Congratulations to Brian Marchiel, San Francisco’s Best Tech Manager at the 2017 TIMMY Awards!
Brian Marchiel with his 2017 TIMMY Award for SF’s Best Tech Manager
The most popular photo on the “MyVest Wall of Fame” is one of Brian Marchiel, our VP of Product Management, many years ago during his time in the Peace Corps in the South Pacific, complete with the requisite dreads and pooka shell necklace (we’ll spare him and keep the photo out of this post). While his overall aesthetic has changed for the better (farewell pooka shells), much of that same Brian remains in his generosity and laid-back attitude.
Approachable Leadership
As you can imagine from someone who once proudly sported dreads, micromanaging isn’t Brian’s style; instead he supports and empowers his reports to develop their own vision for MyVest’s product and for their careers. Brian challenges his team to always look for opportunities to improve the product and the user experience, to go beyond just completing daily tasks and always ask “why.”
Brian’s leadership style can be summed up in one word: approachable. His open-door policy (he doesn’t even have an office) encourages open dialogue about anything from career development to product vision.
He cultivates an open, supportive culture where feedback and opinions are encouraged. Monthly lunches, events, and happy hours contribute to a comfortable work environment where team members are truly friends.
Or as Brian put it in his acceptance speech: “MyVest is like a second family.”
To keep this culture in place, Brian solicits feedback from team members at every level to ensure that new hires don’t just fit the culture, but enhance it.
Giving Employees Ownership
Brian has confidence in his employees, giving them ownership over the product while providing guidance and direction when needed. This balance of support and trust frees team members to perform their best.
Brian celebrating his win with last year’s winner, Joanne Pons
He encourages each team member to find an area of focus within the product to develop their expertise, using MyVest’s annual professional development stipend to attend classes and conferences to deepen their knowledge. His weekly one-on-one meetings aren’t just simple status updates; he approaches each meeting with the mindset of “what can I do to help you succeed?”
Passionate About MyVest
Brian is the ultimate MyVest evangelist. He’s passionate about educating people about why what we do is important, and why the way we do things is the best in the marketplace. He hosts an introductory education sessions for all new hires, as well as companywide lunch & learns to discuss the product roadmap and vision. (And there’s always that open door policy if you’ve ever got questions.)
And you never know where Brian will show up — he loves making unannounced guest appearances at program team meetings, where he solicits input on what’s good, what’s bad, what could we be doing better.
Brian’s infectious smile has been a fixture here at MyVest for 7 years now — a lifetime in the tech world. While he’s still young himself, he acts as a mentor throughout the company, encouraging MyVestors to develop their skills, stand up and be recognized, and accelerate their careers.
It’s one of those mentees who best sums up why Brian was named the 2017 Best Tech Manager in San Francisco:
“The knowledge, patience and encouragement Brian provides is so generous and consistent that it’s almost impossible NOT to overachieve when you’re on his team.”
Brian joins last year’s winner, VP of Engineering Joanne Pons. Learn more about what makes MyVest a great place to work.
About the TIMMY Awards
Presented by Tech in Motion, The TIMMYS recognize the best in technology work culture, management, and startups in 11 regions across North America, including New York, San Francisco, and Toronto. The goal of the Timmy Awards is to recognize the companies striving to create better places for tech professionals to work in their local communities. Previous winners have included innovators such as Jet.com, LearnVest, Venmo, TripAdvisor, Gilt, Constant Contact, Casper, and Instacart.
