THE OBSERVER – Feb 14 – Observer sat down with Mandy Ginsberg to chat about her achievements and challenges over the past year.
Q: How would you describe your first year as the CEO of Match Group?
A: I've been with the company for a long time. But this past year was wonderful, because I had not been in a position where I was in charge across all these brands. We had our best performing financial year ever in our history. On the culture side, there were a couple things that were important to me. As a woman leader in the dating category, I wanted to make sure that I can help women on our platforms with issues around dating and sexual assault. I created the Match Group Advisory Council, and we brought together some of the most incredible leaders who have real expertise in the prevention of sexual assault. I also wanted to make Match Group the best technology company for women to work at. We extended our parental leave policies. We also pay for egg freezing now (80% of the total cost).
Q: What is the latest update on the sexual harassment accusations brought against your former CEO Greg Blatt?
A: I don't really have an update, because there's been no litigation. I have been very aggressive to make sure that our employees know that we do not shy away from these issues and that they are in a safe environment.
Q: Has there been any HR policy change since then?
A: Most of the challenges we faced were around Tinder. We had many employees right out of college. So they needed real clarity in terms of what's appropriate in a workplace. We did sexual harassment training, both in person and via online modules, to make sure that people were aware of what the boundaries are.
Q: Does the fact that Match is in the business of dating make it hard to set company policies around related issues, such as office romance?
A: I would feel hard pressed to tell people in the business of love that you shouldn't fall in love with someone at work, especially when I myself fell in love with my husband at work. Our policy is that you can't date people in direct reporting lines.
Q: Over your 13 years in the dating business, what are some of the interesting trends you've observed on how people use online dating services?
A: 10 years ago people felt very embarrassed to tell others that they met their spouses through a dating site. Today, its kind've a badge of honor. What has driven the big transformation in this category is the popularity of free services and smartphones, which have attracted young people into online dating.
Q: What do you think of Facebook's new dating service?
A: Facebook has launched the dating service in a couple of markets, but we haven't seen any real impact on us yet. But for Facebook, you can't underestimate them. They're a huge player and they have access to a lot of people.
by Sissi Cao
See full article at The Observer
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