Toast Careers

Elena Gomez, Toast's Chief Financial Officer, joined the company in May 2021. In addition to being a leader in the financial space, Elena is also paving the way for the next generation of female and Hispanic/ Latinx leaders. Learn more about her career journey below!

What drew you to Toast and the restaurant tech industry?

There are few chances in your life to work at a generational company that will transform an industry. One of the first elements that drew me to Toast, and one that I feel even more convinced of now heading into my 3rd year here, is the opportunity ahead of us.

I was drawn to the mission of helping small businesses that are often the heart and soul of our communities. You see how hard restaurant operators work day in and day out. I love the fact that we can help them. 

Finally, I was drawn to Toast because of the people and the culture. I am fortunate to have a finance team that believes in me and trusted me to guide them through an IPO and begin to lay the foundation to begin to build a world class finance team. I’m truly grateful to be here and for the opportunity.

You’ve led various finance teams at major companies such as  Visa, Salesforce, and Zendesk– what do you think differentiates Toast’s team and what excites you about the opportunity ahead?

I’ve worked at a lot of amazing world class companies, but the culture and people here at Toast are  truly special. Working for a mission-driven company and being a category leader at our scale is something I don’t take for granted. I’m also truly excited that we are growing our team globally and here in San Francisco, too. I love hosting events for the Bay Area Toasters and seeing the growth across all of our functions each time we get together. 

In terms of the future, I am excited to continue to build a multi billion dollar generational company. It won’t be easy but as long as we execute, continue to innovate, and remain focused on our end customer, we will continue to win in the market. The restaurant industry is embracing technology to improve guest experiences and I’m excited to see how the story continues to unfold. Toast is well positioned to lead this transformation and help restaurants modernize their tech stack today and in the future. 

Aside from CFO, you wear various other hats – mom, board member, mentor, basketball coach – what advice would you provide other women in tech to help them thrive in their various life roles? 

The advice I give others is when you have many balls in the air,  be clear on which balls are glass at home and at work. Don’t let those glass balls break. For example, at home, when my kids were young, I didn’t  miss the Christmas show at school. Today, I plan around the basketball teams I coach or  the sports games my girls play in. I value my work but as a working mother I care as much about my performance review at home.  It’s important to me and to my family that I show up for them when it matters most. To them, I’m not a CFO, I’m a mom first and I don’t forget that. 

In the workplace, there are often competing priorities as well. It’s important to take the time to ask yourself where you can have the highest impact and value for your team. Once you know that, it becomes very clear where to spend your time! As far as women go, my advice is to not let your gender be a factor in your career–  find moments where it can be an asset. If you are the only woman in the room, by definition you stand out. Capitalize on those moments when you stand out and are different. Embrace them. Don’t let them shake your confidence but rather let them fire you up! This is particularly important as you grow in your career as the women around you  follow leaders and are often observing  how you show up! They not only want to see you succeed, but one day aspire to be in your shoes! 

How has your culture and upbringing influenced your career? 

My parents immigrated to the US from El Salvador and believed that the next generation should be better than their own. Both of my parents always worked as I was growing up. My mom worked in a doctors office and found  small jobs to supplement her income. My dad was a truck driver. Neither worked in the corporate world. That said, both exemplified a consistent work ethic in everything they did which has shaped how I show up at work today. 

Being Hispanic has also been something that I have embraced and am very proud of. Over the years, I have been the sponsor of various employee resource groups, like Mi Gente here at Toast alongside Julisa Salas. 

It’s not lost on me, that by virtue of being a woman of color and having the role I do, I set an example for what is possible for many young leaders in the workplace. 

What is even more important, is that I spend time with young leaders and understand their context. Being an executive sponsor for Mi Gente gives me that opportunity to connect on another level and help them have even a bigger impact on a broader community. 

What can we do to create more opportunities for Latinx/Hispanic talent in tech?

Let me start by saying, we have a long way to go in terms of having more representation of Latinx/ Hispanic individuals in senior level roles. Despite being one of the largest growing populations in the U.S., they represent only 3-4% of corporate senior executive roles (SHRM). 

A few ways to help:

1. Get educated about Latinx/ Hispanic culture and ask us questions. We are typically very proud of our culture.
2. Be an ally to the Latinx/ Hispanic community  in your companies. Include them in key projects, giving them an opportunity to grow.
3. Be a mentor and/or find a mentee who is Latino. I am in my role because I had prior leaders who took interest in me and gave me an opportunity to lead.