Top HR Thought Leaders to Follow in 2024
Published on November 1st, 2022
Social media is ruling the world today!
Technology has made everything easy and people can effortlessly create a digital presence and become an influencer to share content and their expertise with others.
Content is king! While there are fashion, beauty, travel, and finance influencers, Human resources did not lag behind.
Human resource influencers, better known as HR leaders, are individuals who offer highly insightful ideas into new and interesting concepts around human resources and aspire to do better in our organizations.
We have narrowed down a list of the top 40 HR thought leaders whom you can learn from and follow right away on LinkedIn and Twitter for future reference.
1. Meghan M. Biro
Meghan M. Biro is the CEO of Talent Culture and is a globally recognized talent management leader, career strategist and digital media catalyst. She is an inspiring writer and speaker who has worked with top global companies in recruiting the best talent
She is an avid blogger who regularly shares her ideas and opinions on Forbes and Huffington Post. She is a true example of HR leadership and you should follow her right away if you are looking for fresh perspectives on recruitment.
2. Raghu Krishnamoorthy
Dr. Raghu Krishnamoorthy is a Senior Fellow and Director of the Chief Learning Officer doctoral program at the University of Pennsylvania.
Before entering the world of academia, he imparted his expertise in human resources and learning for 38 years. He is the author of the Linkedin Newsletter and you can subscribe to get daily updates on the future of recruitment.
While much HR content out there repeats the same old ideas, Krishnamoorthy offers a nuanced perspective on topical issues such as employee retention and burnout.
His article, Talent is abundant- the real problem is about how we think about them! Is a gem and is a must-read for every HR professional.
3. Josh Bersin
Josh Bersin is the founder and CEO of Bersin by Deloitte. He is an industry analyst, educator, researcher, and technology analyst who talks about corporate HR, training, talent management, recruiting leadership, and workplace technology.
He is one of the most influential HR leaders as he also founded the Josh Bersin Academy, a digital library of tools and resources for HR professionals.
Bersin is frequently featured in talent and business publications such as Forbes, Harvard Business Review, HR Executive, FastCompany, The Wall Street Journal, and CLO Magazine
* Twitter
* LinkedIn
4. Claude Silver
Claude Silver is the first-ever Chief Heart Officer (CHRO) at VaynerMedia and also a member of the Talent Champion Council.
She is a famous HR leader who is an eloquent speaker both outside and inside her organization and presses about the need to treat employees like humans and not numbers.
The HR thought leader always emphasizes the importance of kindness, empathy, and true heart leadership in every workplace.
5. Joey V. Price
Joey V. Price is the CEO of Jumpstart: HR and has been recognized in the "Top 30 HR Professionals Under 30" by SHRM's HR Magazine.
His HR consultancy firm offers services to startups and small businesses. Having spent 12 years in the HR industry, he loves helping people grow and develop with a particular focus on supporting underperforming businesses.
Follow him on Linkedin and Twitter to gain the most of his HR thought leadership.
6. Laurie Ruettimann
Laurie Ruettimann is a workplace thought leader, author, podcaster, keynote speaker, and consultant who has been telling her work-life stories on social media.
Her followers on social media get to witness daily trials, tribulations, and illuminations that come with helping organizations HR teams, and individuals face and embrace their failures better.
7. Dave Ulrich
Dave Ulrich, often referred to as the "father of modern HR" and "HR thought leader of the decade", has been changing the face of organizations for over 35 years.
Dave is a speaker, best-selling author, and thought partner on HR, talent, leadership, and organization.
He is ranked as the #1 management guru by Business Week and named among the top 10 creative people in business by Fast Company. He has more than 30 HR books published and over 200 articles that have shaped global businesses.
8. Jacob Morgan
Jacob Morgan is a 4 times best-selling author, TED & keynote speaker. The HR leader invites senior executives and leaders around the world and has in-depth discussions with them on the future of work.
He has more than 99k followers on LinkedIn and is very active on social media, sharing insights and curated content.
9. Tim Sackett
Tim Sackett has been leading the IT and Engineering Staffing firm, HRU Technical Resources as its President and has been making a boom in the HR world with his prolific writing and leadership skills.
He has been named in the list of Top 10 Global HR Influencers and actively creates content on Fistful of Talent and his own blog The Tim Sackett Project.
He is among one of the most influential HR leaders and you should definitely follow him to understand HR the fun way.
10. Ben Eubanks
Ben Eubanks is the Chief Research Officer at Lighthouse Research and Advisory. He is a famous HR leader who is also a noteworthy author. He wrote a book on artificial intelligence for HR which became a massive success. You can find his other publications here.
If you are looking for an HR thought leader to guide you on artificial intelligence, the best tech solutions for your organization, and how to develop products that solve real problems, Ben Eubanks is the man for you.
