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Julie Holkeboer | August 4, 2022 |
Revel’s “People POS” question and answer series continues with another inside look at the incredible work that takes place within the company's walls.
We recently featured Director of Project Management Barbie Taylor, who joined Revel during the height of the pandemic. As a remote employee leading project management initiatives at Revel, Barbie has the chance to work with a variety of teams while leading go to market (GTM) activities for the company. Barbie often works closely with Christabel Real, Revel chief of staff, when working on company readiness projects as well.
Revel’s Marketing Communications Manager Julie Standridge sat down with Christabel for a Q&A session to learn more about her seven-year tenure at Revel and the adventures she’s had along the way. Read on for a deep dive into Christabel’s experiences and her take on why Revel is a great place to work.
(Q): Thanks for letting our readers get to know you a bit better today, Christabel. To start, you’ve been at Revel for quite some time. What has ultimately kept you here all these years?
(A): Yes, I have been with Revel for seven years, and it was actually my seventh anniversary just this past June! I would have to say it’s the career development and opportunities I’ve been provided that have kept me at Revel. I started as an intern at Revel and later moved to a variety of different roles. I now have a set of skills that I don’t think I could have learned somewhere else, and my current role is the culmination of every skill I’ve picked up along the way.
At Revel, I’ve never been forced to stay within my box. From working with clients to being able to shadow executives, I’ve learned so much. I have always been encouraged to explore different roles and different interests, and it’s a huge reason as to why I’ve stayed so engaged all of these years.
(Q): What do you think makes Revel unique in comparison to other technology companies?
(A): When I think about the feedback I’m constantly hearing from my peers, a lot of what I gather is how much our leadership team cares about us. We are not just seen as numbers. Instead, our leadership team really cares about how we are going about our days, how our roles could be more efficient, and so much more.
I think when employees feel like they’re supported and valued in that way, it trickles down to how we treat our clients, partners, and stakeholders.
(Q): Now that we know a bit more about why you’ve stayed at Revel all these years, let’s take a step back. Can you share your title here at Revel with our readers and what your role involves?
(A): I am currently the chief of staff at Revel. My role includes handling administrative and tactical tasks for the executive team so that they can focus on their strategic planning. It’s really also about helping to make sure that employees are in line with our company goals and that they’re being held accountable on various projects.
(Q): With the tenure you have at Revel, I can only assume that your role has evolved quite a bit. Can you tell me a bit more about the evolution of your career at Revel?
(A): I started at Revel as a business analyst intern on the customer success team. I slowly transitioned to the client relations team, helping clients solve complex cases related to their contracts with Revel. The role really helped me understand how to interact with our clients. My client service skills developed over time, and I got to understand first hand how our actions impact our clients and in turn, our clients’ customers.
After that, I moved on to a project management role. Later when Revel Chief Customer Officer Leslie Leaf joined the organization, she took me in as her executive assistant. In that role, I used the skills I had gathered from project management, event planning, and working and collaborating with a variety of teams and managers to be successful. Since then, I have been promoted to chief of staff where I still get to work very closely with Leslie and her team. Leslie oversees the second biggest department in our company, so I love being able to help her.
I recently heard that we launched a new intern program in our engineering department this summer, so I was really excited to see that a new class of interns would have the same opportunities that were presented to me seven years ago.
(Q): What initially led you to apply for a role at Revel?
(A): I did not anticipate working in the technology industry! I moved to the U.S. from the Philippines when I was twelve and have lived in San Francisco ever since.
In college, I got a degree in sports management, and have gradually noticed that there is actually a lot of overlap between a career in sports management and technology—both require a certain degree of understanding of general business skills.
With the technology boom occurring in the midst of my graduation season, it seemed like the best career to move forward with. When I interviewed with Revel and got to know their dynamic culture very quickly, I just knew it was a good fit.
This was my first role out of college, so I was ready to absorb anything and everything. From working with so many different talented people at Revel, I’ve learned—and am still learning—what it takes to be successful in this career field.
(Q): I know you were a key player in building the culture employees came to appreciate in Revel’s San Francisco office. When the pandemic took work life remote, what was that transition like and how did you help keep office culture alive?
(A): It was admittedly very hard at the onset of the pandemic for me because the San Francisco office was my baby. We had leased a variety of office spaces in San Francisco, but I specifically helped transition us into the new office that we call home base today. I invested a lot of time into making sure it was a nice space for everyone to work in, but unfortunately our workforce went fully remote shortly after we moved in due to the pandemic.
A big part of my job when we were in office was focusing on employee engagement activities and culture-boosting initiatives. When the pandemic hit, I had to get creative and figure out how to use the virtual environment to our benefit. Because we have employees spanning many different time zones, we had to brainstorm how to host virtual team events to help keep employees engaged. Fortunately, I think because people really craved some semblance of our great office culture, they really showed up to these events and they were successful.
We kept all of our old traditions alive despite being remote, including throwing new moms and dads virtual baby showers, celebrating anniversaries, and so much more. I think this was really important for newer employees because it helped them get to know how awesome of a team they had joined.
We recently had an in-person meeting at the Revel office in Atlanta, GA, and a lot of colleagues came up to me and said that it feels like they already knew me and so many other team members, despite having never met them in person before. I like to think that can be attributed to how connected we stayed despite the virtual environment we were faced with.
(Q): I know you’re heavily involved with philanthropic efforts out of the San Francisco office. Can you tell me more about what organizations the team supports and what that impact means to you?
(A): Of course, this is one of my favorite topics. We have partnered with the Family Giving Tree for a few years now, and last year’s holiday gift drive was particularly special for us. We were able to help them support their two millionth child in the Bay Area by donating items. This year, we’re excited to participate in their back to school drive where we’ll help build out backpacks for students in the area.
I’m really thankful for our west coast-based executive team for being so supportive of letting me facilitate the partnership with Family Giving Tree. I think sometimes when you’re more junior in your role or at a company, you don't feel like you have much of a say. Our executive team actually came to me and asked my opinion when we were deciding on a philanthropy to support, and I’m really thankful to have gotten to provide that input.
(Q): Is there a project you’ve worked on at Revel that you’re really proud of?
(A): I love planning events, it’s truly what makes my heart sing. Therefore, I really enjoy working on the incentive programs that we have for our high performing employees. Everyone works so hard here, and it’s important to celebrate their wins. It’s also a way for me to get to know the people that are really passionate about their roles.
This year, I got to plan the Revel Performance Club trip which took place in the Bahamas. Attendees are peer nominated for this annual trip and then selected by our executive team based on their stellar performances throughout the year. The trip was a huge success this year—I definitely didn’t see a sad face!
The best part of the trip, in my opinion, was that everyone felt like they knew each other despite still navigating a relatively virtual work environment.
(Q): When you’re not going above and beyond for the team at Revel, what do you enjoy doing outside of work?
(A): Ever since I left the Philippines, I have tried to stay in touch with my roots. I do that a lot through cooking and eating; I enjoy trying new meals out and trying new recipes at home. I also enjoy hosting people at my home for a great meal and drinks.
When I’m not cooking and enjoying good food, I love walking and hiking with my dog Roxy.
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Tenured employees like Christabel are a huge contributor to the culture we’ve built here at Revel. Her historical knowledge of the company makes her a planning powerhouse, and we’re grateful for the work she continues to do to push the “People POS” to new heights.
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