Leading HR Influencers
Engagedly’s 2026
Top 100 HR
Influencers
Human resources continues to expand, challenge convention, and inspire meaningful change across organizations. Engagedly is proud to present its tenth annual list of Top 100 HR Influencers.
Engagedly
100
HR Influencers · 2026
2026 2025 2024 2023 2022 2021 2020 2019 2018 2017
Methodology
Candidates were reviewed for impact, innovation, recency, professional social presence, published thought leadership, and contribution to the HR community. Current roles and public work were verified through professional profiles, employer and publisher pages, research organizations, event programs, and specialist media. Scores supported editorial selection but did not create a public ranking.
Points to consider
The Top 100 is an unranked cohort. People are grouped by the area of their strongest current contribution, while their work may span several categories. The Essential 10 is a separate, unranked recognition of globally defining voices and is not an extension of the Top 100.
The Essential 10
Ten globally defining voices recognized separately from the official Top 100 for their sustained influence on work, leadership, culture, and people practice.
Sol Rashidi
People first AI strategist, educator and author
Independent
Lynda Gratton
Professor of Management Practice and Founder
London Business School and HSM Advisory
Herminia Ibarra
Charles Handy Chair in Organisational Behaviour
London Business School
Patty McCord
Culture and leadership advisor, author and podcast cohost
Independent
Tsedal Neeley
Professor of Business Administration and organizational scholar
Harvard Business School
Mita Mallick
Workplace consultant, executive coach and author
Independent
Simon Sinek
Founder, leadership visionary and author
The Optimism Company
Marshall Goldsmith
Executive coach, leadership thinker and author
Marshall Goldsmith Group
Dave Ulrich
Rensis Likert Professor Emeritus and Partner
University of Michigan Ross and The RBL Group
Peter Cappelli
George W. Taylor Professor of Management and Director, Center for Human Resources
The Wharton School
AI in HR & Workforce Automation
Influencers in this category are shaping the future of work by applying AI and automation to streamline HR processes, strengthen decision-making, and create intelligent, people-centered workplaces.
Frida Polli
Founder, scholar and global AI advisor
Alethia AI
Jacqui Canney
Chief People and AI Enablement Officer
ServiceNow
Jamy Conrad
Director of People
UFCU
Jason Walker
CEO and Co Founder
Thrive HR Consulting
Josh Bersin
Global HR industry analyst
The Josh Bersin Company
Lydia Wu
Senior Director Analyst, AI in HR and Future of Work
Gartner
Noelle Russell
CEO and Founder
AI Leadership Institute
Ravin Jesuthasan
Global Leader, Transformation Services
Mercer
Rey Ramirez
Co Founder
Thrive HR Consulting
Employee Experience & Wellbeing
Leaders in this category champion employee engagement, wellbeing, and workplace experiences that support both performance and human connection.
Arianna Huffington
Founder and CEO
Thrive Global
Craig Forman
Founder and Chief People Scientist
CultureC
Cruz Imelda Wicks
Assistant Vice President, Talent, Culture and Engagement
The University of Texas at Arlington
Erica Keswin
Workplace Strategist and Author
Erica Keswin
Gethin Nadin
Founder, psychologist and author
A Work In Progress
Hollie Castro
Independent Board Director and Executive Advisor
Groupe Dynamite and portfolio companies
Katelin Holloway
Founding Partner
776
Laszlo Bock
Co Founder and Co Faculty Director, Transformative CHRO Leadership Program
University of California, Berkeley
Liz Ryan
Human workplace advocate
Human Workplace
Marcus Buckingham
Researcher and founder
LoveThat
Jason Lauritsen
CEO and Executive Advisor
Connected Performance Group
Employer Brand, Culture, & DEI
This category highlights changemakers who strengthen employer brands and embed culture, diversity, equity, and inclusion into talent strategy and the employee experience.
Angela Briggs Paige
Chief People Officer
Acelero, Inc.
Antoinetta Mosley
Founder and Principal Leader
I Follow the Leader
Ashley T Brundage
Founder and President
Empowering Differences
Erika Broadwater Deaver
National President and CEO
NAAAHR
Jörgen Sundberg
Founder and CEO
Link Humans
Melonie Parker
Vice President, Employee Engagement
Minda Harts
Author, Speaker and Workplace Consultant
The Memo LLC
Netta Jenkins
Founder and CEO
Holistic Inclusion Consulting
Priti Patel
Chief People Officer
G2
Robin Schooling
People and Work Strategist and Director, Talent Strategy
Humareso
HR Tech & Innovation
Influencers here are recognized for pioneering HR technologies and practical innovations that modernize people practices and transform how organizations manage talent.
Artemiz Güler
Founder
HRTera.co
Chad Sowash
Workforce strategist and transformational leader
The Chad and Cheese Podcast
Coreyne Woodman Holoubek
Founder and CEO
Progressive HR
Gretchen Alarcon
General Manager and Senior Vice President, Enterprise HCM Solutions
UKG
J. Ofori Agboka
Vice President, People Experience and Technology, Global Operations
Amazon
Jason Averbook
Senior Partner and Global HR Transformation Leader
Now To Next
Jeanne Achille
Chief Strategy Officer
The Devon Group
Oksanna Elchyan
Founder
About People HR Consulting
Stacia Garr
Co Founder and Principal Analyst
RedThread Research
Steve Boese
President and Co Founder
H3 HR Advisors
William Tincup
Co Founder and Editor at Large
WRKdefined
Leadership Development
This category celebrates thought leaders who build capable, adaptable leaders through research, coaching, mentoring, and leadership development programs.
