Each month we feature a different Hiya employee in our blog series Voices of Hiya. This month we hear from our Chief Revenue Officer, Tony Lanham.
As Chief Revenue Officer, Tony is responsible for all channels of revenue globally: direct, indirect, and customer growth across all of our product lines. He joined Hiya full-time 2 years ago and is based at our Seattle headquarters.
Read on to learn more about Tony’s job, his insights on the voice industry, and what he does when he’s not working.
How has working at Hiya helped you grow?
Everyone at Hiya is such an A player. I ask advice every day from various disciplines. It doesn't matter what their role is, they are all experts at what they do. Each week you can find me meeting with Sales Development Representatives (SDRs), interns, and our operating leaders. It's not unusual for me to mention something in our executive committee meeting that I learned that week from the SDR's. I love that!
What advice would you give to someone new joining our team?
Be curious: Hiyans tend to be very inquisitive. Everyone tends to ask questions that act as thought catalysts for discussion.
Be empathetic: Everyone truly cares about each other’s own goals and objectives. Because of this, we all end up understanding what role we individually play to achieve our overall corporate objectives.
Be brave: Hiyans tend to be strong enough to challenge the status quo. They are brave enough to ask if we are doing it the right way or not. They are brave enough to trust each other's opinions and skills. That’s a trait of a good team and one that takes time to build.
How do you see our industry evolving in the next few years? How is Hiya evolving for those changes?
I have been involved in venture-backed startups for a long time. I have worked in two of the most intense startup markets in the world: Silicon Valley and Seattle. I have never seen a startup market be as dynamic as the voice identity and security space is. It’s changing every day. I say constantly to our teams, everything we do has to be at sprint pace to ensure we stay ahead.
How do we stay ahead? Our data science and product teams are world class. Our executive team constantly looks around the corner to stay ahead. Our AI voice detection capabilities are a great example of that. In the next few years, especially with Gen AI being so pervasive, our fraud and identity tools will not only be exponentially better, but the voice channel on a mobile or IoT device will be so much more interactive. That brings a whole new vector of fraud protection and identity that we'll need to keep up with.
What do you like to do outside of work?
I am a big soccer guy, big skier and amateur frisbee dog trainer. I've been playing soccer most of my life. It's such a creative, right-brained sport that it gives my mind some time to relax. Also, my family skis a lot. We have a place in the mountains that we get to most weekends, winter and summer.
I have a 3-year-old border collie named Copa (like I said, a big soccer guy). She and I spend a lot of time outside learning new frisbee tricks.
What is your favorite home cooked meal?
My heritage is Italian. My mom’s maiden name was "Trinitapoli," so, by far the best home cooked meal is homemade pasta. Whatever is second place is far down the list from that!
Where is home for you?
I am from Los Angeles, so Southern California will always be home for me. That said, my wife and I have called Seattle home for 25 years and our two kids were born here. So Seattle is very much home as well.
What kind of music inspires you? Who is your favorite musician?
My music tastes are super eclectic. I love 90's hair bands and hard rock: Guns N' Roses, Motley Crue, Aerosmith, Audioslave. But on the same day, I'll listen to Otis Redding, Chris Stapleton, Sinatra, B.B. King and Gypsy Kings.
My very favorite musician, however, is Billy Joel. I have seen him in concert many, many times. I’ve seen him twice in the last two months and I can sing along word-for-word with every song in his playbook.
What motivates you to do your best every day?
Making my family proud of me, full stop!
What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever received?
A mentor of mine quoted this John Ruskin phrase to me once. It's been written on the wall in my office for 16 years. “What we think, or what we know, or what we believe in, in the end is of little consequence. The only thing of consequence is what we do.”
Who do you look up to?
My maternal grandfather. My middle name is his first: Albert. He was a commercial plumber by trade. He was a tiny giant at 5 feet 5 inches, strong, grounded, and he knew emphatically what made a good person. He expected that of me. He prioritized his life perfectly and led by example.
Stay tuned for next month’s Voices of Hiya, where we highlight another team member who makes up our wonderful organization.
If you want to add your voice to the Hiya team, check out our careers page to explore open opportunities.
