Company & Culture

Deb Tenenbaum Joins AppDirect, with a Commitment to People and Passion

By Gretchen Dukowitz / March 2, 2020

Travel is one of Deb Tenenbaum's passions, a love that began when she lived for 100 days on a ship that sailed completely around the world. Her travel experiences sparked an ethusiasm for diversity, even when it comes to the simple basics of preparing food. A prime example: When she visits a new country, she loves exploring local markets and grocery stores. "I will always buy new spices from different regions, bring them home, and create a new dish," she says. "I read cookbooks, but I rarely follow the recipe. Cookbooks just inspire me to create new meals on my own."

Deb's ability to use her global knowledge and experience to inspire ideas and new approaches is a skill that will serve her well in her new role as Senior Vice President, Chief People Officer at AppDirect. "I was at my previous company, Yapstone, for almost five years," she says. "Those years were filled with unbelievable experiences for personal growth and development—all which I can use while leading the global HR function at AppDirect."

"The underlying foundation of all the 'roles' I play within my life is really the desire to be a kind, generous, and grateful person."

At Yapstone, Deb drove cultural transformation by building effective recruiting mechanisms, launching employee development programs, implementing communication tools, and scaling the company's international workforce. These accomplishments led her to be recognized as one of 2019's Most Influential Women in Payments by PaymentsSource. The honor was particularly meaningful since she was the only HR professional to receive the award. In addition to her work at Yapstone, Deb has also led the People and Communications functions at Loudcloud / Opsware, Rearden Commerce, Charles Schwab, Epicor, and Netscape, among others.

While her experience is impressive, Deb points to a more fundamental thread that runs through both her personal and professional life. "The underlying foundation of all the 'roles' I play within my life is really the desire to be a kind, generous, and grateful person," she says. "I have always said that I don’t live to work, I work to live. Yet, I’m so fortunate that I have passion for my work and that is a motivating driver for me within my career."

As she begins the next chapter in her professional journey, that passion is once again front and center. "I see joining AppDirect as entering a relay race, and the baton to run the global HR function has just been handed to me," she says. "I’m looking forward to making a tremendous impact by leading initiatives that create an environment where our employees can do their best work. This mission is what I'm passionate about."

Gretchen Dukowitz is the Senior Content Marketing Editor at AppDirect.