Rachel

Tell us about your career journey.

Growing up, I had many different interests, but I always found myself drawn to the communications space in different ways. I would say I’ve always enjoyed writing – whether for leisure or throughout school – it was something that always felt natural for me. Something that I don’t really broadcast about myself, that I think people would be shocked to know, is I’m a two-time self-published poet. I was an avid reader as a child, but truly grew to love poetry throughout middle and high school – and poetry is how my passion for writing and literature rekindled and developed throughout the years. I was a freelance writer throughout undergrad for a national blog, where I interviewed different people under the small business and entrepreneurship series, published content on social media, and supported campus events.

How did your carer journey and aspirations lead you to Capgemini?

Finishing undergrad, I had intentions to enter the hospitality and tourism industry because through the roles I held, event planning gained a special place in my heart as well. I love planning and organizing – you get to blend the analytical with the creative. Seeing our collective ideas literally come to life right before our eyes is a rewarding experience. However, I didn’t continue in the hospitality industry full time because I received a scholarship to graduate school and moved to Harlem [New York] to study strategic communications at Columbia University.

After finishing graduate school, at the height of the pandemic, I was led into other avenues before ultimately landing at Capgemini. Immediately before joining Capgemini, I worked as a project coordinator for a federally funded research and development center (FFRDC). The analytical side of me enjoyed working there – I loved problem solving, mitigating risks, scheduling, planning, and managing budgets – but the creative side of me wanted something more interactive and people oriented. One of my friends worked for Capgemini at the time. I was getting some career advice from her and through telling her the things I was interested in, she mentioned that change management might be a great fit for me, so she referred me to Capgemini Invent. This was my first time ever hearing about change management and Capgemini, but based on exploring about the company and the role, it seemed like something I had the skillset for, so I explored the opportunity.

How did you transition from change management to internal communications?

In change management, my area of focus on the projects was typically stakeholder enablement, training, and communications. So, I was doing many similar things I do in my role now, such as executive communications, content management, communications planning, and more for our clients. I was motivated to shift roles because I wanted to solely focus on strategic communications, which is what my master’s degree is in, and develop in a more focused path as a communicator.

I learned about my current role while attending a townhall that our CSR team hosted in early 2022. I learned that they were hiring for an Internal Communications Lead, so I thought that was the perfect sign to apply. I didn’t really experience any obstacles. I had been pretty vocal about my career ambitions and aspirations, so during my transition my manager and HRBP were super supportive.

Tell us about your current role in Internal Communications.

I am a part of both the Americas Internal Communications and Americas Corporate Responsibility & Engagement teams, where I manage the internal communications strategy, supporting our Corporate Responsibility and Engagement efforts across the US and Canada. Day to day, I’m collaborating with these teams and different stakeholders, locally and globally, to craft our impact story as a responsible company that is shaping positive futures for our people, planet, and society – and engaging our employees in our initiatives. I’m typically doing a lot of writing, content management, event support, and ideating fresh ways for our stories and updates to reach our colleagues. I also provide communication and event support to our ERG volunteer members. 

Aside from your day-to-day role, what other ways do you stay engaged at Capgemini?

During my time with Invent, I volunteered as a Community & Culture Lead for the North America Diversity Equity and Inclusion Council. It was one of the first ways I was able to get involved across Capgemini aside from my day-to-day role. I learned about this group when they first reached out to me to share my story during a Black History Month. Then I became a community and culture lead with a former colleague. We led different virtual events for the Invent community to enjoy. One of my favorite events was a virtual yoga session led by a colleague who was a professional instructor as a previous career, and we got to share wellness kits to members who participated. Currently, I stay engaged via the events our ERGs plan weekly. It’s a great way to connect with people across the business and learn about different topics, cultures, traditions and our intersectionality.

That sounds really fun! Do you do any other volunteering work?

Outside of work, I volunteer with both of my alma maters, Prairie View A&M University as a membership and engagement volunteer for our National Alumni Association and Columbia University as an alumni volunteer for the HBCU (Historically Black Colleges and Universities) Fellowship program. Aside from that, I like to support different community events in the Houston area. 

What has been your proudest achievement in your career journey at Capgemini?

My most rewarding project to date has been the Employee Resource Group rebrand project. That was one of my first major projects and ideas in my role, and I feel like it really helped to reinvigorate our employee resource group culture and raise awareness for our ERGs across the business. I enjoyed storyboarding all of the concepts and seeing everything come to life out of many collective ideas was amazing. 

Another one of my proudest moments at Capgemini has been the opportunity to travel to London with my colleague, Molly Deakins, for the Seramount EmERGe Conference. During that time, we also met with the UK  Diversity and Inclusion team to support content for our global diversity initiatives and Employee Resource Groups.

The opportunity to meet colleagues from different places is such a great perk. What’s your favorite thing about Capgemini? 

My favorite thing about Capgemini is the lateral career mobility and the people I meet. There are many great people here at Capgemini with unique histories and experiences and being on two teams that also span globally I have been introduced to many great colleagues around the world.