How should it be handled? Head of HR shown on ‘kiss cam’ with CEO during Coldplay concert
It’s not every day that an HR executive finds herself at the centre of a social media storm, but that’s exactly what happened to Kristin Cabot, chief people officer at Astronomer.
During a Coldplay concert in Boston, the stadium’s camera panned across the crowd, spotlighting couples for the classic “kiss cam” moment. Instead of a playful smooch, the camera caught Cabot standing in front of CEO Andy Byron with his arms around her in an embrace that quickly turned awkward.
As the camera zoomed in, Cabot winced, turned away, and hid her face in her hands, while Byron dropped his arms and ducked out of view, looking mortified.
The crowd—and Chris Martin himself—took notice. “Oh what!” Martin exclaimed from the stage. “Either they’re having an affair or they’re very shy,” he joked.
The moment was captured on video by a concertgoer who posted it online and it quickly went viral, with viewers identifying the pair as Byron, a married executive, and Cabot, his HR chief at Astronomer which “empowers data teams to bring mission-critical analytics, AI, and software to life,” according to the company.
While the true nature of their relationship remains unclear, according to the Times, the viral footage has fueled plenty of speculation across social media (both of their LinkedIn pages now show error messages).
Consensual affair?
Rich Appiah, principal of Appiah Law in Toronto, says board members and the CEO’s executive colleagues should be concerned about possible bias and the CEO’s ability to objectively carry out his duties.
“This inter-office affair may appear to the public as ‘no big deal’ as long as it’s consensual, but the affair should raise a number of questions for the company’s board of directors,” says Rich Appiah, at Appiah Law in Toronto.
“If I was a member of the board, I would hope that the CEO hired the CPO based on merit, and I would question whether the two of them had a relationship before she was hired that influenced the CEO’s decision to hire her, or whether the relationship has influenced other decisions relating to the CPO's compensation, performance evaluations, or assignment of job responsibilities.”
Recently, a former CFO at RBC filed a multi-million-dollar lawsuit against her former employer after RBC announced in April it had fired her and another executive for an “undisclosed close personal relationship which led to preferential treatment”.
New CPO at Astronomer
Cabot, who joined Astronomer nine months ago, has over 20 years of experience in people and culture leadership. When she was hired, Astronomer stated, “With over 20 years of experience in people and culture leadership, Kristin’s appointment reinforces our commitment to nurturing a collaborative and inclusive environment as we continue to scale.”
Byron himself called her a “proven leader,” adding, “Kristin’s exceptional leadership and deep expertise in talent management, employee engagement and scaling people strategies will be critical as we continue our rapid trajectory.
“She is a proven leader at multiple growth-stage companies and her passion for fostering diverse, collaborative workplaces makes her a perfect fit for Astronomer.”
Cabot echoed this enthusiasm, saying, “There’s so much more to it, and I was energised in my conversations with Andy and the Astronomer leadership team about the opportunities that exist here.”
Impartiality from CPO?
Given that the HR function is often responsible for fostering a positive workplace culture, investigating employee misconduct, and guiding executives and managers in the enforcement of workplace policies, this type of news should be of concern to board members of Astronomer, says Appiah.
“I would be concerned about the CPO’s ability to carry out such functions impartially, and for any perceptions of bias that may trickle through the executive team or the organization as a whole as a result of the affair. “
Of course, if Astronomer has a policy prohibiting or discouraging inter-office romances, it’s possible the CEO and CPO have breached that policy, and that would be a significant issue as well, “particularly since they would be key players responsible for enforcing the policy,” he says.
Online reports suggest that Byron’s wife removed his name from her Facebook profile before deleting it entirely, said the Times.
No response to ‘romance’ from company
Astronomer has not commented on the incident, and attempts to reach both Cabot and other company leaders have been unsuccessful, said the Times.
The affair has attracted much publicity to the company, says Appiah: “As a board member, I would be concerned about the impact of that publicity on the company’s operations, workforce and culture.”
Cabot previously worked at Neo4j, where she served in the same role for nearly four years and saw the company grow from 225 to 900 employees, according to an Astronomer release:
“Prior to Neo4j, Cabot led ObserveIT through 50 percent year-over-year growth, multiplying the global employee base by 4x, while receiving multiple “Best Places to Work” awards and managing an acquisition by Proofpoint.”
“I prefer to think of my role as people strategy versus traditional human resources, as the real magic happens when you align the people strategy with the business strategy,” said Cabot . “There are plenty of companies out there where a leadership team doesn’t recognize the value that a strong people leader and people team can bring to a company. It’s not just about benefits or catered lunches. There’s so much more to it, and I was energized in my conversations with Andy and the Astronomer leadership team about the opportunities that exist here.”
