Cita James on HR, Growth, and Building People Teams at Cloudflare
#ThisWeekinNET — Women of Cloudflare
In this Women of Cloudflare segment, Cita James, Manager, People Team Business Partner at Cloudflare, shares her journey from Oklahoma City to Cloudflare’s People Team, working across Austin, Lisbon, London, and the EMEA region.
Cita talks about how HR has evolved from an administrative function into a true business partner role, what it means to support leaders and employees across different regions, and why adapting quickly was one of the most important parts of her Cloudflare journey. She also reflects on Women’s Empowerment Month, the importance of mentorship and networking, how AI is helping with data and people insights, and why taking breaks is one of her most useful productivity habits.
🎧 Subscribe to the podcast for weekly conversations about the Internet and Cloudflare:
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/this-week-in-net/id1787916988
https://open.spotify.com/show/1DRBisbuZbgGPdBngAPg1i
— —
⏱️ Timestamps
00:13 — Cita James and her role on Cloudflare’s People Team
01:01 — From Oklahoma to HR and corporate communications
01:42 — Joining Cloudflare during the pandemic
02:31 — Austin, Lisbon, London, and working across EMEA
03:10 — Why People Teams are true business partners
04:02 — Advice for starting a career in HR
04:37 — Learning to adapt across regions and cultures
05:25 — Women’s Empowerment Month and “Give to Gain”
06:33 — Why women and girls need representation in tech
07:05 — Networking, mentorship, and professional organizations
08:02 — How Cita uses AI for people insights and data
08:47 — Productivity hack: take real breaks