Employee Spotlight: Christina Tsiantos!
Q1. Introduce yourself!
I concluded my studies in my early 20’s and unfortunately, didn’t have the marks to get into a master's degree to pursue a career in Psychology. I discovered at Uni that I wanted to go into Corporate Psychology, and the only way I could do that post studies was going down recruitment route. Working as an agency recruiter made me more book smart in the business world. It taught me sales, negotiations, processes and how to work with people globally. I developed an amazing network and in my first year of recruitment, I saved up enough cash to move from South Africa to the UK! Fast forward a couple boozy years working in recruitment and living in England, I decided that it was time to get back on track and follow my dreams, as cliché as it sounds. It was at this point that I started my in-house/Talent/HR/People journey with Venatus. Now, I work on attracting, onboarding, and retaining talent in multiple territories! It is only the start of this journey, but it has been one amazing one! Massive shoutout to my boss, JC, for having the utmost faith in me!
I am a bit crazy, both inside and outside of work, but you have to be a lil' delusional now and then! I love to socialise and connect with people, but like many, when my social batteries are on Zero, that is when I turn into a crab and go inside of my little hermit hole and turn to gaming. Not many know, but I love it (and I am not saying this cause I work for Venatus 😂.) I grew up with a PS2 and completed all the Rachet and Clanks, Gran Turismos, GTAs (I had a folder with every single GTA cheat code), with also owning a PSP, which was pretty much only used to play The Sims. Recently, I have migrated to Xbox, and still love any platform game with a storyline 😻! Some recent favorites are Psychonauts, High on Life, Red Dead Redemption (giddy up cowboy 🤠 and It Takes Two. Other hobbies include gym, walking my dog, cooking, beaching, and travelling!
Q2. What attracted you to joining Venatus?
I had heard Venatus had received equity, so I knew whatever they were doing, they were doing it right! I wanted to be a part of that, to actually grow with a company! I had recruited in the digital space for a couple of years and I was just putting cogs into machines. I wanted to make the machine turn. After my interview with James Collett, I knew this was the place for me. His vision for Venatus was inspiring, and it was clear that the company was on an upward trajectory. I was excited about the opportunity to contribute to the growth and be part of a team that was truly making a difference in the digital advertising space.
Q3. What are your impressions of Venatus’ culture and work environment?
Joining Venatus felt like more than just taking a job — it felt like joining a community of individuals dedicated to pushing boundaries and achieving excellence. We are allowed to leverage our skills and experience to not only help the company succeed but also to grow both personally and professionally. Everyone is just super open, super friendly and super helpful. I get to work with everyone globally and I just love it! We also have the best co-founders that give you the utmost time for any question. Everyone truly cares here.
Of all the Venatus values, the one I appreciate the most is: 'We are open to everyone'... because we seriously are! (We have people like me running around the shop). But in all honestly, regardless of who you are or where you are, if it makes sense for us, we will make it work.
Q4. What would your advice be to someone considering Venatus as their next workplace?
We like to do things fast and smart, and anyone who thrives in these environments will thrive at Venatus. We've also onboarded people across both hybrid and remote working. I love how people can come together to work on something no matter where they are based!
BONUS: If you could have dinner with any 3 people, alive or dead, who would they be?
- Tata Madiba aka Nelson Mandela
- Honey Dijon
- Sigmund Freud