Top 28 HR Experts to Follow in 2026
The HR experts you follow shape how you think about hiring, culture, and people strategy. The right voices cut through noise and offer real, grounded perspectives you can actually apply. I've rounded up the HR experts worth your attention—thinkers and practitioners who are actively influencing how the field evolves.
Top 28 HR Experts
Below are the profiles of the top HR experts, covering who they are and the impact they've made in this space.
Dave Ulrich
Dave Ulrich is the Rensis Likert Professor at the University of Michigan and an RBL Group partner whose books and research have helped shape modern HR, leadership, and organizational practice.
Ulrich helped…
Dave Ulrich is the Rensis Likert Professor at the University of Michigan and an RBL Group partner whose books and research have helped shape modern HR, leadership, and organizational practice.
Ulrich helped move HR beyond administration toward creating business value. His work on HR competencies, the HR business partner model, organization capability, and outside-in thinking gives people leaders practical ways to connect talent and organization decisions with business outcomes.
Josh Bersin
Josh Bersin is the founder and CEO of The Josh Bersin Company, a research and advisory firm focused on HR, talent, leadership, workplace technology, and the fast-changing world of work.
Bersin has…
Josh Bersin is the founder and CEO of The Josh Bersin Company, a research and advisory firm focused on HR, talent, leadership, workplace technology, and the fast-changing world of work.
Bersin has spent decades researching the systems and practices behind effective people organizations. His work spans talent, learning, employee experience, HR technology, organization design, and workforce change, giving HR leaders a broad view of how the function is evolving.
David Green
David Green is an executive director and managing partner at Insight222, where he advises organizations on people analytics, data-driven HR, and using workforce data to create business value.
Green has become a…
David Green is an executive director and managing partner at Insight222, where he advises organizations on people analytics, data-driven HR, and using workforce data to create business value.
Green has become a prominent voice on putting people analytics at the center of business decisions. Through Insight222, the Digital HR Leaders podcast, research, and writing, he explores how HR teams can build analytics capability and turn workforce data into measurable organizational impact.
Ravin Jesuthasan
Ravin Jesuthasan is a senior partner and global leader for Transformation Services at Mercer, as well as an author and futurist focused on work, automation, skills, talent, and human capital.
Jesuthasan’s “work…
Ravin Jesuthasan is a senior partner and global leader for Transformation Services at Mercer, as well as an author and futurist focused on work, automation, skills, talent, and human capital.
Jesuthasan’s “work without jobs” approach challenges organizations to break fixed jobs into skills, tasks, and assignments. His research on automation, AI, workforce transformation, and new operating models helps HR leaders rethink how work is designed and how talent moves to opportunity.
Enrique Rubio
Enrique Rubio is the founder of Hacking HR, a global community for HR leaders and practitioners, and an advisor, speaker, and educator focused on the changing role of the people function.
Rubio…
Enrique Rubio is the founder of Hacking HR, a global community for HR leaders and practitioners, and an advisor, speaker, and educator focused on the changing role of the people function.
Rubio uses Hacking HR to convene practitioners around the shifts reshaping work and the profession. His recent work presses HR to strengthen its capabilities as AI changes jobs and organizations, while connecting learning, leadership, technology, and transformation.
Peter Cappelli
Peter Cappelli is the George W. Taylor Professor of Management at Wharton and director of its Center for Human Resources, with deep expertise in employment, HR practices, and talent management.
Cappelli brings…
Peter Cappelli is the George W. Taylor Professor of Management at Wharton and director of its Center for Human Resources, with deep expertise in employment, HR practices, and talent management.
Cappelli brings labor economics and management research to practical questions about hiring, performance, talent, and employment. His work examines where conventional workforce practices break down and gives HR leaders an evidence-based perspective on managing people and organizations.
Stacia Garr
Stacia Garr is co-founder and principal analyst at RedThread Research, where she studies people analytics, HR technology, employee experience, leadership, and the evolving world of work.
Garr combines years of talent and…
Stacia Garr is co-founder and principal analyst at RedThread Research, where she studies people analytics, HR technology, employee experience, leadership, and the evolving world of work.
Garr combines years of talent and workforce research with close study of the HR technology market. Her work gives people leaders an independent view of employee experience, analytics, workforce planning, leadership, and the tools organizations use to understand and support their people.
