At a moment of growing inequality and division, who is advancing the vanguard of economic and social progress to bolster our most vulnerable communities? Whose work is fostering the inclusive growth that ensures every individual thrives? Who will set the ambitious standards that mobilize whole industries, challenging their peers to reach new altitudes of social impact? 

In 2024, Impact Next — a new editorial flagship series from NationSwell — will spotlight the standard-bearing corporate social responsibility and impact leaders, entrepreneurs, experts, and philanthropists whose catalytic work has the potential to shape the landscape of progress amid urgent need for social and economic action.

For this installment, NationSwell interviewed Carrie Varoquiers — Chief Philanthropy Officer at Workday.

Greg Behrman, CEO and Founder, NationSwell: What brought you to this field? Was there a moment in your life that galvanized your commitment to driving bold action on social and economic progress?

Carrie Varoquiers, Workday: My parents came from very humble beginnings, especially my Mom. After eventually reaching the middle class, she was always stressing the importance of reaching back to lift others up with her. She was (and still is) a life-long volunteer, and she brought us to lots of volunteer events as children.  As a result of those volunteer experiences from a young age, and hearing stories from my mother about her childhood, her resilience, and seeing all that she was able to achieve because of her grit and determination and — most importantly — her access to opportunity. I became focused on building a career that helped to kick open the doors of opportunity for all. 

I didn’t bounce around much after college trying to figure it out — I had a purpose. I knew early on that I worked really well in a corporate environment and firmly believed then, and still do now, that businesses can be a huge change agent for good. Business has the power, capital and influence to move quickly, innovate and advance big changes at scale to benefit society.  

Behrman, NationSwell: Looking back at the scope of your career, how have your thinking, your strategies, leadership style, or philosophies evolved?

Varoquiers, Workday: There are a few really positive changes that I have witnessed over my philanthropy career: The shift to a blend of data-driven and trust-based philanthropy; blowing up the overhead ratio myth to end the starvation cycle for nonprofits; the fact that grant applications have gotten shorter, data collection has become more automated and advanced, reporting requirements have become less cumbersome, the fact that more capital is going towards unrestricted funding….all of which frees up these talented leaders and organizations to spend more time innovating and experimenting and scaling proven solutions. This is progress!

Behrman, NationSwell: What defines this present societal and economic moment? Which trends fill you with optimism, and which ones give you pause?

Varoquiers, Workday:  We are at a true tipping point for the skills-first hiring and mobility movement globally, which is really exciting. Emerging AI technologies have the power to rapidly accelerate skills-based hiring, unlocking access to opportunity for a diverse talent pool and opening up new talent funnels for companies. Creating a skills-first movement will not only create a more equitable future for talent that has been traditionally left out due to a lack of college degree or a non-linear career path, but it will create a more robust economy that ensures people have the opportunity to use all of their skills and capabilities to the fullest. 

Of course what excites me most is also what gives me pause — the future of AI, ensuring that it is developed ethically and responsibly, and that government regulations are put in place that protect people without stifling innovation. Thankfully, Workday is leading in these areas. When AI is trustworthy and supported by smart public policy, it can improve the way we work, support informed decisions about upskilling and career mapping the workforce, and foster greater access to opportunities. 

Behrman, NationSwell: What are the current social impact trends that are not getting enough attention, in your mind?

Varoquiers, Workday: Now I am taking off my Workday hat and putting on my Cool Planet Food hat: We need to get really serious about reducing our consumption of animal products if we want to get to net zero. I didn’t say eliminate….reduce. We need to create purchasing incentives through a change in current subsidies to include fruits and veggies; we need to invest in alternative proteins and dairy; we need to help ranchers transition to plant-based crops without losing any income; we need to make plant-based options widely available in hospitals, schools, and other government institutions; we need to teach cooking in schools again! There are SO many ways for philanthropists to help influence change at scale with this issue, and it is just woefully under-funded. 

Behrman, NationSwell: What makes the impact strategies or initiatives Workday is championing unique? Can you walk us through the steps you’ve taken?

