Life at Intuit

Unir, Cultivar, Crecer, Crear, Servir – Latinos Connect @ Intuit

Written by Intuit Blog Team
Published Sep 21, 2018 - [Updated Nov 9, 2018]
4 min read

At Intuit, we have employees from all different cultural, ethnic, and religious backgrounds – and it is incredibly important that everyone is able to bring their whole self to work. This part of our culture resonates with Rafael Blanco, a WFT Care Service Delivery Manager at Intuit. Born and raised in Puerto Rico, Blanco moved to Texas with his wife when he was 33, and was attracted to Intuit particularly because of Latinos Connect @ Intuit, one of Intuit’s 11 employee networks.

Latinos Connect @ Intuit has over 100 members across three chapters in Mountain View, Tuscon, and Plano. Blanco co-chairs the Plano chapter with Eric Ferraris, who grew up in Argentina and currently works in sales at Intuit. “The word ‘latino’ can encompass so many different people,” Blanco explains. And while most members are from Spanish-speaking countries, Latinos Connect @ Intuit is open to anyone and everyone. “It is important to focus on the fact it is inclusive,” says CC Woolfolk, Senior Executive Assistant and Program Manager at Intuit.

Some folks join Latinos Connect @ Intuit looking for a community, while some join to find community service opportunity opportunities or learn more about the various cultures brought to the table by the network’s vastly diverse members. Noel De La Torre, Growth and Marketing Manager at Intuit who co-leads the Mountain View chapter with Woolfolk, says the group is always “looking for ways to solve for as many of those uses cases as [they] can.”

Regardless of why people join, everyone in the group shares a common goal – to empower the Latino community at Intuit to thrive. Since becoming Latinos Connect @ Intuit’s executive sponsor, Jimena Almendares, Intuit’s VP of Global Expansion, has worked with chapter leaders to establish five pillars, or committees, to support this mission and ultimately improve Intuit: unite, cultivate, grow, create, and serve.

Unite/Unir

Since the founding of Latinos Connect @ Intuit, building a strong sense community among Latino employees and allies has been a primary goal. The group meets on a monthly basis, and this year held their first all-hands meeting to share milestones and achievements. To showcase their culture and language, the group works to create company-wide events to celebrate Hispanic holidays like Cinco de Mayo and Hispanic Heritage Month. In addition to building the community at Intuit, Latinos Connect @ Intuit partners with outside groups from other companies to host events. “But, it is not just a social club,” De La Torre emphasizes.

Cultivate/Cultivar

It’s incredibly important to Latinos Connect @ Intuit to support the Intuit Talent Acquisition team and the recruitment of Latino candidates, as well as nurture new and existing employees. The group supports Intuit’s Diversity and Inclusion agenda, referring high-potential Latino candidates as often as possible and hosting career panels, like Management Leadership of Tomorrow (at which Almendares spoke at earlier this year). Once hired, the group has established a buddy program to help new Latino employees adjust to the company.

Grow/Crecer

Almendares recognizes that she is one of very few Latino executives. “Representation matters,” she emphasizes, which is why the group promotes career and leadership development of Latino employees so vigorously. The employee network hosts professional development workshops and leadership development courses to help empower Latino employees across all levels.

Create/Crear

Latinos are one of the fastest growing populations, and who better to understand their needs than themselves? One of Latinos Connect @ Intuit’s goal is to build and refine Intuit products and services for the US Latino and LATAM markets. This includes leading the go-to-market strategy for the US Latino market, and consulting with business units that serve LATAM markets. The group quickly is becoming the go-to source for Latino consumer insights, and the champion of Latino customers.

Serve/Servir

In addition to improving the company and its products, Latinos Connect @ Intuit aims to elevate and enhance Intuit’s reputation in the Latino community. Members represent Intuit at Latino-centric events to build networks and co-create business ideas to help better serve our customers. The group has helped created a database of Latino-owned small businesses, and partners with them on QBConnect, pop-up shops, and TurboTax’s #WeAllGrow initiatives. The group’s work extends outside of Intuit as well – each chapter organizes opportunities to give back to their communities.