Amy C. Edmondson
Amy C. Edmondson is the Novartis Professor of Leadership and Management at Harvard Business School and an author known for research on psychological safety, teaming, and organizational learning.
Edmondson’s research made psychological…
Amy C. Edmondson is the Novartis Professor of Leadership and Management at Harvard Business School and an author known for research on psychological safety, teaming, and organizational learning.
Edmondson’s research made psychological safety a practical leadership concept: teams learn and perform better when people can speak up, ask questions, and surface mistakes. Her work on teaming, learning, and intelligent failure gives HR leaders a rigorous lens on culture and collaboration.
Sharlyn Lauby
Sharlyn Lauby is president of ITM Group, a training and HR consulting firm, and the writer behind HR Bartender, where she covers workplace issues, management, talent, and the future of work.
Lauby…
Sharlyn Lauby is president of ITM Group, a training and HR consulting firm, and the writer behind HR Bartender, where she covers workplace issues, management, talent, and the future of work.
Lauby turns day-to-day HR and management questions into practical guidance. Her consulting, teaching, books, and HR Bartender writing cover retention, recruiting, employee engagement, leadership development, workplace metrics, and the skills managers need to lead people well.
Tsedal Neeley
Tsedal Neeley is the Naylor Fitzhugh Professor of Business Administration and a senior associate dean at Harvard Business School, where she studies leadership, technology, and global work.
Neeley’s research examines what happens…
Tsedal Neeley is the Naylor Fitzhugh Professor of Business Administration and a senior associate dean at Harvard Business School, where she studies leadership, technology, and global work.
Neeley’s research examines what happens when organizations cross boundaries—geographic, cultural, and technological. Her work on remote and global teams, digital mindsets, AI, and transformation helps HR leaders understand how people and culture adapt as the way work gets done changes.
Kathi Enderes
Kathi Enderes is a senior research executive at The Josh Bersin Company with more than two decades of experience spanning HR, talent, workforce research, consulting, and people strategy.
Enderes brings practitioner and…
Kathi Enderes is a senior research executive at The Josh Bersin Company with more than two decades of experience spanning HR, talent, workforce research, consulting, and people strategy.
Enderes brings practitioner and consulting experience to research on the systems behind high-performing organizations. Her work spans workforce planning, talent, leadership, HR technology, employee experience, and operating models, helping HR teams translate research into decisions.
Lars Schmidt
Lars Schmidt is a member of Talent Staff at Anthropic, author of Redefining HR, and former founder of Amplify Talent, blending hands-on recruiting leadership with years of HR community work.
Schmidt has…
Lars Schmidt is a member of Talent Staff at Anthropic, author of Redefining HR, and former founder of Amplify Talent, blending hands-on recruiting leadership with years of HR community work.
Schmidt has pushed HR toward more open, modern approaches through recruiting leadership, writing, community building, and conversations with people executives. His work on talent strategy, employer brand, HR transformation, and recruiting connects practitioner experience with the changing mechanics of work.
Steve Browne
Steve Browne is chief people officer at LaRosa’s Inc. and an HR practitioner with more than three decades in the field. He is also the author of HR on Purpose, HR Rising,…
Steve Browne is chief people officer at LaRosa’s Inc. and an HR practitioner with more than three decades in the field. He is also the author of HR on Purpose, HR Rising, and HR Unleashed.
Browne writes about HR from the perspective of someone still doing the job. His books and practitioner work emphasize relationships, culture, intentional leadership, and a more human approach to the profession, giving HR teams grounded ideas for making their role matter inside organizations.
Jennifer McClure
Jennifer McClure is president of Unbridled Talent and CEO of DisruptHR, combining HR leadership experience with consulting, speaking, coaching, and programs for people and business leaders.
McClure works with HR leaders on…
Jennifer McClure is president of Unbridled Talent and CEO of DisruptHR, combining HR leadership experience with consulting, speaking, coaching, and programs for people and business leaders.
McClure works with HR leaders on navigating change, building influence, developing talent, and leading transformation. Through DisruptHR, she also gives practitioners a fast-moving forum for challenging conventional thinking about talent, culture, technology, and the workplace.
Brian Elliott
Brian Elliott is CEO of Work Forward, a future-of-work advisor, author of How the Future Works, and former Slack and Google executive who co-founded and led the Future Forum think tank.
Elliott…
Brian Elliott is CEO of Work Forward, a future-of-work advisor, author of How the Future Works, and former Slack and Google executive who co-founded and led the Future Forum think tank.
