Top 25 Emerging Culture Creators
Keep these people and culture leaders on your radar
At Culture Amp, we want to inspire and recognize those we call “culture creators” - the people who lean in and actively work to create a better world of work for themselves, their teams, and their organizations.
Our Emerging Culture Creators initiative celebrates the individuals who are setting the cultural agenda for their workplaces, or workplaces more broadly, and making a significant impact in the process.
We’re acknowledging 25 individuals across five categories who, together, represent the diverse ways people are innovating on workplace culture.
Click below to view the leaders in our five categories:
Category 1
Academics and researchers
Category judge
Ken Matos
Global Senior Director, Customer People Science
Culture Amp
This list of researchers is a reminder that people science is both an academic and an applied discipline. While we often think of researchers as people in labs and universities, research is conducted every day by those seeking to collect, understand and, act on data. The output can be a PowerPoint business case or a journal article - it’s all relevant. We are highlighting this group of creators to emphasize that anyone who seeks to understand the employee experience through study and evidence is a researcher making a better world of work.
Alicia Grandey, Ph.D
Liberal Arts Professor
Penn State University
Pennsylvania, United States
Alicia is an industrial-organizational psychology professor who creates workplace cultures that accept the whole person and give voice to minority or stigmatized workers. She started the Healthy-Inclusive-Productive Workplace Initiative at Penn State and shares her research findings in talks, publications, and a book about emotional upskilling for business leaders.
LinkedIn
Allison Gabriel, Ph.D
Faculty Director, Professor & Chair
Purdue University Daniels School of Business
West Lafayette, United States
Allison has made helping organizations create better working environments a focus of her academic career. She tackles topics traditionally “outside the bounds” for organizational research, like women's health and postpartum experiences, workplace loneliness and interpersonal working relationships, and leads a cutting-edge research hub that translates wellbeing research into practice.
LinkedIn
Fabiola H. Gerpott, Ph.D
Professor of Leadership
WHU – Otto Beisheim School of Management
Düsseldorf, Germany
Fabiola is recognized as a Top 40 HR voice in Germany. She engages in science communication to help managers improve workplace culture through leadership and advocates for the power of interdisciplinary exchange. Her passion for evidence-based management practices makes her a dedicated speaker and executive trainer.
LinkedIn
Reb Rebele, Ph.D
Management & Personality Researcher
Melbourne Business School
Melbourne, Australia
Reb is a management expert and Research Fellow investigating ways to help people thrive in collaborative working environments. Through field research conducted in partnership with organizational leaders worldwide, Reb has been exploring collaboration challenges and solutions. This work has led to publications in journals like PNAS and Harvard Business Review, books, and media including The Atlantic, Psychology Today, and Huffington Post.
LinkedIn“I’ve found that the most interesting insights come from academics and practitioners working together to solve current real-world challenges, using the kinds of rigorous research approaches that can also advance our broader management theories.”
Reb Rebele, Ph.D
Management & Personality Researcher
Melbourne Business School
Category 2
Diversity, equity and inclusion
Category judge
Aubrey Blanche-Sarellano
VP, Equitable Operations
Culture Amp
The thinkers and creators on this list show us what's possible when we take ownership for building a better workplace – one that is more equitable and inclusive. Each uses their professional and personal experiences to shine a light on the needs and talents of people who are marginalized, and highlights ways that organizations can and should support them. Their willingness to hold organizations compassionately accountable for changing the status quo should inspire anyone to think about and act on creating change for the better.
Danette Buie, Ed.D
Founder & CEO
Thrive Limitlessly, LLC
San Jose, United States
Danette supports organizations to cultivate inclusive workspaces where employees thrive. A systems-thinker with experience in startups, higher education, and non-profits, she builds organizational capabilities and navigates best DEI practices to positively impact employee experience and create high-performance environments. Danette is passionate, strategic, and actively reshaping the DEI landscape.
LinkedIn
Daniela Herrera
Advisor, Talent & DEI Consultant
AIR and Kay & Black
New York, United States
Daniela is an award-winning Latina DEI consultant, speaker, and trainer with a goal to bring about "intentional inclusivity". She is focused on helping organizations to build equitable workplace environments that appeal to diverse talent, as well as advocating for marginalized communities. Daniela's views have been featured in Forbes, Business Insider, Inc, and Refinery29.
LinkedIn
Deepak Singh
Senior People & Culture Manager
Uber Carshare
Melbourne, Australia
Deepak is an expert at creating roadmaps for meaningful change in the workplace. His work has included spearheading large-scale employee experience programs, supporting career transitions post-pandemic, and facilitating a global DEI conference during the Women's World Cup. His work has been recognized by the Victorian Government, Launchvic and HRD Australia.
