Hiring Prince Harry not a marketing stunt – BetterUp’s CEO

The CEO of BetterUp Inc. said on Wednesday (Mar 24) that he hired Prince Harry as an executive because of his tenacious support for the mental health programs that his company offers, and that the attention that the move brings is only a bonus.

The Duke of Sussex will play the specially created role of chief impact officer at the San Francisco-based BetterUp, which offers companies employee coaching and mental health support. Chief Executive Alexi Robichaux talked to The Associated Press a day after the news that the Duke of Sussex will play the specially created role of chief impact officer at the San Francisco-based BetterUp, which sells companies employee coaching and mental health help.

“For many years, Prince Harry has been one of the most ardent champions for mental health or mental fitness,” Robichaux said, referencing Prince Harry's work for organizations such as Head Ready, which he initiated in collaboration with the UK Ministry of Defense.

“This has played a significant role in his personal life journey and mission.”

It doesn't matter, he admitted, that Prince Harry is one of the world's most popular guys, who, along with his wife, Meghan Markle, appears to be in the news all the time.

“It's amazing. “Look, we'll take the press,” he said, “it sure helps.” “That is not the driving motivation here,” he quickly clarified.

After being introduced by an unidentified mutual friend who correctly assumed the two think alike, Robichaux said the job came about after months of conversations between him and Prince Harry.

“There was a lot of energy and excitement from both sides around this task of figuring out how we should use technology, research, and human experts to assist individuals on their personal development and transition journeys?” Robichaux remarked. “And that was the beginning.”

However, the pandemic has prevented him from seeing Prince Harry in person, and this is unlikely to happen anytime soon. The firm, which specializes in assisting employees through text and video conference, is naturally suited to operating remotely, which is exactly what Prince Harry would be doing.

According to Robichaux, the Duke of Sussex would not have an office or staff reporting directly to him at the company's headquarters in San Francisco.

“Once that's stable and things reopen,” Robichaux said, “he'll come into offices and join company functions.”

He said that he is unconcerned about the practicalities of letting a prince walk the halls or attend gatherings, and that he would not use any royal titles.

“He likes to be called Harry at work,” the CEO said.

“As a result, we refer to him as Harry. He's very sociable and approachable, and he's undoubtedly stately and dignified. Yet one of the coolest things about him is that he loves to roll up his sleeves to support people, and he is really focused on bringing value.”