Kathy MacDougall, Vice President, Human Resources

Kathy MacDougall has been Aptera’s gatekeeper since July 2008, applying her 20 years of human relations background to build and nurture a diverse team of employees. Whether in the office or away from work, her passion and enthusiasm motivates everyone with her “can do” spirit.

Question: What is it about startups that you’ve fallen in love with, particularly at Aptera?

Answer: I’m a high-energy person who likes to manage a full life with a lot going on, so startups fit my style really well. Being part of a startup is risky and challenging, but the action-oriented nature of the startup means I can help in a variety of areas, often doing things way outside of HR for Aptera. Additionally, the challenge and innovation of working with entrepreneurs creates a lot of energy and creative breakthroughs, without the constraints and deficit-based thinking you can get from more traditional organizations.

Q: How does hiring people at Aptera differ from a more traditional organization?

A: I have the best job in the world because I actually have candidates coming to me.  Even though it takes a lot of time, I make contact with every single candidate who submits a resume, makes a phone call or sends an email because those could be my future employees.

My job is to find the very best, talented, brightest and excited individuals. So when I recruit, I look for the whole person. I want to know what they do outside of work, who they are, what their essence is at the core; not because I’m being nosy, but because I need to make sure it’s a good fit for Aptera.

Startups aren’t for everybody. It’s high stress.  I want to know they have an active, exciting life outside of work. I want the whole person with all of their wonderful brilliance, as well as the warts that come along with them.  People hopefully don’t leave Aptera on their own; they come and stay, becoming part of a family.

Q: Has it been difficult to merge the automotive and tech minds into one cohesive unit?

A: There are more similarities than there are differences between the two groups. I had expected an explosion when we added the automotive folks to the existing non-automotive group. They’re two very different mindsets, perspectives and social value structures trying to blend together. But the mutual respect, engagement, enjoyment and understanding of the differences between the groups has been a delightful marriage. That speaks to the character of the people we have in the organization.

Q: Are the company and employees representative of the vehicle?

A: When I recruit I try to use the same branding that we do for the vehicle, with that delightful, fun, engaging and casual SoCal feeling. I want to make sure we have that fit all the way through and, as a result, we have employees with incredible diversity of background, experiences, desires and life goals. We marry all of that together, it’s playful and exciting, we joke with each other and I think the friction we create very much mirrors the vehicle. There’s nothing bland about the vehicle or the company, it’s just not in our DNA.

Q: How would you describe the corporate culture at Aptera?

A: Culture can be a tricky business because it happens whether you tend to it or not. Because we’re a startup and have a clean page at Aptera, the leadership team spends a lot of time thinking about and discussing culture. It’s a factor in so many decisions because we don’t want to wake up one day and say ‘Oh, this is the culture we ended up with at Aptera.’ Rather, we want to develop and create it here, starting with the core values that we live, breathe and hold ourselves accountable to.

Q: What are some of those Aptera values?

A: Safety is definitely at the forefront of everything we do, from what we design into our product to the way we do things internally. I’m working to create an environment where the fabricators leave every day in the same condition they came, where the greatest danger in the front office is a paper cut and where people treat each other with respect. It also means providing a safety net for our employees through a good benefit package and a valid compensation plan, letting them know they’ll be rewarded, challenged and appreciated at work.

Another core value for us is transparency and keeping everything open, which means we’re going to stand behind and own our decisions. We’ll be open, approachable and available, and communicate often, even though it’s tough. With everyone working on the vehicle, fundraising, marketing and hiring, it takes a concerted effort to dedicate time as a leadership team to being transparent.
We value efficiency and thrift, making sure everything we do is purposeful. From the design of the vehicle or the policies and practices we put in place for the business, to each time that we stand in front of the press or meet with a potential employee, everything we do is purposeful and nothing is taken for granted.

All of these aspects speak to our culture, including the way we communicate, the flow of the office, the open spaces and the fact that no executive has an office or different desk or special chair. We’re all in this same boat together.