Lorna Borenstein
CEO and Founder of Grokker
Lorna Borenstein is CEO and founder of Grokker, the on-demand well-being engagement solution for global enterprises that include eBay, CVSHealth, Target, Dominos, Delta Air Lines and GE. Her new book,“It’s Personal: The Business Case for Caring,”thoughtfully examines the Human Connection Movement™ in the workplace, which is fueled by a growing desire among employees to feel more connected to one another and, as a result, better connected to their jobs. This movement has transformed the role of employers as the benefactors of well-being, and “It’s Personal” serves as a strategic and tactical guide for company leaders who want to embrace this transformational change, improve employee engagement and drive business results. Lorna’s expertise has recently been featured in several top tier outlets including Bloomberg, Today.com, Well+Good, ABC 10 Sacramento and Forbes.
Previously, Lorna was president of publicly traded Move Inc. and held a number of executive positions at Yahoo!, including chief of its global personals online dating service and head of marketing for its multi-billion-dollar worldwide Search & Marketplace businesses (Shopping, Travel, Autos, etc.). In 2000, Lorna launched eBay Canada out of her guest room in Toronto (with a newborn in tow) and went on to serve as eBay Inc.’s vice president and general manager.
As a speaker and panel moderator at industry conferences, Lorna has presented on the current state of workplace well-being and engagement at several high-profile conferences. Her thought leadership has appeared in a variety of publications, including “Forbes” and “Entrepreneur.” Lorna also hosts GrokkerTV, the first WebTV show to bring HR leaders cutting-edge perspectives and provocative ideas to help them stay ahead of workplace culture and engagement developments.
Why We Chose Her:
Empowering people with the tools to take control of their well-being is Lorna Borenstein’s goal, and through her company, Grokker, she helps businesses provide that opportunity to their employees.
Citing her experience running public companies and divisions in large public companies like eBay, HP and Yahoo, Lorna says, “I worked at these amazing companies that talked about work-life balance -- talked about, but didn't really create an environment where the employee felt supported and encouraged or that wellness and well-being actually mattered.”
So, she founded Grokker with the aim to provide all employees -- from full-time to the oft-overlooked hourly and "gig" employees — access to well-being resources that instill a sense of purpose, belonging and balance. Grokker is a subscription-based website and app that publishes short health and well-being videos featuring activities like yoga, meditation, nutrition and more.
“I think if you're really going to build a company and you say you want your employees to be well but then don't do anything to make them feel that you really care, you haven't really quite done it,” Lorna says.
She believes they should -- and can -- create a 24/7 culture of health built on the double foundation of giving them permission to take care of themselves by providing them both the tools and the time and also providing the emotional support for them to do so.
That emotional support also has two legs: meeting everyone where they are with respect to their personal level of fitness and showing that they are recognized as individuals.
“The thing that people are so surprised about with us is that we provide very personalized experiences for everyone, no matter your level of fitness or competency,” proudly proclaims Lorna. “I think there's this misconception that there's a one-size-fits-all plan to wellness. There really isn't. You have to be able to personalize, so they know that you know what they care about,” Lorna explains.
No wonder she called her book, “It’s Personal: The Business Case for Caring,” which was released the beginning of this year.
That kind of thinking is at the heart of Social Capital -- and a better world for all.
Company Name | Tenure at Current Position | Previous Position |
|---|---|---|
| Grokker | Move Inc. | |
Education | Industry | Sub Industry |
| American College, London, England, Bachelor of Business Administration; McGill University, Faculty of Law, BCL and LLB. |
