Pledge 1%’s #WomenWhoLead series celebrates female leaders who are changing the world. Our leaders come from a variety of backgrounds and industries, and are all doing their part to have an impact in their communities and at their workplace. We’ve asked them to share a bit about their background and path to success.
What is your name and title?
Maggie Hureau, Head of Social Impact at Harry’s.
Briefly (1-2 sentences) describe your current role.
I get to lead the company’s social impact work and think about how we can do better in the world. Social impact here is comprised of two main areas. First and foremost, we donate 1 percent of sales — not profits or proceeds — to nonprofits that are helping us reach more men, and give them access to the mental healthcare they need. Second, I lead our high-five program where all full time U.S. employees get 5 paid days to give back to nonprofit organizations.
What’s the best decision you’ve ever made?
The best decision I’ve made is to stay at an organization and within a role for nearly 5 years (which is long in the nonprofit space). It helped me gain a deep understanding of the CSR/social impact/philanthropy field. While it didn’t feel like it at the time, that investment has paid off amazingly in my current role!
What’s the number one challenge you face as a woman in your industry?
I have the unique experience of being a women with our social mission serving, for the most part, men. It’s been an interesting experience. I was definitely overwhelmed at first at how often I was approached about having a social impact program that served a population that experiences privilege.
At first, I found myself really trying to back up the why behind the work — men are 3.5x more likely to die by suicide, 22 veterans take their own lives everyday, etc. Particularly in the beginning, I found it really hard to prove I had the right to work in this space given I don’t identify as a man.
Do you have any mentors? What does mentorship mean to you?
I have plenty of mentors — all of which I’ve previously worked with. Mentorship to me means everything! Nearly every big decision I’ve made in my career was talked through, in great detail, with one of my mentors.
To me, the greatest value add isn’t around exclusive professional topics, but where personal life and work collide. For example, how to manage my mental health in a particular stressful work scenario, or how to balance my work and personal life.
What advice do you have for women who are just starting their career?
If you find an organization that you deeply believe in, with a manager that you can learn from, stay put and don’t look for the next quick opportunity for growth or a heightened role!
In other words, don’t chase a title or move on before learning everything you can from that manager or position.
What woman inspires you the most? Why?
I’m inspired the most by people who are deeply empathetic for others. The people in my life that have every reason to shut down and not connect, but instead continue to dig deep to pause and try to understand what it’s like in someone else’s shoes. Those folks are incredibly inspiring to me.
When did your company join Pledge 1%? How long have you been working on your impact program?
We’ve been donating 1% of sales for the past 6 years ,so we’ve been here since the beginning! I worked on our impact program as a nonprofit partner for 4 years and have led this program for the past 2 years.
Are you reading/listening to anything interesting at the moment? Please share your most recent favorite book or podcast!
I’m really excited to start reading For the Love of Men: A New Vision for Mindful Masculinity by Liz Plank! By the sounds of it, the book is incredibly relevant to the work we are doing in mental health for men.
What’s something coming up that excites you?
In addition to managing our social impact program at Harry’s, I also get to lead our social mission for Flamingo, our women’s brand! We’ve donated big in our first year. Now in our second year, we’ll lean in to our nonprofit partners more than ever and make a real impact on women and their relationship to their bodies. Stay tuned for more soon!
Originally posted: March 20, 2020
