When the Ireland Funds’ San Francisco chapter held its Women in Leadership Conference, Sarah Friar —one of tech’s preeminent execs and a Northern Ireland native — was a natural fit as honorary speaker. Friar grabbed headlines in October for her latest career move as newly appointed CEO of Nextdoor, after serving as CFO of Square since 2012. This, only the latest on Friar’s varied resume, where companies like Slack, Walmart, Salesforce and Goldman Sachs have played major roles in her success. In both her speech and interview with the Gazette’s own Janet Reilly, Friar shared musings on the life and career she’s built, emphasizing the importance of community. In this case, the potential impact of the Irish community in San Francisco, many of whom are brought together by the organization. The Ireland Funds was created to push peace, education and community development both on Ireland and in Irish communities over the globe.
