Founders & Independents
Avetis Antaplyan
Gail Audibert
Ellis Livingston Briery
Michael Brown
Nick Burns
Thais Cacador
Jennifer Candee
Dawn Carter
Stephanie Colores
Tamsin Colsey
Caitlin Cooke
Gerry Crispin
Amy Crook
Vas Demian
Dana Dillard
Gabe Dillon
Debbie Douglas-Henry
James Ellis
Kaylee Estes
Dom Farnan
Brian Fink
Keely Flood
Kristi Gage-Linderman
Oscar Galliers
Matthew Gilbert
Michael Goldberg
Dayna Gray
Keirsten Greggs
Meghann Hanvey
Jen Hulme
Alison Humphries
Kevin Jarvis
Tianna Johnson
Sharon Kardam
Kimberly Kelly
Gary King
James Lambert
Lionel Lee
Katia Mahiddine
Lewis Maleh
Chris Mannion
Katie Marks
Michelle Martin
Danielle Mathis
Rachael McConnell
Lindsey McCracken
Anna Morgan
Bronwyn OShea
Mary Price
Martin Rowinski
Peter Sanders
Isaac Schild
Gino Scialdone
Chris Shaw
Emma Storey
Punith Suvarna
Tony Teshara
Virginia Tirado
Louise Triance
T. Tara Turk-Haynes
Katie Wagner
Matt Walsh
Cammy Wang
Thomas Warner
Clark Willcox
Mike Williams
Nate Wylie
Stacy Zapar
Julie Zimmerman
About this category
Founders & Independents recognizes up to 100 honorees each year. The Class of 2026 includes 69 leaders in this category, put forward by peers or by our selection committees for the work they have done. They lead talent and recruiting work at organizations including People Culture Talent, American Recruiters, Aurora Talent Lab, AVENNI Consulting, and Beacon Talent. Each profile covers how they got into recruiting, how their team hires today, and what they think is changing about the work.
Honorees are selected through a dual-path process: about half are nominated directly by fellow people and recruiting leaders, and the rest by selection committees of senior talent practitioners and industry advisors who seek out leaders who may be under-recognized. Nominations are free and selection is based on merit. See the Talent 100 overview for the full process, or browse every category of the class.
Other Talent 100 categories
- Enterprise Technology - Talent leaders at the world's established technology companies.
- Technology & Digital Platforms - Talent leaders across software, cloud, and the digital platforms powering global business.
- Startups & Venture-Backed Tech - The people building teams at startups, scaleups, and venture-backed companies.
- AI, Data & Security - Talent leaders shaping hiring at AI, data, and cybersecurity companies.
- Financial & Professional Services - Talent acquisition across banking, fintech, insurance, legal, and consulting.
- Healthcare & Life Sciences - The talent leaders behind healthcare systems, biotech, and pharma.
- Consumer, Retail & Hospitality - Hiring leaders across consumer brands, retail, travel, and hospitality.
- Industrial, Energy & Manufacturing - Talent leaders powering industrial, energy, logistics, and manufacturing teams.
- Agency & Staffing - The standout talent leaders at agencies and staffing firms.
- Executive Search - The people trusted to place leadership at the highest levels.
- Recruiting Operations & Enablement - The builders behind recruiting operations, tooling, and enablement.
- Talent Leadership & People Operations - Senior people leaders whose scope spans far beyond recruiting.