Though the pandemic has taken somewhat of a backseat in Robyn Babcock’s daily
duties as associate general counsel for semiconductor company Broadcom Inc. (Nasdaq: AVGO), the executive still has her hands full.
Babcock, who received the Specialty Counsel Award at last year’s Business Journal General Counsel Awards for safely navigating the company’s workforce through the pandemic, is now focusing on its $61 billion acquisition of Palo Alto-based VMware, a cloud computing software company that’s been at the forefront of virtualization technology in recent years.
“Now we’re in this great spot where COVID is managed, knock on wood, and it’s been kind of a nice transition,” Babcock told the Business Journal this month.
The VMware deal, announced in May, is in the regulatory approval stage.
Broadcom aims to bolster its infrastructure software through the acquisition to reach a broader range of customers and their IT needs.
In the wake of the pandemic, Babcock has had more time for internal employee programs to improve culture and retainment strategies.
One such program is a revamped diversity initiative where different members of the workforce gather in quarterly discussions to become acquainted with each other.
“It’s a really nice feature that gets you out of your day job and gets you to focus on some really inspiring stories,” shares Babcock.
Inclusive programs are top of mind for Broadcom, which today counts about 20,000 employees in more than 30 countries across the globe.
A recent example: in honor of Hispanic Heritage Month, a Broadcom managing partner from Bolivia spoke to the company “about his journey moving from Bolivia to the United States and struggling with learning the language, but then ultimately rising to this prestigious position in Broadcom,” Babcock said, adding that the company has highlighted disabled and LGBTQ+ communities in other discussions.
“You don’t have to conform to a specific model in order to be successful, whether it’s at Broadcom or any company,” Babcock said.
