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
Author of 'Your AI Survival Guide'
Lynda Gratton
CEO and Founder
HSM Advisory
Herminia Ibarra
The Charles Handy Professor of Organizational Behaviour
London Business School
Patty McCord
Principal
Patty McCord Consulting
Tsedal Neeley
Professor & Future of Work Expert
Harvard Business School
Mita Mallick
Workplace Consultant, Executive Coach and Author
Hay House, Inc.
Simon Sinek
Leadership Expert, Bestselling Author and Founder
The Optimism Company
Marshall Goldsmith
Executive Coach & Leadership Expert
Marshall Goldsmith Group
Dave Ulrich
HR Thought Leader, Author and Co-Founder
The RBL Group
Peter Cappelli
HR and Talent Management Expert, Professor
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
Central Texas Talent Group
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
Founder & Consultant
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
CEO
Sacramentals
Erica Keswin
Human Workplace Expert, Author, Keynote Speaker
Erica Keswin
Gethin Nadin
Chief Advisory Officer
Benifex
Hollie Castro
Independent Director & Compensation Committee Chair
Groupe Dynamite
Katelin Holloway
Founding Partner
776
Laszlo Bock
Senior Advisor
Anthropic
Liz Ryan
Founder & CEO
Human Workplace
Marcus Buckingham
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 & Principal Leader, Leadership & Culture Strategy
I Follow the Leader
Ashley T Brundage
President & CEO
Empowering Differences
Erika Broadwater Deaver
VP Talent Acquistion Officer
BNP Paribas
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 & CEO | Leadership Performance Strategist
Holistic Inclusion Consulting
Priti Patel
Chief People Officer
G2
Robin Schooling
Director, Audience and Community
Quotient | HR
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
SVP/GM HCM and Pay
UKG
J. Ofori Agboka
Vice President – People, Experience & Technology (PXT)
Amazon
Jason Averbook
HR Transformation Expert, Author and CEO
Now To Next
Jeanne Achille
Chief Strategy Officer
The Devon Group
Oksanna Elchyan
Founder & CEO
About People
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 & Professor
The Wharton School
Amy Edmondson
Professor, Psychological Safety Expert & Author
Harvard Business School
Christopher McCormick
CEO
Visionary Consulting
Daneal Charney
Leadership Coach & Founder
FIVEX
David Rock
Co-Founder and CEO
NeuroLeadership Institute
Jacob Morgan
Founder Futurist & Employee Experience Expert
Future of Work Leaders
Liz Wiseman
Executive Advisor 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 Coaching Leader
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.
Dr. Angela Duckworth
Psychologist & Professor
University of Pennsylvania
Erik van Vulpen
Co-Founder & People Analytics Leader
AIHR
Garry Ridge
Workplace Culture Coach, Leadership Advisor & Founder
The Learning Moment
Heather Whiteman
People Analytics Expert & VP
Society For People Analytics
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
Leadership Development Expert, Talent Coach & Founder
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
Leadership Expert & Professor
Brené Brown Education and Research Group
Catherine Mattice
Founder and CEO
Civility Partners, Inc
Erica Dhawan
Founder and CEO
Cotential
Frances Frei
Professor & Leadership Expert
Harvard Business School
Katy George
Corporate VP, Workforce Transformation
Microsoft
Kevin Oakes
Founder and Chief Strategy Officer
The Institute for Corporate Productivity
Kyle Lagunas
HR Technology Analyst, Future of Work Expert & Founder
Kyle and Co
Misty McCraw
People Development Advisor & 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
Leadership Advisor, Organizational Transformation Expert & Founder
Future of Work Advisors
Alexis Fink
Workforce Analytics Expert & Founder
Propeller Insight, LLC.
Ben Eubanks
HR Tech Analyst & CEO
Lighthouse Research and Advisory
David Green
People Analytics Expert & Co-Founder
Insight222
Javier Calzolari
People Analytics Educator & Founder
RecursosHumanos.com
Karin Kimbrough
Chief Economist
Keith McNulty
People Analytics Scientist & Head of Talent Assessment
Citadel
Dr. Serena H. Huang
AI & People Analytics Expert & Founder
Data With Serena
Stela Lupushor
People Analytics Leader & Chief Reframer
Reframe.Work Inc.
Stephanie Murphy, Ph.D.
People Analytics Leader & Founder
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
HR Technologist & SVP Talent Advisory & Digital Strategy
Randstad
Greg Savage
Recruitment Expert & Founder
Savage Recruitment Academy
Hung Lee
Talent Acquisition Expert & Editor
Recruiting Brainfood
Katrina Collier
Recruitment Expert, Author & Keynote Speaker
Katrina Collier Limited
Kyle Samuels
Founder and CEO
Creative Talent Endeavors
Lou Adler
CEO
Performance Based Hiring Learning Systems
Meghan M. Biro
Founder & Talent & HR Visionary
TalentCulture
Sam Neo
Founder & CEO
Stories of Asia
Stacy Zapar
Talent Acquisition Expert, Founder & Community Lead
Tenfold and Fraud Squad
Tim Sackett
HR & Talent Technology Analyst, Recruiting Executive & Co-Founder
HR Tech 100 Fund
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
EVP and Chief People Officer
Dayforce
Anna A. Tavis
People Strategy Scholar & Department Chair
New York University
Claude Silver
Workplace Culture Leader & Chief Heart Officer
VaynerX
Danielle Farage
Workplace Futurist and Gen Z Expert
Danielle Farage LLC
Edie Goldberg, Ph.D.
Talent Management Expert, HR Strategist & Founder and President
E. L. Goldberg and Associates
Jonathan D. Reynolds
Hiring Expert, Leadership Speaker and CEO
Titus Talent Strategies
Kris Dunn
HR & Talent Acquisition Leader & CHRO, United States & Canada
Marriott International
Natasha Lakhani
SVP of People and Talent
Super.com
Paula Caligiuri, Ph.D.
Organizational Psychologist, Co-Founder and President
Skiilify
Steve Cadigan
Founder and Talent Advisor
Cadigan Talent Ventures
Tara Hsu
Talent Acquisition Leader & Recruiting Strategy Expert
Marvell Technology