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Pinterest is working towards diversifying its platform to provide underrepresented creators the opportunity to be seen, heard, and appreciated—after all, it’s hard to feel inspired if you aren’t represented.

At the lead of this initiative is Alexandra Nikolajev, Pinterest’s first-ever Creator Inclusion Lead. “In developing a role like this, an inclusion lead role, we could navigate those sensitive conversations externally with our creators in a really strong and positive way,” says Nikolajev. 

Nikolajev has been at the forefront of movements for underrepresented communities throughout her career. Starting at Pinterest Canada in 2019, she worked with content creators in leading and managing the media they were creating. It’s no secret the past two years have seen a climate of unrest. Feeling the impact of the racial and social injustices plaguing the world coupled with a pandemic, Nikolajev was inspired to take her role one step further and go beyond the industry standards. 

“I was pushing myself beyond what was comfortable,” says Nikolajev, “ I think that was the purpose of everything that happened last year for a lot of people, to just recognize that we need to do a little bit more work and it can start as simply as where we work too,” she adds. 

Since the start of her new role, Nikolajev has been part of a team that works to implement a number of tools and products as part of Pinterest’s commitment to be a diverse and inclusive platform. From introducing skin tone ranges, a creator code and pronouns, to hosting events to educate users and audiences during Pride month, Nikolajev and her team were able to make a multitude of positive changes to the Pinterest community in just a couple of months. 

“I think the possibilities are truly endless, but it all comes back to focusing on that everyone piece and ensuring that from our managed creators, the products, and the editorial spaces that we have on the platform, that we’re really amplifying those voices on Pinterest,” says Nikolajev.  

Pinterest’s commitment to having 50 percent of its content come from users who self-identify as part of an underrepresented community is already well established, with that number currently sitting beyond 60 percent.

“My true inspiration comes from these creators who, regardless of their opportunities, or regardless of where they’re coming from, they make this beautiful inspirational or educational content. And they are just churning it out day after day, week after week” says Nikolajev. 

Women Who Lead: Alexandra Nikolajev

For this week’s Women Who Lead, Bay Street Bull talked to Alexandra Nikolajev, Creator Inclusion Lead at Pinterest, about her work at Pinterest to make the platform inclusive and shed the spotlight on creators in underrepresented communities.

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