right. What does this mean to you?
“Being a hacker is about doing things in a way that expedites and exponentiates the impact of our work and magnifies being a good teammate, which we are all dedicated to doing.”
What do you “hack” in your personal life?
“I’m a huge foodie, and I stalk apps to get reservations fast for brand new restaurants. I try to be the first person in my friend group to go to a new spot. That’s something that I am very competitive about, and I really enjoy being able to share the experience with my friends. I come from a big New York Italian family and, in the culture I come from, dining is a big part of sharing quality time with people. That's the most important part of trying new places—sharing time over food is one of my love languages.”
What inspired you to get involved with HUMAN’s DEIB initiatives?
“I grew up in diverse environments my whole life, so homogenous places just don’t appeal to me. HUMAN was diverse when I started here—and that was one of the reasons I joined. As a young woman entering the tech space, I feel both privileged to be here and responsible for continuing the work. We are in the business of leaving things better than we found them—and contributing to DEIB efforts is part of that for me. If we can increase access, knowledge, and opportunities for people not previously represented in our sector, then I think we are achieving our mission fully.”
What’s your most memorable experience at HUMAN so far?
“When I first started, at a company get-together, I remember chatting with someone for a while, and I was like, ‘That guy’s really cool.’ We talked about his cat and things like that. It turns out that it was our CFO. The transparency, friendliness, and willingness for someone that high up on our executive leadership team to be available and strike up conversation—and be cool and nice—was a great introduction to HUMAN and what we’re about here. That was my first exposure to the fact that everybody here—no matter what level you’re at—is respectful and kind.”
What’s your best piece of wisdom for future Humans?
“Forget what you thought you knew about working in tech because this is different. We are a strong community—and that is really powerful. Come in ready to hit the ground running. This is a place where you can share your ideas from day one—and you should, because that’s what makes us great.”
If your role at HUMAN was a movie, what would it be?
“After Top Gun came out, our department director was like, ‘You guys have to go see the new Top Gun. You can expense it. I need you to go see it.’ I think of that because our roles are definitely action-packed. We're very agile. I would include ‘Danger Zone’ as our theme song.”
