Meet Marta Riggins | Strategic Consultant: Employer Brand & Employee Engagement

We had the good fortune of connecting with Marta Riggins and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Marta, do you have any habits that you feel contribute to your effectiveness?
-Starting my morning by listening to music vs. going on social media/news – Getting outside whenever possible (morning/sunset walks, walk & talk meetings)
-Being present and giving part of your time to your community (volunteering at a local organization/at school)
-Disconnecting when you go on a vacation (otherwise it’s just remote work)
-Connecting with colleagues and people in my networks regularly
-Having HARD boundaries with work and ensuring that it doesn’t become all consuming. Your energy needs to be dispersed across all aspects of your life, not just work.

What should our readers know about your business?
I’ve been working nearly 20 years in Corporate America across Human Resources, Marketing, Social Impact, and Strategic Partnerships in the Entertainment, Lifestyle and Tech industries. Over the past decade, I’ve been in-house, helping to establish companies as top employers of choice. After moving to San Diego in 2020 in the very beginning of the pandemic for a complete lifestyle change, I decided that I wanted to make a career change as well. I left my job at a large and growing tech company, and created a consultancy specializing in employer brand, and employee engagement. As a strategic consultant, I help companies develop innovative employer brand and recruitment marketing strategies to boost hiring growth, and create a “best place to work halo.”. I work with companies to create employee engagement strategies that drive unique and inclusive employee experiences, and elevate underrepresented voices. I also help to define social impact and responsible business approaches that build community and activate employee advocacy.

Each company is on their own journey with this work. I support clients of all sizes across industries by developing customized strategies at each stage of the employee lifecycle – whether you are building a talent strategy from the ground-up, adding onto your foundation, or elevating your strategy to boomerang top talent back in.

I’ve been doing this for a long-time (before the terms “employer branding and employee engagement” were really defined categories). I’ve been able to work within the constructs of big and small companies, push the boundaries, and watch the entire field grow to get the recognition it deserves. Now more than ever, this work is so important. According to Gallop’s “State of the American Workforce” Report, only 20% of the global workforce is engaged, and it’s costing the global economy trillions of dollars. The pandemic has changed what people are looking for in a job. Companies need to adapt and keep their employees connected and happy, and prevent burnout in a virtual and physical work environment. This shake up is being felt everywhere from large companies to small brick-and-mortar businesses, every company is having a hard time finding the talent they need. This work is table-stakes to any business that wants to achieve their goals and grow their business.

In the decade I’ve been in the field, I’ve seen so many companies go through incredible transformations, and make the connection that without people, there is no product or business. I’ve also learned that like all things in life, when we don’t own our own narrative for a company, someone else will. Company culture and employer branding work is something I wake up excited to do.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Well, in another life, I think I would love to be a tour guide so this is a great question. Living in North County, I’d start the day off with a coffee from Lofty and a hike in Torrey Pines State Reserve, especially the “Guy Flemming” trail so they can get a clear view of the beautiful coast line. Then, I’d hit Cardiff State Beach for some R&R and a dip in the pPacific. From there I’d hop on some bikes, and ride up the 101 and take them on a crawl through Cardiff and Encinitas and for a drink at the Shanty, lunch at City Tacos, the best ice cream ever at Gelato 101, and a little record shopping at Lou’s Records.

When friends come to visit for a week, the must-hit spots are food crawls on Convoy St (especially Shan Xi Magic Kitchen & Somi Somi), plenty of beach time at any stretch of beach from La Jolla to Encinitas, followed by a bite at Shootz Fish & Beer in Oceanside. If there’s time, I’d also take them up to Julian which most people from out of the area have never heard of (myself included until I moved) for some country charm and apple pie.

I’ve also been able to play tourist since I’m a recent transplant, and two of my favorite activities for people looking for a “quintessential San Diego” experience are taking sand castle making class with San Diego Sand Castles in Mission Beach and taking a dolphin tour with Xplore Offshore. I’ve done 3 of these tours, and each time we see hundreds of dolphins – they play and swim under the boat, it’s like being in a Lisa Frank poster! IMO – skip SeaWorld and book a tour with Caption Russ!

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
A massive thank you to those who helped nudge me to change direction and create my own consulting practice (Sarah Wagener, Jenny Lee, Jeff Ho & my dear husband Tony Riggins), as well as friends and former colleagues in my network who offered their nuggets of wisdom and learnings from launching consulting practices (Lars Schmidt, Will Valentine and Vanessa Bortnick).

Also, to legendary artist and the “Queen of Rock ‘n’ Roll”, Tina Turner whose words were on a sticky note on my computer for months as I a made the transition to owning my own business:

““Sometimes you have to let everything go – purge yourself. If you are unhappy with anything – whatever is bringing you down – get rid of it. Because you will find that when you are free, your true creativity, your true self comes out.”

— Tina Turner

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/martariggins/

Image Credits
*Photo Credit Michael Baca & Karina TenBruggencate (for any headshot/ single photos of me)