The most politically dangerous role in the C-suite | Katie Burke (COO, Harvey)

The most politically dangerous role in the C-suite | Katie Burke (COO, Harvey)

From In Depth by First Round

April 10, 2026 · 1h 11m

About this episode

Katie Burke discusses her unique approach to HR and the importance of culture in organizations.

In the latest episode of Executive Function, Brett sits down with Katie Burke, who recently became COO of Harvey after joining as Chief People Officer. Before Harvey, Katie spent 11 years in HR leadership at HubSpot, where she built one of tech's most distinctive cultures. In this conversation, she unpacks her marketing-minded approach to HR, why she hired deliberately from hospitality rather than corporate backgrounds, and why developing culture should be a strategic priority for any organization. In today's episode, we discuss: Why HR leaders should think like marketers The 2.5-year cultural hangover after a layoff The protein vs. sugar rule for employee feedback What it means to be the executive team’s own HR business partner What the Chief People Officer owes the board and what they don't References: Amazon: https://www.amazon.com Anique Drumright: https://www.linkedin.com/in/anique-drumright-53978a1a/ Brian Halligan: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brianhalligan/ Carmel Galvin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/carmelgalvin/ eBay: https://www.ebay.com Gabe Pereyra: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gabepereyra Harvey: https://www.harvey.ai HubSpot: https://www.hubspot.com Jacqui Canney…

People in this episode

Host: Brett

Guest: Katie Burke

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Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Harvey, HubSpot, eBay, Klaviyo, Rippling, ServiceNow

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