Meet Christa Quarles, Nuro’s new Board Member Nuro Team Nuro

Since day one, Nuro has focused on building a product that delivers an exceptional customer experience. And while our product has been attracting praise for its ability to improve communities, our internal culture has been gathering its own recognition. In fact, it’s a testament to the strength of our culture that Nuro has been able to attract exceptional talent and achieve rapid growth. Now, to help us navigate the important decisions resulting from this exponential growth, we’re pleased to announce Christa Quarles will be joining Nuro’s Board of Directors.

Christa has worked closely with high-growth companies since the start of her career. During the economic downturn of 2000, Christa was forced to think about perceived versus real value in business, and that yielded a deep understanding of what sustains companies through breaking points. That knowledge served Christa well during her time as Chief Financial Officer at Playdom, especially after the second economic downturn in 2008. There, she played a critical role in scaling Playdom from 150 people to over 600 and through acquiring 8 companies in 8 months.

After Playdom was acquired by Disney, Christa transitioned from focusing on just the financial drivers of the business to running an entire division. At Disney, Christa ran the global Disney games division, an experience that served as the foundation for her leadership role as CBO at Nextdoor, and then as CEO of OpenTable. At OpenTable, Christa embedded a strong culture and decision-making framework into the business, creating a culture that continues to drive business and inform decisions for the health of the organization.

Read more about what Christa hopes to accomplish on Nuro’s Board of Directors:

What about Nuro’s mission to better everyday life through robotics resonates with you?

The analog version of this service has already been created. We know the demand is there. We’re all familiar with traditional grocery or food delivery services, but that last mile is not efficient or green. That impact on our environment — using an internal combustion engine for just a single trip — is an incredibly important aspect. But also making delivery more affordable for consumers, particularly ones who might live in areas where access is particularly challenging. Nuro’s mission will make lives easier while improving the environment.

What impact do you hope to have on the company?

The founders are focused on robots and tech and have progressed Nuro to achieve autonomy very efficiently. That is really hard to do. But if the hardware and software innovation isn’t commercialized effectively, then the company’s growth will be stunted. I understand B2B2C companies as well as how to build a scaled marketplace, both will be necessary for Nuro to achieve its full potential. In addition, thinking through the evolution of the business model is going to have a huge impact on commercialization.

What’s the first thing you plan to do as a Nuron?

Meet people. You can’t do anything without great people. I want to gain an understanding of what gaps still exist or what scaling challenges are imminent. How does the culture contribute to the growth and evolution of the company? How do teams solve problems and approach opportunities to drive the technology and grow the business?