Adam Grant
Organizational psychologist
The Wharton School
Amy Edmondson
Professor of leadership and management
Harvard Business School
Christopher McCormick
Founder and CEO
Visionary Consulting
Daneal Charney
Founder
FIVEX
David Rock
Co Founder and Chief Executive Officer
NeuroLeadership Institute
Jacob Morgan
CEO and leadership futurist
Future of Work Leaders
Liz Wiseman
Founder and CEO
The Wiseman Group
Michael Bungay Stanier
Author and Founder
MBS Works
Tanvi Mittal
Future of work advocate
VLink Inc.
Tasha Eurich
Principal, organizational psychologist and executive coach
The Eurich Group
Learning, Skills & Career Development
These leaders advance continuous learning, skills-based talent practices, and career development approaches that help people and organizations grow.
Angela Duckworth
Professor and Faculty Co Director, Wharton People Analytics
University of Pennsylvania
Erik van Vulpen
Founder and Dean
AIHR
Garry Ridge
Founder
The Learning Moment
Heather Whiteman
Associate Teaching Professor and Vice President, Society for People Analytics
University of Washington
Julie Develin
Senior Partner, Human Insights
UKG
Kathi Enderes
Senior Vice President, Research and Global Industry Analyst
The Josh Bersin Company
Riina Hellström
Founder
Agile HR Community
Trisha Steed
Co Founder and Chief Strategy Officer
H3 HR Advisors
Whitney Johnson
Founder and CEO
Disruption Advisors
Organizational Development
Influencers in this category shape organizational strategies, structures, and systems that strengthen culture and enable long-term business success.
Brené Brown
Researcher, Storyteller and Executive Chair, Center for Daring Leadership
BetterUp
Catherine Mattice
Founder and CEO
Civility Partners
Erica Dhawan
Founder and CEO
Cotential
Frances Frei
Professor of Technology and Operations Management
Harvard Business School
Katy George
Corporate Vice President, Workforce Transformation
Microsoft
Kevin Oakes
Founder and Chief Strategy Officer
Institute for Corporate Productivity
Kyle Lagunas
Founder and Principal Analyst
Kyle and Co
Misty McCraw
Founder
PeoplePro HR Solutions
Prof. Dr. M. Amr Sadik
Group Chief Human Resources Officer
KataKit
People Analytics & Workforce Strategy
This category recognizes experts who use workforce data and research to improve planning, anticipate change, and inform better people decisions.
Al Adamsen
Founding Partner
Future of Work Advisors
Alexis Fink
Principal and Chair, People Analytics Board
Propeller Insight and i4cp
Ben Eubanks
CEO and Head of Research
Lighthouse Research and Advisory
David Green
Senior Vice President and Managing Partner, Marketing and Events
Insight222
Javier Calzolari
People analytics educator and advisor
RecursosHumanos.com
Karin Kimbrough
Chief Economist
Keith McNulty
Global Director, People Analytics and People Systems Engineering
McKinsey and Company
Serena H. Huang
Founder
Data With Serena
Stela Lupushor
Chief Reframer
Reframe.Work Inc.
Stephanie Murphy, Ph.D.
Founder and Executive Director
Society for People Analytics
Talent Acquisition
Influencers in this category are recognized for advancing recruiting through effective, innovative, and inclusive talent acquisition practices.
Glen Cathey
Senior Vice President, Consulting Principal
Randstad Advisory
Greg Savage
Recruitment advisor, author and investor
Savage Recruitment Academy
Hung Lee
Editor and Chief Curator
Recruiting Brainfood
Katrina Collier
Author, speaker and facilitator
Katrina Collier Limited
Kyle Samuels
Founder and CEO
Creative Talent Endeavors
Lou Adler
CEO
Performance Based Hiring Learning Systems
Meghan M. Biro
Founder and CEO
TalentCulture
Sam Neo
Global CHRO, executive coach and HR advocate
People Mentality Inc. and Stories of Asia
Stacy Zapar
Founder, Recruiter and Community Lead
Tenfold and Fraud Squad
Tim Sackett
President
HRU Technical Resources
Talent Management
Leaders in this category are redefining how organizations develop, retain, and engage employees while aligning talent with business goals and growth.
Amy Cappellanti Wolf
Executive Vice President and Chief People Officer
Dayforce
Anna A. Tavis
Clinical Professor and Chair, Human Capital Management
New York University
Claude Silver
Chief Heart Officer
VaynerX
Danielle Farage
Workplace Futurist and Gen Z Expert
Danielle Farage
Edie Goldberg
Founder and President
E. L. Goldberg and Associates
Jonathan D. Reynolds
CEO and Visionary
Titus Talent Strategies
Kris Dunn
Chief Human Resources Officer, United States and Canada
Marriott International
Natasha Lakhani
Senior Vice President, People and Talent
Super.com
Paula Caligiuri
Distinguished Professor of International Business and Strategy; President and Co Founder
Northeastern University and Skiilify
Steve Cadigan
Founder and Talent Advisor
Cadigan Talent Ventures
Tara Hsu
Global Head of Talent, Attraction, Mobility and Inclusion
Marvell Technology