Varoquiers, Workday:  I would say that having the Workday Foundation’s mission tied so closely to the core product and expertise of the company since day one has really accelerated our impacts. In the very early days, Workday began as a human capital management software company, with deep expertise in all things HR and workforce. The Foundation’s focus on closing the opportunity gap by investing in workforce training organizations, workforce field building organizations, internal hiring programs such as Opportunity Onramps, creating and participating in all kinds of skills-first talent collaborations…this focus has allowed us to partner with the business in so many ways over the years and to tap into that institutional expertise, like with AI+work, to advance outcomes for the job seekers we are serving.  

Not only have we been able to do things like convene customers seeking to diversify their teams to discuss their talent strategies, introduce them to new talent funnels through our non-profit partners, and listen to their ideas for product features that would make skills-based hiring more effective for their orgs, we have been able to filter that information back to our training partners to help strengthen their programs. 

One current example I would call out that just launched earlier this year is our Workday training program, called Learn with Workday, which is open to anyone, anywhere. Today, there are some 60,000 openings for Workday related jobs in the U.S., but up until now, only people who work for a Workday customer or partner could access Workday product training — creating a talent gap. This is sure to lead to great new careers for job seekers, and bring new Workday-skilled talent to our customer companies. It is a perfect example of how the business and Foundation are totally aligned.

Behrman, NationSwell: Is there a signature social or economic project or initiative you’re currently overseeing that you’d like to spotlight during our discussion?

Varoquiers, Workday:  I am currently most proud of Workday’s new feature length documentary film, UNTAPPED, which will premiere on Netflix on October 16. 

Developed and executive produced by Workday, in partnership with LeBron James and Maverick Carter’s SpringHill Entertainment, and directed by Josh Kahn, UNTAPPED is a film that shines a light on all of the untapped talent that surrounds us, and asks the audience to think differently about what a “qualified” job candidate looks like. With this film, we aim to accelerate the skills-first talent movement and show viewers why a shift towards a skills-based hiring and mobility strategy benefits individual families, businesses, and our nation’s economy.

I hope everyone reading today will add UNTAPPED to their Netflix watch list — we want this film to be viewed by hiring managers everywhere!

Behrman, NationSwell: What’s the North Star of your leadership?

Varoquiers, Workday: My North Star of leadership is the same as my life philosophy: Leave the world a better place. It’s very simple. At the end of every day, I want to be able to lay my head down and believe that I did something to leave the world a bit better for people, animals, and the planet. It can be as small as listening with empathy when an employee is having a tough day, or as big as creating a new 3-year strategy to help close the opportunity gap for job seekers without a 4-year degree. I just try to have a positive impact in every interaction… like anything else in life, it takes thoughtful intention and practice. 

Behrman, NationSwell: Of the social or economic leaders who perform a similar function to yours at peer organizations, whose work inspires you, and whom you hold in high esteem?

Varoquiers, Workday: There are SO many amazing social impact leaders in tech! I am a member of a professional group of peers that has been meeting monthly for 10 years now, and we have gone through births and job changes and marriages and moves… at this point, we have moved well past peer professional relationships and into deep and authentic friendships. Many of them are also NationSwell members. 🙂 I learn so much from them — they make me better at my job, for sure. But I am mainly in awe of the nonprofit professionals I have the honor to work with every day who are actually making change happen on the ground. They are my heroes.

Behrman, NationSwell: Could you recommend any insightful resources – maybe a book, report, podcast, or article that has significantly influenced your thinking?

Varoquiers, Workday: Specifically speaking about philanthropy, I would say that Dan Palotta’s book Uncharitable was terrific. I also loved Winners Take All by Anand Giriharadas. Drawdown by Paul Hawken was so practical and digestible — it was a very optimistic climate book. 

I also love The Purpose Economy by my friend Aaron Hurst, and Change for Good by my friend Paul Klein. Both of these social impact practitioners have been leading the field and are really inspiring. But when I was in my late 20s, I read a New York Times article by philosopher Peter Singer that struck a deep chord with me titled “The Singer Solution to World Poverty.” The idea that it is our basic moral obligation to help all of our fellow humans — and the idea that we all need to be as invested in reducing the suffering of our neighbors on the other side of the world as we are with those that live right next door — touched me very deeply. 

Lastly, I would say a must-read for this moment in history is The Coming Wave, by Mustafa Suleyman, about how we have a moment — if we act right now — to truly harness the power of AI for good.