Naomi Asato

As People Director at AREA 17, Naomi's mission is to build a stimulating, safe, and fulfilling work environment across both studios — a company where teams, full-timers, and freelancers alike share common cultural foundations and have the conditions and tools to nurture their creativity, take initiative, and collaborate fully.

Holding a master's degree in Public Affairs from Sciences Po, Naomi began her career in the public cultural sector and the sponsorship and CSR departments of corporates. She then joined makesense, an incubator for social startups, where she spent four years: first in Manila, Philippines, developing support programmes for local entrepreneurs, then back in Paris, leading the organisation's education branch while also stepping into a Talent Manager role — recruitment, career development, staffing. Most recently, she built the HR function from scratch at Datahawk (e-commerce SaaS) and Omie (organic food brand), covering everything from legal frameworks and processes to executive coaching on people strategy, manager support, and company culture.

Outside of work, Naomi spends a lot of time playing soccer (and enjoying the third half), perfecting her tiramisu, and reading. People say she's a tireless advocate of feedback culture and a really great audience.