11. Bruce Daisley
Bruce Daisley was the former VP of Twitter who also led the YouTube segment at Google. He is full-time writer and podcaster now with more than 8 successfully published books in his kitty.
He is a workplace enthusiast and is one of the UK's most influential voices on the changing face of work. You can find compelling articles on workplace culture and how health and well-being affects the workplace on HRD connect
12. Jon Ingham
Jon Ingham, Human Resource Strategy and Organisation Effectiveness Consultant at Strategic Dynamics Consultancy is an influential speaker and analyst who talks about digital transformation.
You can find his captivating articles on People & Change on The Digital Transformation People. He also runs the Jon Ingham Strategic HR Academy where he aims to build strategic HR capabilities to transform people, organizations, and business management.
He is also the author of 'Strategic Human Capital Management (2006) and 'The Social Organization' (2017) which are must-reads for any HR professional.
13. David Hanrahan
David Hanrahan worked as an HR advisor at Eventbrite, Zendesk, Twitter, and Electronic Arts. He is a leading HR thought leader who believes in building strong people teams and innovative transformation environments at the workplace.
He is an expert on hyper-growth hiring, job architecture, rewards strategy and execution, engagement analysis and action, and attrition reduction, and keeps sharing his thoughts on social media.
14. Steve Boese
Steve Boese, co-founder and President of HR H3 Advisors is an award-winning author, speaker, and HR blogger.
On Twitter, he is both enlightening and amusing - be it featuring the best HR articles and abstractions worth a quick read, opening a window into tech conferences around the world, or offering his views and predictions on workplace culture.
You can find his articles on workplace policy, office environment, and talent management at Fistful of Talent.
15. Kris Dunn
Kris Dunn, the SVP of Global Talent Acquisition at Marriott International is also the founder of HR capitalist and Fistful of Talent.
He is a talent acquisition leader who has led talent practices in Fortune 500s and startups.
A prominent speaker, he’s active on both LinkedIn and Twitter sharing all the top HR professionals as well as business news and views including his own, plus gives an insider's tip-off to valuable online event opportunities.
16. David Green
David Green, Executive Direction at Insight 222 is the co-author of the internationally acclaimed book, Excellence in People Analytics.
He is a top HR thought leader who loves to talk about people analytics and the implications of the human resources function on the future of work.
He is also an active contributor to social media, a regular writer and blogger along with being a speaker at industry events and an experienced conference chair and moderator.
17. Lou Adler
Lou Adler, better known as the original headhunter, is the CEO and founder of the Adler Group, which has trained over 40,000 recruiters and hiring managers.
His books.Lou_Adler, The Essential Guide for Hiring and Getting Hired and Hire With Your Head have turned a lot of heads and turned out to be best sellers.
His Twitter is full of tips for hiring smarter with data-backed articles on evaluating and improving your recruiting methods.
18. Ira Wolfe
Ira Wolfe is the President and Chief Googlization Officer at Poised for the Future Company. He is a certified WHY and AQ professional who is amongst the most influential top HR leader in the world.
He is a keynote speaker who talks about work futurists, HR trends, employment, and job trends, leadership skills, growth mindset, adaptability, and employee experience.
You can visit his website and get access to his books and podcasts to stay on top of all HR trends.
19. Tom Haak
Tom Haak is the founder of HR Trend Institute . Previously he lead the HR departments of multinational companies such as Arcadis, Aon, KPMG, and Philips Electronics.
He is an inspirator and keynote speaker who talks about HR trends, HR strategy, people analytics, and the future of work.
The HR Trend Institute detects, follows, and encourages smart and creative use of trends in the field of people and organizations, and also in adjacent areas.
20. Vernā Myers
Vernā Myers, a Harvard-educated attorney with over 25 years of experience representing NGOs, Fortune 500 firms, and Wall Street clients, has worked as an inclusion consultant and strategist. According to her, "Promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion isn't just the ethical thing to do—these tactics are crucial to our capacity for innovation.
She is a social critic, cultural innovator, and inclusion strategist. She is renowned for her dynamic keynote speeches, insightful writing, and capacity to foster meaningful connections among diverse groups of people.
For excellent guidance on attracting and retaining diverse talent and viewpoints in your organization, follow her.
21. Jenny Dearborn
Jenny Dearborn is a recognized HR executive, author, speaker, and leader in business.She has been named five years in a row as one of the 50 Most Powerful Women in Technology.
She has spent the last two decades working for prestigious organizations including SAP, Sun Microsystems, and Hewlett Packard Enterprise.
She is one of the top HR specialists who discusses a range of subjects, including HR technology, data analytics, Human Capital Management, and the Future of Work.
