Remofirst, the global employer of record solution vendor, has appointed Masha Sutherlin as its new Director of Business Operations. She joins the company from Deel, a competitor of Remofirst where she was Global Director, Corporate Legal & Mobility.
Sutherlin brings more than 15 years of experience working in global people strategy, mobility, and expansion. She will now play a significant role in fulfilling the Remofist mission of democratising global hiring and enabling businesses to hire both employees and contractors in a compliant way. Remofirst currently operates in over 180 countries. Her role will be to help open up new countries and add additional services to the catalogue.
Sutherlin commented, “The core of the Remofirst experience is our platform, and my background in building products and understanding customer and partner journeys, will inject a fresh perspective. Together, we can create an amazing and intuitive experience for our clients, employees, and partners.”
Nurasyl Serik, CEO and Co-Founder of Remofirst, “Masha’s deep expertise and innovative approach are exactly what we need as we continue to expand our global footprint. As Remofirst continues to grow, Masha’s extensive experience in scaling operations up from zero in several high-growth companies, positions her to make a substantial impact at Remofirst.”
Volod Fedoriv, COO and Co-Founder of Remofirst commented, “Masha’s ability to ask the tough questions and challenge the status quo is something we truly value at Remofirst. Her leadership style, combined with her deep operational expertise, will help us refine and enhance our services as we continue to scale globally. We’re excited to see the impact she will make.”
Who is Masha Sutherlin?
Sutherlin joins from Deel, where she led the global expansion of the HR Tech vendor to over 40 countries for over 150 service types and multiple product lines. She also led the acquisition and transition of a startup, integrating its products with Deel. Her responsibilities included building out and maintaining corporate compliance in 90+ corporate entities globally. She also led teams supporting clients’ compliance and expansion needs.
Before Deel, she worked in several senior HR roles for firms such as Nubank, Group 42, Workday, and Palantir Technologies. She spent seven years at San Francisco State University as a project manager. One of her projects was designing a global recruiting program for the Division of Graduate Studies.
Sutherlin’s career has given her the experience and capabilities to take up the role at Remofirst. However, her personal experiences also played a part in her joining. She commented, “There was something deeply compelling about the story of two immigrants who built a startup aimed at opening doors to remote talent worldwide.
She continued. “As someone who moved to the US at a young age in search of better opportunities, I understand first-hand the challenges and opportunities that come with crossing borders to pursue your dreams. I’m thrilled to contribute my energy and passion to a cause that resonates so deeply with my own journey and to help Remofirst continue breaking down barriers for talent everywhere.”
Sutherlin has deep experience in leading remote and diverse teams. She advocates that to succeed, one must foster a culture of transparency and accountability. She commented, “When leading highly diverse teams, it’s crucial to model the behaviors you wish to see. I prioritize being direct, questioning assumptions, and openly acknowledging failures. This approach helps build a culture of mutual respect and effective collaboration across diverse groups.”
Enterprise Times: What does this mean
This is a significant hire by Remofirst, bringing an experienced leader into the team. What will be interesting to see is whether her career path now accelerates and, once proven she is promoted again within Remofirst. One unanswered question is why did she leave Deel? Was the grass greener on the Remofirst side?
Unusually, her comments are expansive, and her role within Remofirst is clear. The change may be just because there is a clear set of objectives that presented an exciting challenge for Sutherlin.
