Janelle Sallenave's mother was always very passionate about her three daughters being independently successful. "On Sundays at five, my sisters and I would get our weekly financial lesson — on the basics of stocks, equity, budgeting, what have you — and when I was fourteen, those lessons were so painful," she says. "I've since realized the massive importance of financial literacy and how fortunate I was to have been taught a level of understanding of financial language and how to meet my core financial needs." Janelle's mom hoped her daughters wouldn't be scared of math or money or unequipped to build a budget.
A comic strip Janelle's mom sent her in the mail. The caption reads: "And so, due in large part to sound financial planning by her father, the little princess lived happily ever after." Her mom crossed out 'father' and wrote in 'mother' above it.
When Janelle got to college, she realized how fortunate she had been to learn so much about financial literacy. She also received the above comic strip from her mom in the mail, with part of the caption crossed out and rewritten. "She was telling me that I'm capable of owning my financial future," Janelle says. "I felt empowered to own my finances and love that I'm now part of an organization that helps others feel the same way."
A Love of Process — and Providing Services
One of Janelle's youngest memories from childhood was watching Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood, and she remembers a specific clip that created a huge emotional response: Mr. Rogers on a field trip to the Crayola factory. "They showed the machines and how crayons were made — it was the most amazing visual symphony of movement, and I was drawn to that," she says. "Later on, I realized it was a process, a manufacturing process, but a process nonetheless. It turns out I'm wired to love processes. What I really love isn't manufacturing systems like the ones making the crayons but service systems. I've come to care about companies that create experiences, not products."
The arc of Janelle's career has led her to create experiences — at Schwab, Uber, and today at Chime. "Chime is the perfect blend of my previous experiences — how to scale really fast and keep the magic of challenging the industry's status quo crossed with an area I love, financial services," she says. "And all the while, I've stayed obsessed with creating amazing customer experiences with those services."
Putting the Customer First: Learning to Be Obsessed
In her time at Schwab, Janelle learned about the nuances of financial services and how to be a challenger. "While Schwab is now the biggest wealth manager in the country, it was trying to find its footing and win against the incumbents when I joined," she says. "Core to that success was speaking to customers and helping them see that we had a better way for them to achieve their goals."
At Schwab, Janelle also learned how to be obsessed with the customers she was serving. "In the room with Chuck Schwab, I was always struck by how he'd look at a product or feature and then ask how we could make it as easy as possible for the customer," she says. "From moving money in or out, or just being there for the customer — the focus was always on the customer first, and then how to make it viable for the company."
She began to take the same approach: understanding what the customer needs and figuring out how to build for that. "It was a truly customer first, company second approach," she says. "It taught me a lot about building an enduring company in a way that has real customer obsession and satisfaction and instilled in me the belief that the customer experience is a company's special sauce."
Innovative Products Backed by Authentic Culture: Janelle Joins Chime
When someone she respected a lot recommended Janelle speak to the leadership team at Chime, she'd never heard of the company. "We all have the people in our lives who, when they tell us to pay attention, we do," she says. So she took a call with Chime's COO — from an empty, echoey apartment she'd just moved out of. The way he talked about Chime made her eyes light up, and not just because of the mission. "He could explain the products so simply, but they were also so innovative," she says. "History has taught me that when an innovation is so simple that it gets adopted by most incumbents a year later, there's something special there. When you listen to the customer, you can put innovative energy into products and services that really change the industry."
Ultimately, Janelle joined Chime because the mission resonated with her, and she was drawn to the culture. "Chime had clearly cracked the nut on understanding its members and innovating in service to members — and I could tell the culture would allow me to be my authentic self." She knew that Chime would be an environment where she could contribute, feel like her work was appreciated, and make an impact on things she's passionate about with a group of people she respected and enjoyed working with.
"I've worked long enough to know that when the best version of me comes to work, I end up really proud of the work I do."
It Starts and Ends with the Member: Janelle's Role as CXO
In her role at Chime, Janelle spends her time, attention, and energy working to understand our members and how our products and solutions help — or don't help — them. She's constantly thinking about how we support members and how our work is in service of their needs.
She and her team figure out the problems our members face, teach the company about them with data and anecdotes, find where their experiences might be harmed by glitches, and identify areas to build new products. "We're always thinking about the big and small ways to help our members — whether we're addressing an existing issue or building something new for them," she says. "And while big innovations matter, we also care about getting rid of what I call papercuts — the tiny hiccups and glitches that can affect our members. Every part of their experience matters." For example, Janelle and her team introduced Live Chat as a support channel and now use AI to understand members' needs better when they call Chime — so they are routed immediately to the right team.
When discussing the big and small ways to improve the member experience, Janelle carries some of her lessons from Chuck Schwab into the room. "I don't discuss whether it's worth doing the little things or ask what the ROI will be — I just don't have an 'us first' mentality," she says. "We're in service to the member, and our work starts and ends with them. Chime embodies the fundamental belief that designing for the member in mind produces loyalty and helps us grow. If we earn and re-earn their trust every time they interact with Chime, we can earn our growth, which will last. You just can't rent growth if you want it to be a lasting, enduring company."
Putting the Member First: A Virtuous Cycle
To make the member experience the best it can be, Janelle relies on proactive and reactive work across the organization. To be proactive, multiple teams look for ways to prevent any negative experiences for our members proactively. Those include seeing any signs of fraud, finding accounts ripe for takeover, or identifying transactions that don't look right. "Being able to prevent those proactively is a huge part of what we do that members don't often see," she says. "Maximizing our proactivity and protecting our members in a way that doesn't prohibit them from accessing their money is such an interesting challenge. We don't want to get in their way, but we strive to take action proactively when we can — it's a delicate balance to strike."
When something happens, the team must be reactive, acting as quickly as possible to secure and protect the member's account and then help them regain access. "When our members call in with an issue, we want them to feel that we have their backs — and, when they hang up the phone, they can return to their lives knowing the problem is solved," Janelle says.
A large part of Janelle's team's proactive and reactive efforts to protect members and improve their experience are summed up on Chime's Trust & Safety page. There, Chime members can learn about Chime's security controls, how we protect their money, and what to expect from using the app. "Demonstrating our ongoing commitment to the safety of our members' money and identity is in direct alignment with Chime's values, and I'm thrilled we have so much critical information for our members in one place," says Janelle.
Both the proactive and reactive parts of her team's work feed each other — every time the team must respond to a member, it feeds their proactive approach. "The result is a virtuous cycle to fight fraud, help our members stay safe, and really be there for them when they need us," Janelle says. "After all, they're why we do this work."