Kalyn Ponti

KP is a commercially driven leader who has scaled high-growth businesses in Canada and New Zealand. As a Director and member of the Senior Leadership Team at Aritzia, she helped guide the company’s $2B expansion in the years leading up to its TSX listing, while leading the Central Canada region through rapid growth. Now CEO of Humankind, she has guided its transformation into a high-performing consultancy while advising some of New Zealand’s most ambitious companies, including Sharesies, Projectworks, and Modica Group.

KP is a business leader who combines commercial acumen with a deep belief in the power of people. Before joining Humankind, she led Aritzia’s Central Canada region through rapid expansion, serving on the senior leadership team as the company prepared for its public listing on the TSX. Responsible for revenues of $70M, she built high-performing teams, partnered on talent systems that scaled across North America, and helped transform Aritzia into one of Canada’s most recognised and respected businesses. Now as CE of Humankind, KP brings that same mix of performance focus and people-centred leadership to New Zealand’s most ambitious organisations. She is known for finding the sweet spot between employee experience, client experience, and financial sustainability, helping leaders build businesses that perform at the highest level without losing their humanity. Clients and colleagues alike value her ability to think commercially while investing deeply in people, a balance that has guided Humankind’s own transformation into a high-performing, future-focused consultancy.

Alongside leading Humankind, KP serves as an advisor and judge for the Best Places to Work awards and advises on leadership and governance forums, contributing to New Zealand’s broader business ecosystem. Her track record spans guiding high-growth companies like Sharesies, Projectworks, and Medica Group, to advising CEOs and boards on building performance cultures that scale.

KP is driven by the potential of people and the impact of high-performance cultures. Early in her career, she experienced how investing in people creates sustainable business results, and she learned that the right culture is the key to scaling effectively. She is motivated by supporting leaders and teams to achieve both personal and organisational growth, bringing Humankind’s mission of “humanity at work” to life in every partnership.

KP embodies Humankind’s belief in “humanity at work” showing that organisations with strong cultures of excellence, clarity of leadership, and great people can achieve exceptional commercial results.