22. Laszlo Bock
Laszlo Bock is the co-founder and board chair of Gretel Inc which inspires to help developers safely and quickly experiment, collaborate, and build with customer data.
Bock is a former refugee who left communist Romania and later rose to the position of top executive at the internet giant Google. Bock, the former SVP of People, assisted Google in winning more than 30 times as "Best Company to Work For" and more than 100 times as a top employer.
His efforts have raised the bar for businesses all around the world, and his tweets and LinkedIn posts provide his fans with a unique look into the head and life of one of today's most creative and dynamic business and HR executives.
23. Sharlyn Lauby
Sharlyn Lauby, the president of ITM Group and board member of the Workforce Institue ismalso the writer of highly rated HR blog named HR Bartender .
She discusses all facets of human resources in her articles with candor and competence, including job design and employee interactions, organizational skill development, and training.
Sharlyn has written dozens of articles for LinkedIn and still routinely shares the most recent HR news and statistics. Along with contributing her knowledge to Tweet Chats, she interacts frequently on Twitter with consultants and professionals.
24. Suzanne Lucas
Suzanna Lucas, or better known as Evil HR Lady, is the founder and owner of the organization with the same name.
Lucas, a former HR professional who is now a well-known freelance writer and speaker offers businesses, HR leaders, professionals, and employees "career counseling with a little bit of snark."
Millions of people have benefited from her professional papers, blog entries, guidance, and contributions to numerous well-known blogs and programs. Through Twitter, she highlights both her own work and that of many esteemed peers. On LinkedIn, she frequently comments and replies to her networks and connections.
25. Greg Savage
Greg Savage is the advisor, owner and director of 18 recruitment and 4 HR tech companies, some of which include People2People, Consult Recruitment, Precision Sourcing, VideoMyJob, Peoplefusion and more.
He holds an experience of four decades in managing and growing staffing businesses across thw world and sharing the tactics that work.
He is also the founder of The Savage Recruitment Academy and author of the bestselling book “The Savage Truth”.
26. Jeanne Achille
Jeanne Achille has launched and promoted thousands of new tech products, services, and businesses over the course of her career. She founded Devon with no outside money after a successful stint as a sales and marketing executive at a time when women-owned computer companies were unusual.
The business became profitable and entirely "client-funded" within a year. She supported multiple successful exits as CEO of Devon, from initial public offerings to tactical mergers and acquisitions.
She is also an avid podcaster who talks about the latest HR trends and technologies
27. Torin Ellis
As an experineced professional, Torin approaches talent development and recruitment from the perspective of leadership. His projects include everything from carefully identifying and obtaining high impact talent to creating dialogues about prejudice, race, and inclusion in the workplace to formulating strategies for internal recruiting teams.
As the workforce makeup and ethnic composition continue to change, his efforts are concentrated on empowerment, strategic exploration, and tactical execution. In addition to serving in the military, Torin has held a number of directorships and has a strong commitment to giving back to the community and young people.
28. Adam Grant
Adam Grant, an organizational psychologist at Wharton is the author of New York Times best selling book Think Again. He has also written 4 other books that have sold millions of copies.
He has been crowned as the world's 10 most influential management thinkers and Fortune's 40 under 40. He also hosts a podcast, namely, Worklife with Adam Grant, a TED original.
29. Lars Schmidt
Lars Schmidt is Amplify's creator, author of best-selling book, and a contributing writer at Fast Company. He provides guidance at CareerPoint and Eightfold.ai.
With his editorial projects, open source initiatives, HR executive search, and other endeavors, he aims to stimulate innovation in the human resources field.
Through his company, Amplify, he has also provided consulting services for the past 20 years to numerous significant corporations, including SpaceX, Hootsuite, Duo Security, Plaid, and Dashlane.
His postings are jam-packed with in-depth HR expertise that will aid you in overcoming any difficulties your company may be experiencing.
30. Jennifer Kim
Jennifer Kim is a diversity and inclusion strategist, leadership coach, and counselor to startups. The influencer also oversees a training for hiring employees in startups and the Twitter resource Inclusion At Work for diversity and inclusion.
Jennifer Kim is the founder of the startup Workflow (previously Startup Recruiting Bootcamp) which specializes in teaching startups to grow and hire.
The self-described "dot connector" supports entrepreneurs in recognizing human operations as an essential component of their operations. If you follow Jennifer, you may anticipate seeing articles about hiring and recruiting, human resources, startups, career development, and workplace inclusiveness.
31. Katie Burke
Katie is a results-driven people professional passionate about combining culture, innovation, leadership, and inclusiveness to create workplaces that people love and employee experiences that are truly remarkable. Proud to lead HubSpot's global People Operations team and to have a team recognized by Glassdoor, Comparably, Fortune, and Great Places to Work as a Best Place to Work for Women, Parents, Diversity, Culture, and Employee Choice.
