Tiffany Teng
Tiffany Teng
The Inside Scoop
What is your profession? What do you love most about your job?
My current role is leading GTM/Sales Enablement for OakNorth Credit Intelligence Suite, a credit underwriting analytics, and portfolio insights tool. Prior, I’ve led teams of up to 35+ people across functions ranging from customer support to marketing to product management. I love managing and developing people and I’ve been fortunate to do that in an array of contexts ranging from startup to Fortune 50.
Why are you interested in cooking and food education?
My grandparents fled war and emigrated to Taiwan and then my parents came to America to study and raise me and my two sisters here in America: education and finding jobs were the two keys to unlocking our potential and helping us escape poverty in 2 generations.
What first made you interested in food?
My earliest memories are in the kitchen and garden with my grandma, who only finished elementary school yet managed to raise 4 kids on a shoestring budget. I remember her incredible skill with yeasted breads (mantou) and her unerring hand with salts and spices despite no formal training. In college, I’d read cookbooks before I went to sleep (and as a break from studying) and to this day, my favorite weekend activity is to bake or cook something delicious. I work in an industry where a lot of my work is cognitive and not tangible – and food is a wonderful reprieve.
What is the connection between your work and the advising you do for Sprouts?
I love helping people and organizations evolve and reach their greatest potential. Professionally, that’s looked like building a startup from 5 people to 250+ people, it’s launching a $100M payments app and helping a fintech unicorn find product-market fit. As an advisory board member, I see my role as the same but supporting the leadership team as they grow Sprouts.
Why is it important for kids to learn how to cook?
As an adult, I’ve realized how cost-effective it is to cook for yourself and how it’s easier to eat healthy when you can choose what you put into the food you eat.
Why do you think the work that Sprouts is doing is important?
Working in the professional context has transformed me from a shy, insecure girl who was afraid of poverty to a confident executive who has skills and a toolkit for managing myself and others through change, upheaval, and life. I love that Sprouts is equipping youth with the skills to thrive and build a better future for themselves.
