Talent Spotlight: Megan Kirk, Associate Director

To shine a light on her journey at Humankind, we asked Associate Director Megan Kirk a few questions about growth, impact, and culture. Here’s her take.

Q: Let’s start with your Humankind story. What first brought you here, and what’s kept you excited to stay? ‍

Megan: “After nine incredible years with a Wellington-founded business, I found myself at a crossroads. I had essentially grown up in the company—starting as a teenage HR Manager and evolving into a seasoned HR professional. It was a place that shaped me deeply, both personally and professionally. I was so passionately part of their growth story, from 50 staff through to 200 staff across multiple regions and countries and the steward of the culture. But I reached a point where I knew it was time to pass the baton. The business was ready for someone new to take the function to its next level, and I was ready for a fresh challenge.  

Over my time at Humankind, I've been given so many amazing opportunities. I think genuinely Humankind are what they say they are, and my learning and growth has been huge because of the team, our clients, and the work that we do every day.

I’m excited to stay because we’re constantly striving to grow and add value and impact to the organisations and the leaders that we work with.”

“Humankind are what they say they are, and my learning and growth has been huge”

Q: Describe what life at Humankind feels like. If someone asked you what it’s really like to work here, what would you say?

Megan: “The words that come to mind are integrity, empathy and purpose. We genuinely care about each other and our clients. From the way we show up for each other to the way we partner with clients, it’s not just about doing great work, it’s about doing it with that integrity, empathy and purpose.

I really strive to meet people where they are and support them to not only acknowledge that but look to the future and see how change can be possible. At Humankind there is a deep sense of trust in each other’s intentions, our shared values, and in the overall belief that strong people and culture leadership truly leads to better outcomes for organisations.

At Humankind we have amazing rhythms and rituals – thoughtful check-ins, collaborative problem solving and brainstorming, the way that we celebrate our wins and support each other through the challenges. That’s the real fabric of Humankind. That’s what makes it so special.”

“Integrity, empathy and purpose—plus a deep sense of trust—are the fabric of Humankind.”

Q: You’ve led some incredible client work — what stands out most?

Megan: “There are so many highlights, and it's not only about the things that have gone well, but the things that were really challenging and the times that I had to dig deep to work through. I think that’s when you grow the most.

The main standout is the Employee Experience Design project that I led with one of my key clients, Te Omanga Hospice. It involved uncovering challenges and opportunities in culture and leadership, ways of working, performance and growth. We co-designed the solutions and initiatives with such a wide range of people from across the organisation – not just employees, but volunteers as well. It was incredible to give everyone a platform and voice to design the future and give them the space to talk about what was getting in the way of a great experience.

This result of this work was an impactful, employee-led people and culture roadmap, and years later we’re still referring to it. It was a transformational project and showed me supporting the CEO to commit and lean into the challenges, where everyone’s voices would be heard, shows a huge amount of courage.

It proved an employee-led ethos can be adopted across many different industries – not just modern tech businesses, but aged care and health industries too. For me, that’s been the most impactful and rewarding piece of work, which I’m grateful I had the opportunity to lead.”

“It was just incredible to give everyone that platform and that voice to design the future”  

Q: What does great impact look like in your role? How do you know you’ve made a difference for a client and their people?

Megan: “For me, great impact requires a mindset shift. It’s when a team feels truly heard and leaders are leading by empowering others. That’s the kind of impact that changes workplaces and supports a move towards truly valuing their people.

I get so much joy when a client says – not just in projects or partnerships, but also in coaching – ‘That was such a great conversation, I feel much more confident to tackle this challenge ahead of me.’ That for me is impact: when you’ve helped them to see the solutions and process the challenges but also find a way that fits for them and feels comfortable for them to move ahead."

“Great impact is a mindset shift. It’s when a team feels truly heard and leaders are leading by empowering others”  

Q: Humankind’s EVP is all about raising the bar for people and culture. How do you see that playing out in our work and within our own team?

Megan: “Humankind is a team of such diverse experiences, skills and talent. What I love about our EVP is that everyone brings something quite different, and we’re learning from each other every day and we’re evolving and growing.

That’s our EVP – it’s the growth, striving to add more value, to learn as an individual, and work as a team, providing huge impact to each other and clients. Together we have such a collaborative culture and EVP providing so many cool opportunities to learn and grow.”

