About Claude
Chief Heart Officer, VaynerX
Claude Silver is VaynerMedia’s inaugural Chief Heart Officer, Head of the People & Experience department; a first of its kind. She understands that the key to unlocking greatness in people requires letting go of traditional HR methods and leaning into human-to-human connection.
As a graduate of the California Institute of Integral Studies with a BA in Transpersonal Psychology & Human Development, and additional certifications in various psychology and spiritual teachings from other institutes in Northern California, Claude is equipped with a unique perspective on corporate leadership and team-building techniques. She often shares her expertise in empathetic servant leadership to various media platforms and in front of live audiences nationwide, including Forbes.com, the Fast Company Innovation Festival and the Culture Summit.
At VaynerMedia, Claude champions empathy-driven leadership, while overseeing talent management, employee retention, learning and development, workplace culture, internal communications, and people operations for over 750 employees. Before becoming CHO at VaynerMedia, she held leadership positions at both JWT San Francisco and London, Publicis London, and SAYMedia, and in 2002-2005 she founded and ran a surfing and outdoor adventure company for women in the San Francisco Bay area, Her success guiding client relationships, global brand strategies, operations, and management is driven by an abiding passion for creating spaces in which people can thrive.
At the height of her career, Claude nearly left the corporate world because she discovered that mentoring and coaching brought her more joy. Self-awareness was pivotal in her journey and ultimately led her to live out her life purpose which is to be of joyful service and share emotional optimism with the world. In addition to facilitating growth and change in people, teams, and companies, Claude is dedicated to helping individuals find meaning in what they’re doing and guiding them in identifying and removing roadblocks.
She believes the foundation of every organization should include mentorship and wellness. “Mentorship, to me, is built on the pillars of the heart, and those are humanity, connection, trust, and empathy,” states Claude. Her daily mission is to listen and ensure she is nurturing a workplace culture that embraces inclusivity, the uniqueness of individuals and thrives with constant collaboration.
Claude considers herself a natural coach, team player, and cheerleader. She believes in people and sees the good in everyday by leading with humanity. Widely known for her ability to build teams rooted in the generosity of spirit and a belief in possibility, Claude cultivates the heart of VaynerMedia’s success: its people. You can follow Claude on Twitter and Instagram at @claudesilver
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Claude in Action
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“Claude was a huge hit. The team loved her wisdom, authenticity, and candor. We were the lucky ones.”
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“Claude’s contribution to the learning was meaningful and the Flag Officers greatly appreciated her energy and engagement. We continued the conversation afterwards and throughout the week. Several of the participants highlighted specific takeaways from the talk that were relevant for our senior leaders’ role in shaping culture. Claude’s insights have provided helpful framing and inspiration as we continue to pursue a culture of learning and growth in the US Navy. ”
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“Claude delivered a high-energy presentation that really brought our theme of empathetic leadership in action to life. Along with valuable insight, you provided my leadership team with actionable takeaways and grounded the room in the need for heart and humanity in the workplace…Claude is an amazing force and a much-needed voice in the conversations that are going on about corporate culture and Leadership today.”
