Employee Spotlight: Olivia Thaler

At haku, we pride ourselves on a diverse and unique collection of talent and personalities. Olivia Thaler, aka Hawk, is a Customer Experience Manager who has been with haku for almost 2 years. She was born here in Miami, but spent her college years at William & Mary in Virginia (more on that in a bit). Let’s get to know Olivia. 

What is your role at haku? 

I work with our partners to ensure they make the most out of our technology. Each race organizer has specific goals and needs and my role is to determine how haku can make those goals a reality, or provide solutions when things don’t go as planned. I would say 50% is problem-solving and the other 50% is planning and executing tasks for these clients. 

What is your favorite part about working here? 

My favorite part is the culture overall. We all get along so well and want each other to succeed- it makes coming to the office easy and exciting. I also love working for haku because I find what we do intellectually stimulating. I have exposure to every part of the business and am constantly learning.

What are some of your hobbies? 

I play tennis for fun now. I played Division 1 tennis in college at William & Mary. That’s what I do the most outside of working. It’s a great way to hang out with friends and get some exercise.

What is one thing you’ve never done that is still on your bucket list? 

Being such a big tennis fan, I want to go to the four Grand Slams. I’ve been to the US Open in New York a few times. Going to Roland Garros in Paris and Wimbledon in London would be amazing. The Australian Open would be the toughest one to get to!

How would your family and friends describe you? 

I think they would say I’m good at making the people around me feel good. I’m caring and I find enjoyment or positives in things. Hopefully they would say I’m dependable and I’ll always be there for the people I love and care about. 

If someone was visiting Miami for the first time, what would some of your recommendations be? 

I would tell them if they want the touristy Miami experience they have to visit South Beach and go to a club or bars, that kind of thing. But if you want the real, local Miami experience, then try Wynwood (our Art District), Coconut Grove or Calle Ocho where they can try unique restaurants and really see why Miami’s culture is so special. 

What is something interesting or unique that not a lot of people know about you? 

I fostered several kittens during covid through a rescue organization. I took care of them until they were able to find a permanent home. I unfortunately can’t do that now that we’re in office but I’ve done 5 or 6 total and I love it. I adopted one - his name is Simon and he’s been with me over a year now.  

If haku announced a last-minute day off for tomorrow, what would you do with your suddenly free day? 

I would definitely sleep in. I would probably take the time to go to Key Biscayne or maybe the beach and just walk around and relax for a while. Maybe take a bike ride. But for the most part I wouldn’t do anything too crazy. Just enjoy the weather and stay outside as much as I can.

What are some of your long term career goals? 

I’m really excited to be working at haku because we’re growing so quickly. I believe there’s so much potential and so much more for us to expand upon. Naturally this means we’re gonna have more chances to oversee teams and I would love to take that responsibility as we continue to grow. I can see myself as a director or managing a piece of haku. 

And I think everyone wants to know, can you explain the Hawk nickname? 

It’s a ridiculous story! When I started at haku during COVID, I was working remotely and I was on a video call with Carlos and Jose. One of the kittens I was fostering meowed and they joked that it sounded like a bird. Jose then spread a rumor around the office that I was a hawk trainer. He knew it was a cat! And sure enough, we came to the office a year later and people were honestly asking me about my hawk training! It was amazing and hilarious. So “Hawk” stuck. I blame Jose 100%. 

It’s exciting to have a great team member like Olivia and we can’t wait to see her talents continue to expand within the Customer Experience team. 

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Want to explore an exciting career at haku? We’re growing our team and always looking for talented and outgoing individuals to add to our incredible haku family. Check out our openings here.