Balancing the Grind with Gali Horwitz, Senior People Partner at Zip Co

Gali Horwitz is the Senior People Partner at Zip Co, a leading global Buy Now, Pay Later (BNPL) company founded in Australia.

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1) To kick things off, could you tell us a little about your career background and current role?

I kicked off my HR journey after graduating from university. I spent some time in an education startup before moving on to a larger retail company and working my way up to the partner level. 

I moved into the tech space almost a year ago, and recently joined Zip as a Senior People Partner for the Engineering, Product, Marketing and People teams. The role itself is pretty strategic and has me focusing on some meaty projects like career development pathways, alignment of individual and business goals, increasing manager capability and sponsoring and supporting women in tech. 

Founded in Australia in 2013 and now with an international presence, Zip’s mission is to be the first payment choice, everywhere and every day. We give consumers, merchants and businesses around the world access to transparent, flexible and interest-free credit. Disrupting the broken credit card model, we put the financial well-being of our customers and merchants at the centre of everything we do.

2) What does a day in your life look like for you? Can you take us through a recent workday?

Thanks to my little one, I am now a morning person. I tend to start my day early with some movement and hop online by 7:30 am to take advantage of the quiet time.

In terms of structure, I like to put any strategic or mental heavy-lifting activities early on, and then spend the afternoons in focus time or less intensive meetings before I rush off to do the daycare pick-up. 

Zip is highly flexible and we trust our teams to operate in a way that works for them. Our team is in the office twice a week, so on office days, I prioritise face-to-face meetings with stakeholders and connecting with the team. 

Like many in the people’s space, no two days are the same! This week I have been focusing on EVP research playback whilst also balancing some new and exciting projects our team has in the works!

3) What does work-life balance mean to you and how do you work to achieve that goal?

Now that I have a toddler, finding balance has become more challenging. My best weeks involve quality family time, movement and ‘me time’ whilst kicking goals at work. Realistically, I don’t achieve those things every week and I am learning to be ok with that! 

One of the great things about Zip is the ability to work flexibly from anywhere. Zipsters can spend time overseas travelling or with loved ones for extended periods and continue to work and collaborate should they choose.  

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4) In the past 12 months, have you started or stopped any routines or habits from changing your life?

I’ve blocked out my calendar from 4.00 – 7.30 pm as family time. This is for picks up, quality time, dinner and bath routines. Any meetings during that time are automatically declined. After 7.30 pm I often jump back online and attend to anything urgent or set myself up for success the next day.

Another routine I have introduced is taking out clothes and packing bags the night before – mornings can be unpredictable so that is a time saver!

5) Do you have any favourite books, podcasts or newsletters that you’d like to recommend?

At the moment I am enjoying the Culture First podcast by Culture Amp and Eating your cake too by the very talented Claire Seeber. In addition to that, Adam Grant always makes for an interesting and compelling read or listen. 

6) If you could read an interview about work-life balance by anyone, who would that be?

If I could go back in time, it would be Ruth Bader Ginsburg, former Supreme Court Justice. A mother, an academic, a revolutionist. 

7) Do you have any last thoughts on work, life or balance that you’d like to share with our readers?

I am a big believer that work and life is less about balance and more about integration and finding what works for you depending on what stage of life you are in. It is an iterative process that we continually need to work on.

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