Candice Levy Thompson
Teramind
“I was really lucky that I was able to merge and marry my two passions and make a living out of doing it.”
Candice Levy Thompson has been named to the Talent 100, Class of 2026, the annual award recognizing the 100 most exceptional leaders and practitioners in talent acquisition. Honorees are selected by the Talent 100 committee from thousands of nominations and candidates across the industry, chosen for the impact of their work, the depth of their craft, and their influence on the future of recruiting. This is Candice's story.
For Candice Levy Thompson, VP of HR at Teramind, a career in talent leadership was never accidental. From early in her life, she knew she was drawn to two things: people and business. She was fascinated by human potential and personal growth, and equally captivated by the ways organizations succeed when people are empowered to do their best work. Rather than choosing between those interests, she found a way to combine them.
“I was really lucky that I was able to merge and marry my two passions and make a living out of doing it,” she says. That decision became the foundation of a leadership philosophy built on empathy, curiosity, and excellence.
Throughout her career, Candice has viewed talent acquisition as far more than a hiring function. Recruiting may serve as the first point of contact between individuals and organizations, but she believes its true value lies within a much larger talent ecosystem that includes engagement, development, collaboration, and long-term employee success. “I truly believe in people’s potential and tapping into their unique strengths while making sure there’s alignment with whatever the mission may be,” she says. That perspective has guided her rise through increasingly senior leadership roles and helped shape her reputation as a people-first executive who never loses sight of the human side of business.
Building Talent Ecosystems, Not Just Recruiting Functions
One of the defining characteristics of Candice’s leadership philosophy is her conviction that talent acquisition should never operate in isolation. Many organizations still treat recruiting as a standalone function; she sees it as the opening chapter of an employee’s broader journey inside a company. For her, the work is about creating genuine human connections from the very beginning, then making sure those connections continue long after a candidate becomes an employee. “It is the first way to make a genuine connection, which to me is everything,” she says.
That holistic view has allowed her to build people strategies that extend beyond hiring metrics and focus on sustainable organizational success. Businesses thrive, she argues, when talent leaders think beyond filling roles and instead create environments where individuals can fully contribute, grow, and reach their potential.
The philosophy has remained consistent throughout her career, even as technology, recruiting practices, and workforce expectations have evolved. “What has kept my network really strong and served my organizations really well is treating people with honor, respect, and a human touch regardless of level or experience,” she says. It is a leadership style that prioritizes relationships without sacrificing performance, and empathy without sacrificing accountability.
The Leaders Who Shaped Her Approach
When she reflects on the leaders who influenced her career, Candice points to two talent acquisition professionals whose impact still shapes how she leads. The first was Alina Owsianik, a recruiting leader she worked alongside during her time at Rogers. At a moment when talent acquisition was often viewed primarily as a relationship-driven function, Alina brought a level of rigor and business discipline that fundamentally changed Candice’s perspective. “She taught me that it wasn’t just about finding talent and keeping clients happy. It was about being best in class and benchmarking yourself externally.”
Alina approached recruiting with an analytical mindset, focusing heavily on KPIs, operational excellence, and measurable business outcomes. Watching her run recruiting as though it were its own business unit left a lasting impression, and Candice continues to bring that same commitment to measurable impact and performance excellence into her own leadership approach.
A second major influence was Marsha Ford, whose focus on diversity, equity, inclusion, and representation broadened Candice’s understanding of talent strategy. Marsha consistently demonstrated how inclusive hiring practices could drive meaningful business outcomes while creating more equitable workplaces, treating diversity not as an initiative separate from performance but as a driver of it. “She tied it to business success and showed how representative teams ultimately create stronger organizations,” Candice says.
Together, the two helped her develop a balanced philosophy that pairs analytical rigor with deep empathy and inclusion. One taught operational excellence. The other reinforced the importance of representation, belonging, and human-centered leadership. Both lessons continue to influence her work today.
Leading With Empathy in an AI-Powered World
As artificial intelligence continues transforming recruiting, Candice believes talent leaders have a rare opportunity to embrace innovation while protecting the human connections that make the work effective. She views AI as both an efficiency accelerator and a source of new complexity. The technology allows recruiting teams to engage broader talent pools, identify candidates faster, and streamline the administrative processes that historically consumed valuable time. It also creates challenges that demand greater intentionality from recruiters. “AI has made our lives much more efficient, but it has also added a lot of complexity and noise,” she says.
The answer, in her view, is not resisting technology but learning to leverage it responsibly. At Teramind, her team actively uses AI-powered tools to improve sourcing and recruiting workflows, yet she remains convinced that no system can replace the human judgment required to assess values alignment, cultural fit, and authentic connection. “Relationships matter and our touchpoints matter more than ever,” she says.
If anything, she expects the future of recruiting to place even greater importance on emotional intelligence, relationship building, and meaningful human interaction. Rather than reducing the need for recruiters, AI is elevating the value of the uniquely human skills great talent professionals bring to the table. “I am not at all of the mindset that it is going to take over. We’re growing, evolving, and learning. It’s a journey, and it really excites me.”
The Future of Talent Leadership
Candice’s career reflects a balance that many organizations strive for and few execute well. She combines operational excellence with empathy, strategic thinking with human connection, business performance with people development. Whether the subject is recruiting, leadership, organizational culture, or technology, her philosophy remains remarkably consistent: people are the foundation of every successful business.
As talent acquisition continues evolving through AI, shifting workforce expectations, and rising organizational complexity, the leaders who can hold that balance will be the ones positioned to make the greatest impact. Candice’s ability to blend analytical rigor, authentic leadership, and an unwavering belief in human potential places her firmly among them.
The Talent 100 exists to celebrate the people shaping the future of how the world hires, and few embody that better than Candice. We are honored to welcome Candice Levy Thompson to the Talent 100, Class of 2026, and grateful for the experience, perspective, and craft they bring to this community. Congratulations, Candice. Welcome to the Talent 100.
About the Talent 100
The Talent 100 is an annual list spotlighting the leaders who push HR and talent acquisition forward, organized by Noon AI. Honorees are selected through peer nominations and independent selection committees. Selection is entirely merit-based, with no fees or pay-to-play requirements.
