People Moves: Christine Tatham promoted to chief people officer at Redbrick

Redbrick, a software platform for digital entrepreneurs, recently announced Christine Tatham as its new chief people officer. Tatham first joined Redbrick in 2021 as VP of people and culture. Prior to then, Tatham was the former VP of HR at Epicure, the gourmet lifestyle magazine, and the head of HR for Pentland Brands, which manages some of the world’s best sports, outdoor, and lifestyle brands.

When announcing the news, Tatham opened up about her early childhood aspirations, the pressures and expectations she faced before joining Redbrick, and what advice she’d give to other companies and women who aren’t looking to settle for one path in life and career.

“My dream as a young girl was to be a judge in the Supreme Court of Canada. My other dream was to be a mom.

During a job shadow in university, a judge told me that I’d need to put any dreams of kids aside to be a judge. I could be a lawyer, but if I wanted to be a judge, it would take years of dedication and having children would get in the way. I chose a different career path for other reasons, but that piece of ‘advice’ has always stuck in my mind. 

Later, early in my career and after having my first baby, my boss asked me if I wanted to be ‘the career-driven mom’ or the ‘cupcake-making mom’ because I couldn’t be both. He said his wife had chosen the cupcakes, and that every woman really had to choose one path. My response was that I wanted to be both the career mom and the cupcake-making mom, and when he reiterated that I couldn’t do that, I invited him to ‘Watch me’. 

I now have four kids, I’ve become quite skilled at the art of cupcake making, thank you, and I also have a career that fulfills me immensely. 

Now, let me tell you about my introduction to Redbrick. I'd read so many things about the company that made it sound like an amazing place to work. A place where a woman like me, a cupcake-making, career-driven woman and mother, would ‘belong’. But, as I’ve learned through my career, company cultures are often vastly different on the inside than what they tell you they are on their website. 

Companies preach about a culture and values they strive to have, not who they really are. I know this resonates with you because we’ve all been there. 

During the recruitment process, I’d met several of the executive team members, and it really felt like Redbrick were who they said they were. It felt right, and it felt like a good fit. And then, I found out I was expecting baby number four. 

I scheduled a call with Redbrick’s CEO, Tobyn, and let him know my news. I told him that I’d truly enjoyed meeting him and the rest of the executive team, that they’d built a wonderful business together, but that I’d step out of the process, stay at my current job, and that hopefully our paths would cross in future. 

He paused, and then asked that I not make that decision, and then he followed up to say that he and the executive team would very much like me to stay in the process. 

I did, and shortly after I was offered the position. I knew this was the place for me. A place where I’d belong, and that all people, whatever their personal circumstances, would be welcome. As VP of people and culture, being able to work in an environment where I have support from my fellow executives to go above and beyond just ‘doing the right thing’, I’ve been extremely grateful. 

Today, I celebrate my promotion to chief people officer at Redbrick, and maybe I'll make some cupcakes. 

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