She is a frequent blogger and speaker on company culture and women's leadership, avid student of management and growth, and employment brand
32. Debra Corey
Debra is an author, speaker, and the Chief ‘Pay it Forward’ Officer of DebCo HR LTD. She is an award-winning HR leader, a first-class speaker, and an author of 4 books who has been named one of the top 101 global employee engagement influencers.
She provides information to her audience about a wide variety of topics namely employee engagement, culture, reward and recognition, and other relevant topics. Her thought-provoking insights on these topics will help you create a productive and engaged workforce.
33. Adam Karpiak
Adam is a resource person on critical subjects for businesses like candidate & employee experience and recruiting. He is among the foremost thought leaders in HR who are redefining the way to hire the best people greatly.
His emphasis on the importance of treating the candidates in a more human way can be seen in his social media posts. Adam is helping job seekers discover their real value and assisting them in their job search journey.
34. Jackye Clayton
Jackye Clayton is the Vice President of Talent Acquisition and DEIB (Diversity, Equity, Inclusion & Belonging) at Textio.
She has years of experience in discovering potential candidates and hiring them successfully in creative ways.
35. Aaron McEwan
While Aaron McEwan may not strictly be an HR practitioner, his research and insights are making major noise in the HR space. In 2021, he was one of the key experts to talk about how the Great Resignation would manifest in Australia.
This year, Aaron has already shared fascinating insights about the hyper-personalisation of work – something that we’re tipping as a key HR consideration for 2023. A hyper-personalized workplace would be tailored according to how employees work best; in terms of location, time and style.
36. Vernon Griffith
It’s not common that people will build a career in software engineering, and then make the switch to HR. Vernon Griffith, who now oversees the human resource support for over 12,000 staff, did exactly that.
Through his HR work, Vernon bridges the gap between people management and innovative tech. He explains that it’s all about applying human-centric design, which is often used in sales and marketing, to the employee experience.
37. Jeanne Meister
Jeanne Meister is a leading name for Human resource influencers around the world. She is a workplace visionary and activist driving her clients to think differently about work, the future workplace and the future workforce. She is currently a Partner of Future Workplace, an HR Advisory and Research firm assisting organizations in re-imagining and re-inventing how they operate in the future workplace.
38. Andy Headworth
After successfully delivering recruitment for HMRC for both Brexit and Covid (and BAU) for the past 4 years, Andy now heads Talent Acquisition, with the focus on ensuring HMRC have the required skills and talent across the organisation for the next decade. He is the author of Sirona Consulting, where he gives practical advice for recruiters, industry insights, better social media usage, and instruction.
39. Jim Stroud
Over the past decade, Jim Stroud has built an expertise in social media recruiting. Stroud frequently updates with the social recruiting scene, and relevant news articles, blog posts and links that prove valuable.
40. Nisha Raghavan
Nisha Raghavan, recognized by the Huffington Post as "Top 100 Most Social Human Resources Experts on Twitter", shares HR trends, recruitment marketing, employer branding, and talent attraction through her social media platforms. With a focus on enhancing employer brand awareness, Nisha is dedicated to advancing the field of HR.
Importance of HR thought Leadership
HR thought leadership plays a pivotal role in shaping the future of human resources by providing innovative and strategic insights to the industry. As an essential aspect of modern HR practices, HR thought leadership involves forward-thinking ideas and cutting-edge perspectives that push boundaries and foster progress.
HR thought leadership empowers professionals to adapt to dynamic workplace trends, employee expectations, and evolving technologies. By staying at the forefront of HR thought leadership, organizations can optimize their talent management, create inclusive cultures, and enhance employee engagement.
As HR thought leaders continuously explore new strategies, best practices, and research, they become the catalysts for transformative change within their organizations and across the HR landscape. Embracing HR thought leadership as a core principle enables HR professionals to drive meaningful impact, address complex challenges, and build a thriving workforce for the future. In essence, HR thought leadership serves as a guiding beacon, illuminating the path to excellence in the realm of human resources management.
Final Thoughts
The HR space is giant! These top 40 HR thought leaders are only a few of the thousands of influencers on the web.
Nevertheless, following these HR leaders will inculcate a new sense and fresher perspective of human resource management and leadership in your organization.
They will let you know about the latest industry trends, building a sustainable work environment and so much more. You should follow them on LinkedIn or Twitter right away so you can plan your actions and be ready for the future.
Lastly, please recommend us if you have some great names to add to this list of top HR thought leaders.
Also Read
Top Under 40 HR Leaders TO Follow in 2023
Authors
Pankaj Deshmukh
Pankaj Deshmukh is a digital marketing professional working with HireQuotient. He strongly believes in the never-ending process of learning and stays updated with the latest trends in order to produce valuable content.
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