Elliott uses research and operating experience to examine how organizations redesign work without losing performance or connection. His work on flexibility, workplace norms, leadership, culture, and technology gives HR leaders practical ways to rethink where and how teams work.
Hung Lee
Hung Lee is the chief curator behind Recruiting Brainfood, a weekly newsletter and community that filters recruiting news, tools, ideas, and industry conversations for talent professionals.
Lee’s curation helps recruiters make sense…
Hung Lee is the chief curator behind Recruiting Brainfood, a weekly newsletter and community that filters recruiting news, tools, ideas, and industry conversations for talent professionals.
Lee’s curation helps recruiters make sense of a fast-moving market rather than simply adding to the noise. Recruiting Brainfood brings together developments in sourcing, hiring, technology, AI, labor markets, and workplace change, giving talent teams a useful map of what deserves attention.
Johnny C. Taylor Jr.
Johnny C. Taylor Jr. is president and CEO of SHRM, leading a major professional association for HR while engaging employers and policymakers on workforce practices, employment, and people strategy.
Taylor operates where…
Johnny C. Taylor Jr. is president and CEO of SHRM, leading a major professional association for HR while engaging employers and policymakers on workforce practices, employment, and people strategy.
Taylor operates where HR practice, business leadership, and public policy meet. Through SHRM, he addresses issues affecting employers and workers—from skills and talent to benefits, employment policy, workplace culture, and the changing expectations placed on HR leaders.
Alison Green
Alison Green runs Ask a Manager, the workplace advice site where she answers questions on hiring, management, careers, and office life, drawing on her experience as a nonprofit chief of staff.
Green…
Alison Green runs Ask a Manager, the workplace advice site where she answers questions on hiring, management, careers, and office life, drawing on her experience as a nonprofit chief of staff.
Green specializes in the messy situations policies rarely solve on their own: difficult managers, hiring decisions, feedback, boundaries, performance, and workplace communication. Her practical scripts and management advice make her work especially useful to HR professionals navigating the human side of work.
Erik van Vulpen
Erik van Vulpen is co-founder and dean of AIHR, an online learning platform for HR professionals, and an author and educator focused on people analytics, digital HR, AI, and HR innovation.
Van…
Erik van Vulpen is co-founder and dean of AIHR, an online learning platform for HR professionals, and an author and educator focused on people analytics, digital HR, AI, and HR innovation.
Van Vulpen’s work is built around strengthening the profession’s practical capabilities. Through AIHR’s education, research, competency models, and annual trends work, he helps practitioners become more strategic, data-informed, and confident using technology and AI.
Laurie Ruettimann
Laurie Ruettimann is an author, keynote speaker, executive advisor, and former HR leader whose work explores leadership, careers, workplace power, self-leadership, and better employment experiences.
Ruettimann draws on decades inside HR to…
Laurie Ruettimann is an author, keynote speaker, executive advisor, and former HR leader whose work explores leadership, careers, workplace power, self-leadership, and better employment experiences.
Ruettimann draws on decades inside HR to question workplace habits that fail employees and leaders alike. Her writing and speaking connect self-leadership with bigger issues of power, culture, hiring, and management, challenging HR professionals to improve work without losing sight of individual agency.
Jessica Zwaan
Jessica Zwaan is VP of People Strategy & Operations at Leapsome and author of Built for People, which applies product management principles to people operations and the employee experience.
Zwaan asks HR…
Jessica Zwaan is VP of People Strategy & Operations at Leapsome and author of Built for People, which applies product management principles to people operations and the employee experience.
Zwaan asks HR teams to treat employee experience less like a collection of inherited processes and more like a product that can be researched, tested, and improved. Her approach brings user research, iteration, evidence, and product thinking into people operations.
Jacob Morgan
Jacob Morgan is a professionally trained futurist, keynote speaker, author, and founder of Future of Work Leaders, a CHRO community centered on leadership, employee experience, and work.
Morgan studies what organizations need…
Jacob Morgan is a professionally trained futurist, keynote speaker, author, and founder of Future of Work Leaders, a CHRO community centered on leadership, employee experience, and work.
Morgan studies what organizations need to become future-ready, with a particular focus on leadership and employee experience. His books, research, podcast, and CHRO community explore how culture, technology, workplace design, and management expectations are changing the employee-employer relationship.
