Samantha Gadd

Samantha is the founder of Humankind and a recognised global voice on employee experience and leadership. With over two decades in the people and culture field, she has built a career defined by innovation, resilience, and impact.

Her early leadership in HR — from sole-charge across 360 employees at Amora Hotels to driving graduate recruitment success at Bell Gully — gave her a deep foundation in complex people challenges. In 2012 she launched Humankind (formerly HR Shop), pioneering the fractional HR model in New Zealand and building a consultancy that now advises some of the country’s most ambitious, high-growth companies.

Samantha’s influence extends far beyond New Zealand. She founded EX Design School, led the creation of The EX Manifesto, and has taught hundreds of practitioners worldwide, with Humankind’s methodology being adopted by leaders at organisations including Dropbox, Patagonia, Uber, Aramco, Asana, and the Financial Times. She has also advised directly on the future of work and EX with global leaders at Airbnb and Dropbox, and is currently the acting Chief People Officer at Tracksuit, one of New Zealand’s fastest-scaling start-ups. Samantha has co-authored a forthcoming book, Employee Experience Design: How to Co-Create Work Where People and Organizations Thrive, with Mark Levy (Airbnb) and Dean Carter (Patagonia), cementing her global thought leadership in shaping high-performance, human-centred workplaces. Her style is fast, fearless, and deeply human — bringing energy, empathy, and infectious belief in people’s potential.

What sets her apart is not only her external impact but also her ability to attract and grow extraordinary HR talent, building Humankind into a platform where top people leaders and ambitious organisations connect to create lasting change.

Driven by the conviction that every employee deserves a voice, Samantha continues to champion leadership that is inclusive, courageous, and transformative.