“That’s our EVP – it’s the growth, it’s the striving to add more value,”  

Q: Growth is a big part of working here. What’s something you’ve learned, built, or become more confident in since joining?

Megan: “It’s such a cool question, because I have set such lofty goals during my time at Humankind, while previously goal setting didn't come naturally to me.  

But since I’ve been at Humankind, I’ve seen the opportunities to get involved and thought, ‘I can do that,’ and I’ve had the support from the team to actually follow through. Looking back, the goals I’ve achieved at Humankind have really surprised me.

The real game changer has been our strong feedback culture. Constantly receiving constructive and honest feedback from my peers, leaders and even clients has helped me grow faster and build the skills, confidence, and clarity of what’s next. It’s helped me to become more aware of the impact of my work.  The constant input from peers, leaders, and clients has accelerated my growth, building my confidence, sharpening my skills, and giving me clarity on where I’m headed. It’s helped me understand the impact of my work and role model this with clients.

I’m also incredibly grateful for the investment Humankind has made in my coaching training. It’s helped me grow both personally and professionally, and now I get to pass that on to others. I’m excited to keep supporting new and emerging leaders on their journey.”

“The real game changer has been our strong feedback culture. Constantly receiving constructive and honest feedback from my peers, leaders and even clients.”

Q: Humankind’s ways of working are quite distinct. What’s one thing about how we collaborate or lead that you think makes us different?

Megan: “I think absolute trust. Trust underpins how we work with each other and our clients. It’s the trust in the intention to deliver great work and add value, but also to show up for each other.

We have this conversation with so many clients around remote working, and I always highlight that trust is the platform. It’s not about earning the trust, it’s putting it out there, role modelling and setting up the mechanisms to support that to truly enable people to work well.

At Humankind we’ve designed our ways of working to allow for that – built on trust – but also to allow for collaboration and connection and alignment to our strategic priorities, and to be accountable for doing our part in contributing to Humankind. The important part as well is not just designing it and leaving it. We continually review this and adjust it and make sure that our ways of working are serving our team, because things evolve and new people arrive and they’ve got different ideas and things change."

"It’s not about earning the trust, it’s putting that out there, role modelling that trust”  

Q: Let’s talk culture. What do you love most about the people you work with? What makes this team special?

Megan: “I’m so passionate about this – particularly the culture of Humankind. Culture doesn’t just happen, it takes intention, energy, commitment, and addressing the tough stuff. We do this really well, we lean into hard conversations and celebrate awesome wins along the way. I’ve recently reflected on this with my children turning 18. They’ve spent five years growing with the Humankind team’s support in and out of our Wellington office, and I think they’ve seen what it’s like to have a great culture, but also what it’s like to work through the tough times together. That’s such a great lesson for them to take into their adult work lives as well. That’s what makes Humankind so special.”

“They’ve seen what it’s like to have a great culture, but also what it’s like to work through the tough times together.”  

Q: Looking back, what moment best captures your time at Humankind so far?

Megan: “So many. Definitely our holiday parties at the end of the year, celebrating each other.  

Stepping into the Associate Director role for me was such a leap, and one I’m so grateful Humankind has trusted me to take. True leadership is about shaping the strategy and driving the growth but also creating the culture and performance that we want to see and be part of. I’ve had the opportunity to be part of strategic conversations and, what’s cool about that, is learning to build the plane as we’re fly it. It’s powerful seeing the work that goes on behind the scenes to enable everyone to feel empowered to do great work.

Also, being gifted and privileged enough to receive values awards over the years has been so cool – Our overall ‘Humankindness’ award three times and the ‘Believe’ award once. For me, it’s a reflection of the team that I’ve been able to have that impact and be my best. It’s down to the team, to Humankind, the environment and the work we do for me to show up at my best and be acknowledged for that.”

“True leadership is about shaping the strategy and driving the growth but also creating the culture and performance that we want to see and be part of.”

Q: And looking ahead — what excites you most about what’s next for you and Humankind?

Megan: “Just the journey we are on together at Humankind – the impact on workplaces and partnering with clients who value what we do. I think we’re building something really special together, and the energy, collaboration and our shared vision to raise the bar even more to create these amazing cultures and employee experiences where people can bring their whole selves to work.

I’m excited to see where we take it. The opportunities are endless, and I just love working with our awesome team and amazing organisations."  

“The shared vision to raise the bar even more to create these amazing cultures and employee experiences where people can bring their whole selves to work.”  

Interview recorded 5 November 2025.

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