Waymo brings on first director of DE&I

Waymo wants to build a staff that better represents the broad sets of riders the company's vehicles will someday serve.

The self-driving tech company hired Arezoo Riahi as its first director of diversity, equity and inclusion. She joins Waymo from Autodesk Inc., where she held a similar role.

"As Waymo continues to advance our important mission — to save thousands of lives lost to traffic crashes and improve access to mobility — equity, inclusion and diversity are foundational to how we work and who we serve," Riahi wrote in a LinkedIn post announcing her new role.

She will report to Waymo co-CEO Tekedra Mawakana.

Previously, similar efforts were spearheaded by Alphabet, Waymo's parent company. While Google publishes an annual diversity report that provides information on the racial and gender demographics of its work force, it did not provide specific insight into Waymo's approximately 2,000 employees. Waymo is headquartered in Mountain View, Calif., and has a significant presence in the Phoenix, San Francisco and Detroit regions.

At Autodesk, Riahi led the company's diversity and belonging programs and worked to identify trends in the company's hiring analytics and strategies. Prior to that role, she spent seven years at the Institute of International Education, where she designed and implemented the nonprofit's TechWomen programs across the globe.