INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
Waymo, the former Google self-driving project that spun out to become a business under Alphabet, has hired former Netflix and Cruise
Automation executive Tawni Nazario-Cranz as its chief people officer.
Nazario-Cranz will be responsible for hiring workers, shaping the
company culture and diversity initiatives
She will report directly to Waymo CEO John Krafick
The executive comes with a long background in human resources, including a 10-year stint at Netflix, Bausch Lomb and FedEd Kinko&s
She was most recentlychief people officer at Cruise, GM self-driving unit, a position she held for eight months before leaving in April,
according to her LinkedIn profile.
Nazario-Cranz hiring comes at an auspicious time for Waymo, which is poised to launch its first
driverless service later this year
Waymo is alreadyshuttling a group of approved &early riders& in self-driving vehicles without a human test driver behind the wheel in the
The company has also been expanding partnerships with automakers
In May, Waymo said it would order up to 62,000 self-driving minivans from Fiat Chrysler for itsdriverless ride-hailing service.
Waymo has
also formed a strategic partnership with Jaguar Land Rover, with plans to make the newelectric I-Pace part of Waymo driverless fleet
beginning in 2020.
The burgeoning autonomous vehicle industry, which has exploded in the past two years, requires people with specific and
The limited pool of talent has made recruitment and retention of skilled workers a highly competitive process.
And while salary, benefits
and perks can lure new talent, it a company culture that often keeps them there.Nazario-Cranz has experience here, including co-authoring
Netflix firstculture document, whichFacebook COO Sheryl Sandberg said&may well be the most important document ever to come out of the