Jörgen Sundberg
Jörgen Sundberg is founder and CEO of Link Humans, an employer brand consultancy that uses data and research to help organizations understand reputation, talent audiences, and recruiting strategy.
Sundberg approaches employer brand…
Jörgen Sundberg is founder and CEO of Link Humans, an employer brand consultancy that uses data and research to help organizations understand reputation, talent audiences, and recruiting strategy.
Sundberg approaches employer brand as something to measure, not merely market. Link Humans’ research and benchmarking work helps talent leaders understand external perception, compare their employer reputation with competitors, and turn those findings into sharper recruiting and brand decisions.
Laszlo Bock
Laszlo Bock is a former Google and Alphabet SVP of People Operations, founder of Humu, co-founder of Gretel.ai, and author of Work Rules!, with a career spanning HR, technology, and people analytics.
…
Laszlo Bock is a former Google and Alphabet SVP of People Operations, founder of Humu, co-founder of Gretel.ai, and author of Work Rules!, with a career spanning HR, technology, and people analytics.
At Google, Bock helped make data and experimentation central to people management, including work associated with people analytics and influential studies of managers and teams. He later built Humu around behavioral science and workplace nudges, extending his focus on making organizations work better for people.
John Sumser
John Sumser is the founder and principal author of HRExaminer, where he studies how technology changes work and examines HR systems, recruiting technology, AI, and the people behind the industry.
Sumser has…
John Sumser is the founder and principal author of HRExaminer, where he studies how technology changes work and examines HR systems, recruiting technology, AI, and the people behind the industry.
Sumser has spent decades tracking the intersection of technology and employment. His analysis goes beyond product features to examine how tools alter decisions, power, risk, and HR practice, with recent work extending into AI governance and the consequences of automated systems at work.
Katrina Collier
Katrina Collier is an author, facilitator, speaker, and recruitment specialist who helps recruiters strengthen hiring partnerships, candidate experience, communication, and human connection.
Collier argues that recruiting problems cannot simply be automated away.…
Katrina Collier is an author, facilitator, speaker, and recruitment specialist who helps recruiters strengthen hiring partnerships, candidate experience, communication, and human connection.
Collier argues that recruiting problems cannot simply be automated away. Her books, workshops, and talks focus on making recruiters stronger partners to hiring managers, improving candidate experience, and fixing the communication and collaboration failures that make hiring harder.
Glen Cathey
Glen Cathey is senior vice president and consulting principal for Randstad Advisory, with more than 25 years in recruiting and deep expertise in sourcing, digital strategy, and AI-enabled hiring.
Cathey is especially…
Glen Cathey is senior vice president and consulting principal for Randstad Advisory, with more than 25 years in recruiting and deep expertise in sourcing, digital strategy, and AI-enabled hiring.
Cathey is especially known for treating sourcing as a rigorous search and matching discipline. His work covers passive talent discovery, recruiting strategy, Boolean search, data, and responsible AI, helping talent teams improve both the technology and thinking behind how they find people.
Eric Meyer
Eric Meyer is an employment lawyer at Pierson Ferdinand and author of The Employer Handbook, where he translates workplace law and court developments into practical guidance for employers.
Meyer sits at the…
Eric Meyer is an employment lawyer at Pierson Ferdinand and author of The Employer Handbook, where he translates workplace law and court developments into practical guidance for employers.
Meyer sits at the point where HR decisions meet legal risk. Through his employment practice and The Employer Handbook, he explains court rulings, workplace policies, discrimination, accommodations, employee relations, and other legal developments HR teams need to understand when managing people.
Selection Methodology
We selected the leaders on this list based on their relevance, demonstrated expertise and impact, professional credibility, and ongoing contributions to the field.
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We look for evidence such as leading meaningful initiatives or delivering notable results within their organizations, developing influential ideas or practices, publishing research or educational resources, speaking or teaching, and other contributions that demonstrate impact within their work or the broader field.
More Resources
Following (and interacting with) the above list of HR experts will help put you in good stead for building your career in HR and people management. Here are other resources to help you in your HR journey:
- 14 Leadership Books For New Leaders To Read
- Top 20 Leadership Podcasts To Help You Become A Better Leader
- Clarity, Responsibility, And Accountability (CRA) Model Of Leadership
- 13 Best Leadership Certificates To Help You Become A Better Leader
- Leadership Coaching: Become A More Rounded Leader
- Top HR Influencers to Inspire You
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