Meet the Board: Peter Brau
Roessel Joy’s Advisory Board is made up of diverse and talented members, with success and experience in many different industries. We are proud to formally introduce our members in our new “Meet the Board” series! For our next profile, we sat down with Edx’s Vice President of Finance, Peter Brau, to learn more about his experience and his role on our board.
Q: How long have known our Managing Partners, Jonas and Chris?
A: I met Jonas way back when he was early in his career with Robert Half - about 5-7 years ago! He was trying to build a relationship with the company I was with at the time, to support our growth. We needed good people to help us and Jonas even then really focused on finding the right person for the role. I met Chris through Jonas when they started Roessel Joy.
Q: What attracted you to RJ? How did you become an advisor?
A: I am a big believer in supporting startups. I have worked in leadership roles in early-stage and growth-stage startups and just love this space. I believe in Boston as a startup centric-culture, a startup centric environment. Supporting this community is really important to me. I have been drawn to disruptive technologies and corporate cultures in my own work experience. Companies that want to shake up how things get done are really inspiring to me. Roessel Joy, in that same way, has a disruptive model in a traditional/staid sector. I love that they are shaking up the recruiting space with their culture and technology. It’s really attractive to me. That, combined with the opportunity to do it with someone I have known for a long time, made it a no brainer.
Q: What space do you work in?
A: I have always worked in startups and primarily in the platform technology space (fintech and edtech). I am now the Vice President of Finance at edX, the second-largest online learning platform in the world. I have been here for about two and a half years. I was brought in to help them scale. I love explosive growth stories, and I love disruptive business practices. Now, with edX, we are focusing on how to make high-quality education accessible to all, anywhere, and at disruptive pricing.
Q: What is your role at your current company?
A: I am part of the senior team and the senior finance leader at edX. We help navigate the strategy and ensure the business execution for edX.
Q: Where do you see the future of Roessel Joy going in the next few years?
A: Chris and Jonas have to set their strategy for where they think they compete best. Taking the core skill set of the company and finding out where to expand is really the question we all have to help them navigate and answer. I see continued growth for RJ, and disruption of the large players in the industry as they make their boutique level care and execution transformative for this space. A lot of the big firms have failed to understand that in a hyper-competitive market, there is something to be said about a boutique approach to staffing. Treating staffing as a commodity and not as the single most important decision a company makes is a mistake and big players fall into this trap.
Q: Are you involved in any other organizations outside of work?
A: First and foremost, I’m all about being engaged with my family. Getting outside and creating experiences together is what brings me joy. I am on the board of our local library and we’re are currently in the process of trying to expand it! I am also really engaged with a set of social service groups and my church community on Cape Ann.
Q: What is your favorite piece of career advice?
A: Regardless of where you are, you want to be in a workspace that keeps you curious. You want to be around people that keep you asking questions. If you are not involved in a team that keeps you wondering and learning, you will get burned out. That’s why I like working in the startup space. There is always more to learn.
Q: What is one thing we should know about you that we can’t find on LinkedIn?
A: So much of my life has revolved around my family and ensuring that we have the ability to have experiences that we love, together. For my wife, my daughter, and I, it’s making sure that we have a life where we have experiences, whether that be traveling, skiing, or just going to the beach. That is most important to me.