Key Learnings from Episode: Scaling Culture After Funding with Faye Haddadi, Head of HR at Xampla

In this episode of Beyond the Raise, Faye Haddadi shares her experience of building the people function at Xampla, a company developing plant-based materials to replace single-use plastics. Drawing on her experience of supporting the business from its earliest stages through commercial growth, Faye explores how culture, leadership and people strategy must evolve as companies move beyond funding and into scale.

Culture Doesn't Scale by Accident

One of the strongest themes throughout the conversation is that company culture cannot be left to evolve on its own.

As Xampla has grown, the leadership team has taken a deliberate approach to shaping the culture they want for the future, ensuring it continues to support the company's mission while adapting to the changing demands of a scaling business.

Key Takeaways

• Culture should be built intentionally, not left to chance.

• Values provide a framework for consistent decision-making.

• Company culture should evolve alongside business strategy.

• Leadership plays a critical role in embedding behaviours across the organisation.

Commercial Growth Changes the Mindset

Following its Series A funding, Xampla's priorities shifted from scientific exploration to commercial execution.

For many employees, particularly those from academic and research backgrounds, this required a significant mindset shift. Success was no longer measured by how much could be explored, but by what could deliver commercial value.

Key Takeaways

• Scaling requires a shift from exploration to execution.

• Commercial viability becomes a key decision-making filter.

• Prioritisation becomes more important than pursuing every opportunity.

• Growth demands different ways of thinking.

Failure Should Accelerate Learning

Innovation inevitably involves experimentation, but Faye believes organisations should remove the fear of failure rather than reinforce it.

At Xampla, failure is treated as part of the innovation process, provided teams learn quickly, adapt and move forward.

Key Takeaways

• Innovation depends on experimentation.

• Learning quickly creates competitive advantage.

• Fear of failure can slow progress.

• Psychological safety encourages better decision-making.

Process Should Enable Scale, Not Create Bureaucracy

Introducing structure into a growing company often creates resistance, particularly among early employees who value autonomy.

Rather than introducing processes for the sake of control, Faye believes every process should have a clear purpose and help people work more effectively. Explaining why new processes are introduced makes adoption far easier.

Key Takeaways

• Good processes remove friction rather than create it.

• Explaining the purpose behind change improves adoption.

• Structure should support growth without reducing agility.

• Process should protect people as well as performance.

Adaptability Beats Technical Perfection

As businesses grow, the skills that made someone successful in the early stages may not be enough for the next phase.

While technical expertise remains important, Faye believes adaptability, commercial awareness and a willingness to learn become increasingly valuable as priorities shift.

Key Takeaways

• Adaptability becomes a competitive advantage.

• Technical expertise should be matched with commercial thinking.

• Versatility creates resilience.

• Future potential often matters as much as current capability.

Coaching Creates Stronger Teams

Rather than relying solely on management, Xampla has invested heavily in creating a coaching culture.

Supporting people through change, helping them develop new skills and encouraging continuous learning has allowed employees to grow alongside the business instead of feeling left behind.

Key Takeaways

• Coaching supports long-term development.

• Managers should help people navigate change.

• Investment in people strengthens organisational resilience.

• Development improves retention and engagement.

Values Should Guide Behaviour

Faye explains that values are only meaningful if they influence everyday decisions.

At Xampla, values are regularly reviewed to ensure they continue to support the company's strategy and are consistently demonstrated by leaders across the organisation.

Key Takeaways

• Values should influence behaviour, not simply exist on paper.

• Leadership must role model company values.

• Reviewing values helps keep culture aligned with strategy.

• Consistency builds trust across the organisation.

Communication Builds Trust During Change

As organisations grow, communication becomes increasingly intentional.

Faye believes leaders should explain not only what decisions are being made, but why they are being made. Open communication helps people understand the direction of the business and reduces uncertainty during periods of change.

Key Takeaways

• Transparency strengthens trust.

• Explaining the reasoning behind decisions improves engagement.

• Two-way communication encourages collaboration.

• Honest conversations create stronger teams.

Hire for Tomorrow, Not Just Today

One of the biggest hiring lessons Faye shares is the importance of recruiting for future potential rather than immediate technical needs.

While specialist expertise may solve today's challenges, businesses also need people who can adapt as priorities change and who align with the company's values.

Key Takeaways

• Hiring should support long-term growth.

• Values alignment is as important as technical capability.

• Diverse experiences strengthen teams.

• Adaptable people grow with the business.

Healthy Scaling Is Intentional

Throughout the discussion, Faye returns to the idea of scaling healthily.

For her, successful growth isn't measured solely by revenue or headcount, but by retention, internal mobility, collaboration and the ability to develop people as the business evolves.

Building clear career pathways, investing in coaching and encouraging cross-functional collaboration all help create organisations that can continue growing without losing what made them successful in the first place.

Key Takeaways

• Healthy scaling requires deliberate investment in people.

• Internal mobility strengthens organisational resilience.

• Cross-functional collaboration supports sustainable growth.

• Strong people infrastructure enables long-term success.

Looking Ahead

As Xampla continues to commercialise its Morro™ plant-based materials and expand production, Faye believes its greatest strength will remain its people. By combining scientific excellence with commercial thinking, a coaching culture and values-led leadership, the company is building an organisation designed to scale alongside its innovation.

Final Thought

Faye's perspective offers an important reminder that funding doesn't automatically create a scalable business. Growth depends on building the right culture, supporting people through change and creating an organisation that can evolve without losing sight of its mission. The companies that scale most successfully are often those that invest in their people with the same intent they invest in their technology.