Compono
They are in.
After weeks of nominations, research, and deliberation, we are proud to announce the HR Influence Awards 2026 Top 12 ANZ, twelve HR professionals whose work is genuinely changing how organisations treat people across Australia and New Zealand.
This is not a popularity list. It is not based on follower counts, job titles, or how many conferences someone has spoken at. Every person here was assessed against five published criteria: Impact, Voice, Innovation, Community, and Influence.
The kind of influence you can point to. Outcomes, adoption, capability uplift, and meaningful change.
No paid placements. No fees. No one bought their way in.
Here is who made the list.
The 2026 Top 12
Kerri-Ann Allen (Chief People Officer, Eucalyptus, Sydney) scaled a people function across four distinct health brands simultaneously during hyper-growth. Four separate cultures, one holding company, and she built it in public, mentoring others in the startup HR community along the way. B&T Best People & Culture Leaders 2024.
Anna Liumaihetau Darling (Head of People & Culture, Sharesies, Auckland) built people practices that genuinely mirror Sharesies' financial inclusion mission. As a Pasifika leader in NZ fintech, she speaks publicly about representation in professional spaces and provides pro bono mentoring for Pacific Island professionals. HRNZ People's Choice nomination and NZ HR Summit 2025 speaker.
Sharon Gray (Chief People Officer, OzHarvest, Sydney) leads people at Australia's most recognised food rescue charity. Her volunteer-to-paid pipeline model and purpose activation framework are now referenced as best practice across the NFP sector. AFR Best Places to Work, SEEK Employer of Choice, and HRD 5-Star Employer.
Edan Haddock (Head of Talent & People Experience, Movember, Melbourne) designed people practices around Movember's mental health mission as a design principle, not a program. He founded the Total Talent community, hosts the Total Talent podcast, and embedded an AI agent named Joel into his talent function. HRD 5-Star Employer, Movember Global Culture Award.
Teresa Lilly (Founder, Culture Pilot Co, Sydney) left the corporate seat to work upstream, helping startups get people fundamentals right before they scale badly. Previously at GROW Inc (60% headcount growth to 470 employees, full-company ESOP) and Harrison.ai. B&T Best People & Culture Leaders 2024.
Drew Mayhills (Chief Learning and Innovation Officer, AIM WA, Perth) is a Churchill Fellow whose 2023 research into AI for teacher effectiveness and remote communities equity stands out in this cohort. His Beediyar First Nations executive leadership program produced seven senior promotions and four board appointments. Over 1,500 professionals have completed his AI in Workplace course.
Matt McFarlane (Founder & Director, FNDN, Gold Coast) had the highest independent citation count of any candidate assessed. Favikon's #4 HR influencer in Australia 2025, LinkedIn Top Voices Australia 2025, and co-organiser of the Startup People Summit (45+ speakers, 35 sessions). His deep compensation niche fills a genuine gap in HR thought leadership.
Aron Mercer (Author & Doctoral Researcher, Griffith University / Xceptional Academy, Sydney) helped place 400+ neurodivergent professionals in corporate roles through the NeuroTalent methodology, now adopted by BHP, ANZ, and Microsoft ANZ. His 2024 book Untapped Talent is equipping HR teams with practical tools to hire differently. Currently pursuing a PhD in neurodiversity employment at Griffith University.
Melissa Milner (People & Culture Lead, Asylum Seeker Resource Centre, Melbourne) pioneered a refugee-employer model at the ASRC, creating employment pathways for refugees and asylum seekers as paid staff inside the organisation that advocates for them. Referenced as best practice by the Refugee Council of Australia. Great Place to Work certified.
Alex Pusenjak (Global VP, People & Culture, Fluent Commerce, Sydney) rebuilt the EVP from the ground up around outcomes over presenteeism. The independent validation is stacked: 96% employee willingness to go above and beyond, Great Place to Work (95% positive), AHRI Best Employee Experience Strategy 2023, SEEK STAR Awards 2024, HRD Hot List 2024 and 2025.
Deepak Singh (Founder, Mission and Rhythm / PeopleStack, Melbourne) had the strongest combination of multi-organisation measurable impact and community leadership in the cohort. A Gallup engagement shift from the 25th to the 75th percentile over 18 months. Three ventures across culture, hiring, and pre-legal coaching. Culture Amp People Geek Community Board member.
Lisa Young (Founder, HRHQ / Exceed HR NZ, Auckland) influences hundreds of HR practitioners simultaneously through the HRHQ platform, conference, and employment law courses. Favikon Top 100 Most Influential LinkedIn Creators ANZ 2023. Her community-first model answers a question most people in the profession have asked: who is HR for HR?
How we chose them
The judging panel brought together expertise in behavioural science, leadership, and HR practice. Judges did not score nominations where there was a relationship or direct conflict.
We assessed every nomination against the five published criteria and supporting evidence. We looked for impact and outcomes, credibility of claims (not hype), consistency over time, and contribution to the HR community inside and beyond their own organisations.
The panel included Andrew Banks (investor and Shark Tank AU), Leeanne Bond (board and transformation leader), and Rudy Crous (corporate psychologist and CEO of Compono).
Who is behind the HR Influence Awards?
The HR Influence Awards are presented by Compono, an Australian HR tech company built on behavioural science. Compono builds people intelligence software that helps HR teams hire, engage, and develop their people with real insight, not just process efficiency.
Compono's CEO, Rudy Crous, is a registered corporate psychologist who founded the company because he saw the same pattern everywhere: HR teams had plenty of tools for managing process (compliance, payroll, tracking) but almost nothing that helped them make better people decisions.
That gap, between process efficiency and people insight, is the reason Compono exists. And it is also why the HR Influence Awards exist. The people in this Top 12 are proof that when HR professionals get the space, the tools, and the recognition to lead with insight rather than just administration, the outcomes change.
If you want to know more about Compono or the thinking behind these awards, visit compono.com.
What happens next
Over the next few weeks, we will be publishing spotlight interviews with each winner, sharing the practical ideas and frameworks behind their work. You can follow along on LinkedIn or check back here for updates.
Know someone who should be on next year's list? Keep them in mind. Nominations for the 2027 HR Influence Awards will open early in 2027.
Congratulations to all twelve. You have earned it.
#HRInfluenceAwards
The HR Influence Awards 2026 Top 12 ANZ is presented by Compono.
Selection is entirely merit-based with no paid placements or fees.
Full details at hrinfluenceawards.com.au.
