New Hire Spotlight: Adrien Chiariello
Written byOur haku team continues to expand! The newest member of our team is Adrien Chiariello, who hails all the way from Metz, France. He moved to Miami in 2020 and joined haku recently as our new VP of Finance. Let’s get to know more about Adrien!
What is your role with haku?
Well my title is VP of finance, and I was hired to be the guy who digs into the figures and financial performance of the company to feed management with actionable insights.
What prompted the move to Miami?
Well my first encounter with the US was when I did an international work transfer program in New York City in 2015. I met my now wife there and after 1.5 years I had to go back to work in Luxembourg. But the idea was to come back at some point, and she agreed to come back to Europe with me with the trade off that we would eventually return permanently to the U.S. We got married in 2018, and in December of 2020 we made our move to Miami with our 3-month old son during the pandemic. Everything was for the best.
What has been your experience like transitioning from France to the U.S, and specifically Miami?
I think most of the culture clash I experienced in NYC. Something that sort of struck me the most was when I worked in the US, there’s a clear distinction between private and corporate life. I found it pretty hard to create bonds outside of work. That was a unique difference.
This may be funny but there's some things that are impossible not to notice like in the pharmacies here in the U.S, they sell cigarettes. That's incredible. The Latin culture around me is certainly different due to my wife and in-laws who are Central American. I love all the food, music, language, etc. I felt a great sense of belonging.
What is something you really want to accomplish in the near future?
I would like to see my next challenge as being more related to health. I’m going to try to get a bike and commute to work that way. Working in a company that focuses on endurance events, it helps this new mindset. Getting back on track health-wise is a big goal for me.
What is your idea of a perfect day?
At work I think it starts with a good coffee. I would say a lot has to do with problem solving and helping others to do their job. People expect things from you and until you get it done, they kind of wait for you to get on with their jobs. Helping others make the best out of their day is great.
Do you have any routines you follow during the work day? Anything that makes you feel just more at ease?
I have a little espresso in the mornings no matter what happens at home, and it is very important for 5 min of just me time.
How do you define success?
I think to me, the meaning is proportionate to the difficulty of what you encounter to get to a goal. So if something is out of reach and you get it easily, that's a big difference from putting lots of work into something and then finding success. So one part is the difficulty of it and the amount of work to get there. I think this is applicable to private and professional life, too.
Would you rather go back in time or forward in time and why?
I feel like I'm not scared of the future, but I am an environmentalist at heart and I wish I could do more. So fast forwarding scares me a bit, especially in that regard, so I would say going back in time would be more fun.
If you could have dinner with any 4 individuals, living or dead, who would you pick?
Sebastian Maniscalco: He cracks me up at every single joke. I was immersed in Italian culture when I grew up, so I can relate to a lot of his jokes.
Cousin Greg, from Succession: His character reminds me a lot of me when I started my career, asking a lot of awkward questions and feeling weird about it. But I still think that's the best way to learn.
Jeremy Clarkson: I love learning about cars and I love his show. I am sure he would have great stories to tell!
Nas: My interest for english language initially came from music. Growing up in the 90s, my older brother used to play these recorded tapes of US hip hop tracks. I just liked the vibe of the music and I tried to understand what they meant with a dictionary. I was literally rewinding tapes to understand the verses. And I must have been 8 years old, good thing my parents didn't understand!
Do you have any fun or unique family traditions?
There's a French tradition and I’m trying to hold to it. In January, there’s this event called Gallette des Rois to celebrate the Three Kings' Day. We eat a pie, filled with almond paste or different variations, but the point is to discover this token in one of the slices of pie, and the person who finds it becomes sort of the king for the day. There’s no real victory significance beyond bragging rights, but it’s fun and I want to keep that tradition alive here.
-----
We are very excited to have Adrien join us and his expertise will go a long way in driving our business processes.
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.
