Qualtrics adds former Google and Apple exec Kim Scott to the board to help pull in top Silicon Valley talent

Billion-dollar customer insight startup Qualtrics hopes to recruit top Silicon Valley talent to its home base in Utah as it continues to grow and part of that strategy involves adding professional tech coach Kim Scott to the board of directors.

Qualtrics became one of a handful of new unicorns in the Beehive State last year and it continues to climb up and to the right. But it’s hard to recruit leaders at the senior level in any firm and it’s even harder to convince folks to move to Utah.

Scott helped Google and Apple scale and is a well-respected CEO in the Valley who trains tech execs on how to grow and manage their teams using an approach called “radical candor.”

She was a founding member of Apple University and before that led AdSense, YouTube, and Doubleclick Online Sales and Operations at Google. Her forthcoming book, “Radical Candor: Be a Kickass Boss Without Losing your Humanity, offers leadership advice and encourages impromptu feedback.

Qualtrics already holds strong ties to Silicon Valley, previously raising $220 million from Accel Partners, Sequoia Capital, and Insight Venture Partners over two rounds of funding. And, with 1100 employees, it’s already a large organization.

However, the insights platform has major plans to expand in other areas of the world and mentioned it would like to include a more diverse executive team as well. Scott’s board appointment will help Qualtrics at a critical moment in growth and operations and will likely boost interest among top leadership in her circle.