Social impact start-up Beam has hired Claire Samson (pictured) as its first director of people and talent.
Samson will head up the people and talent team, as well as overseeing Beam’s legal and finance operations. She will report to founder and chief executive officer Alex Stephany, and will work to scale the team from 80 to more than 150 people by the end of 2023.
She joined the business from financial services firm S and P Global, where she worked as director of people planning following its multi-billion dollar merger with IHS Markit.
Prior to that, Samson spent four years at tech unicorn Bumble in a variety of international operations and HR roles, most recently as director of strategic initiatives in the people and culture team. During her time at the organisation, the workforce grew from 50 to 1,000 people, following its acquisition by Blackstone and an initial public offering (IPO) in 2021.
Samson said: “Beam combines the speed and ambition of a tech business like Bumble with an amazing social mission that’s focused on transforming the lives of people on society’s margins. Having worked in the social enterprise sector earlier in my career, I’m thrilled to get back into that world and to work alongside such a smart and impressive team.”
Stephany added: “Claire brings exceptional people, talent and scaling experience from one of the world’s biggest tech success stories. I’m excited at the prospect of working alongside Claire to find the most talented people at all levels, from entry-level to c-suite, to help us achieve our mission in the UK and internationally.”