They say people make a company, but Angela Neri shows that how you care for people makes a leader. When she joined Booth, she stepped into a dynamic environment, opening doors to lead with empathy, earn trust, and help teams grow stronger together.
In just two years, Angela has progressed from People & Performance Advisor to People & Performance Manager, leading initiatives that strengthened engagement, streamlined processes, and fostered meaningful connections between Booth and its client, Audinate. Her story is proof that growth done right happens when people feel supported, heard, and empowered to succeed.
Before joining Booth, I spent nearly five years as an HR and Admin Lead. Work was steady and predictable until life prompted me to reconsider the kind of impact I wanted to make. That’s when Booth appeared with an opportunity to support Audinate, a tech company in a field with which I had no prior experience.
What stood out instantly during recruitment was the honesty. Booth and Audinate were transparent about their culture, their challenges, and their expectations. The interviews felt human, with no pretenses and no checkbox conversations. I wanted to grow in a place where people were valued and the work had purpose. That clarity made the decision easy.
When I started, I was fully immersed in everything people-related, including HR partnerships, administrative support, engagement, and policies, among other things. I spent that first year building relationships and understanding how the Philippine team operated on a day-to-day basis.
After a year, I was promoted to People & Performance Manager. My world expanded. I began leading system improvements, driving HR analytics, and supporting recruitment while mentoring my direct report. My role shifted from doing to guiding, from managing tasks to shaping systems. Today, I focus on empowering others to do their best work and ensuring our people operations run with clarity, consistency, and care.
I walked into a busy and challenging environment, but instead of being overwhelmed, I treated it as an opportunity to learn fast and add value. The cultural differences between Australia and the Philippines opened my eyes to new perspectives and approaches. It strengthened my adaptability. I was learning how to see the parallels between them and bridging cultures through my work.
What made the difference was the leaders who trusted me. They gave me room to learn, make decisions, and take ownership. That trust pushed me to work with integrity, excellence, and heart. I’ve always believed challenges aren’t roadblocks, they’re lessons. With that mindset, the path to growth became clear.
Engagement isn’t about free lunches or happy hours. For me, it’s about emotional and intellectual investment, when people care about the company’s success as much as their own.
I believe in reciprocity. When the company genuinely supports its people, employees naturally give their best in return. That’s why I focus on creating an environment where everyone feels heard, valued, and connected. We keep feedback channels open, act on what we hear, and celebrate even the small wins. Engagement, to me, is about making people feel that they truly matter.
One of the most defining moments was leading engagement efforts during a major office move. It was a critical time, and everyone was anxious about the change. My goal was to ensure the team didn’t just feel informed but involved.
We communicated openly about the reasons for the move and made sure to highlight how it would benefit them. We listened to feedback, adjusted plans, and even introduced tailored benefits to make the transition smoother. We also brought in more consistent engagement activities to help the team connect. By focusing on transparency and collaboration, we turned what could have been a stressful change into an opportunity to strengthen trust and connection.
It has been a great partnership. My leaders in Australia have given me full trust to manage local engagement while aligning with global goals. They know I’m on the ground and understand our team best, so there is mutual respect and autonomy.
We communicate constantly, exchanging feedback, ideas, and updates to make sure our programs work seamlessly across regions. That kind of collaboration has been key to our success.
One big win was improving our People & Performance systems. When I took on the role, I had to learn everything from scratch, fast. I focused on automating processes around onboarding, offboarding, and transitions to make them smoother and more accurate.
I also enhanced HR reporting and analytics so we could make better, data-backed decisions. Throughout the process, I involved my direct report, not just to train her, but to develop her problem-solving and critical-thinking skills. The result was a stronger, smarter team and a set of systems that now serve as a reliable single source of truth for our people data.
Working with Sarah has been an eye-opener. She’s my first non-Filipino leader, and her approach to leadership, open, transparent, and empowering, has taught me so much. She gives me autonomy, clear direction, and constant feedback, which I really value. Even with the distance and time difference, she manages to lead with clarity and trust. That balance of freedom and support has made our collaboration incredibly effective.
It’s all about trust with balanced guidance. I always connect tasks to the bigger picture so my team knows their work has purpose. I believe in setting clear goals, challenging them, and then stepping back to let them take ownership. I’m always there when they need me, but I also encourage them to stretch their limits and discover their own potential.
I genuinely believe in work-life balance, and I love that Booth lives by that, not just talks about it. Activities like badminton or CSR initiatives let us connect beyond work. We meet people from different teams, share stories, and just enjoy being together. Those experiences make me feel deeply connected to Booth’s culture. It’s not just about doing great work; it’s about being part of a community that values growth, wellness, and purpose.
My two years at Booth feel like ten in the best way possible. I’ve led meaningful projects, built strong relationships, and grown more than I thought possible. What I’m most proud of is that I’ve done all this in a company that aligns perfectly with my core values. That alignment is what keeps me inspired and grounded every day.
Believe that the sky is the limit, and act like it. Embrace a growth mindset and don’t shy away from challenges, even the messy ones outside your comfort zone. Live by your values and align them with your company’s values. This is what earns trust and opens doors. Keep learning, stay consistent, and operate at the next level. When you do, growth will follow naturally.
Angela’s story shows what happens when passion meets opportunity. At Booth, growth isn’t just about climbing the ladder, it’s about building trust, creating impact, and helping people and teams reach their full potential.
If you’re looking for a people partner who understands how to balance care and performance, her story shows that growth done right never comes at the expense of what matters most.