LinkedIn
Emily Goodson
Founder & CEO
Culture Smart
New York, United States
Emily Goodson is actively reshaping the way organizations think about disability. Her passion for creating better understanding about the need for inclusive and authentic workplaces followed her recovery from a childhood brain injury. Emily consults to startups and major production companies, and is a respected writer with work published in The LA Times.
LinkedIn
Sammy Herbert
Head of Developer Experience
SixPivot
Brisbane, Australia
Sammy brings community expertise and an interest in agitating for diversity to her work creating inclusive workplace environments. She has collaborated with Australia's leading software companies and organizes coding workshops for women, non-binary, and trans folk. Sammy is an in-demand speaker at culture and leadership events, and has been recognised as an innovator by the Australian Financial Review.
LinkedIn“Supporting historically excluded talent and doing intentional DEI work is not my passion; it’s my purpose!”
Daniela Herrera
Advisor, Talent & DEI Consultant
AIR and Kay & Black
Category 3
Employee wellbeing and mental health
Category judge
DeMario Bell
Senior Community Manager
Culture Amp
The individuals you see here stand as a testament to the increasing significance of holistic wellbeing in our integrated lives. As the boundaries between work and home blur, the need for genuine connections and self-care becomes even more important. These practitioners and trailblazers illuminate the path to balance and resilience, demonstrating that placing importance on mental health is not only a personal journey but also a societal imperative. In a world where we seek spaces to come as we are, feel supported, and thrive, these wellbeing champions show us how to live healthier and more harmonious lives through their scholarship and advocacy.
Brandy L. Simula, Ph.D, ACC
Senior Consultant
Global Talent Development
Atlanta, United States
Brandy brings research on workplace wellbeing, inclusive leadership, and organizational culture to her work developing people-focused, inclusive leaders. She weaves expertise in sociology and behavioral insights into evidence-based programs that help organizations address HR challenges. Her research and thought leadership has been published in Harvard Business Review, Forbes, and Newsweek.
LinkedIn
Chris Lincoln
Director of People
Vagabond Wine
London, United Kingdom
Chris is on a mission to improve the wellbeing of hospitality professionals in the UK. He draws on industry knowledge and HR expertise to run wellbeing events for hospitality business leaders - as well as impacting culture in his day job. Through his work, Chris is driving an important conversation around the value of employee health and happiness.
LinkedIn
Patricia Grabarek, Ph.D
Co-Founder
Workr Beeing
Los Angeles, United States
Patricia is dedicated to improving employee wellbeing and engagement through science. With expertise in consulting, psychology, and research, she brings a unique perspective to the challenge of creating workplace wellness and making science accessible. Patricia shares her insights on her podcast and in media articles and speaking engagements, including with TEDx.
LinkedIn
Shanna B. Tiayon, Ph.D
Founder, CEO, Speaker & Writer
Yes Wellbeing Works
Silver Spring, United States
Shanna describes wellbeing as her "jam." Drawing on experience in psychology, research, and HR, she partners with organisations to build cultures that support employee wellbeing, and is focused on raising awareness about mental health issues in the workplace. Shanna speaks frequently on wellbeing topics and contributes to outlets including The Guardian and Yes! Magazine.
LinkedIn
Sarah Giencke
Founder & Resilience Coach
Riset Resiliency
Madison, United States
Sarah is a wellness practitioner normalising the use of trauma-informed practices in the workplace. She supports business leaders to reconnect back to their bodies and regulate their nervous systems so they can work from a centered, compassionate place. Sarah advocates for organizations to embrace mental health tools by making them more accessible to employees.
LinkedIn
Steffannie Roaché
Asst. Professor of Practice
Trauma Informed Oregon
Portland, United States
Steffannie is a specialist in workforce wellness, trauma-informed care, and equity and inclusion. Her workplace trainings center on mental health and wellbeing for all, with a focus on supporting workers of color and culture in careers with high trauma and burnout potential. Steffannie seeks to inspire hope and facilitate healing through her work, as well as advocating for social justice at a systemic level.
“I am passionate and dedicated to seeing a world where our workplaces purposely and intentionally set out to create cultures where wellbeing, equity, and even joy thrive.”
Steffannie Roaché
Asst. Professor of Practice
Trauma Informed Oregon
Category 4
Future of work thought leaders
Category judge
Damon Klotz
Director, Talent and Analyst Relations
Culture Amp
Standing out as leaders of change are the individuals in our thought leaders category. They begin by listening and understanding the values that matter most to their organizations - before taking risks and seeing what can be done differently. These individuals are defined by a willingness to experiment and take a fresh approach to work and leadership. Above all, they emphasize the importance of cultural change and inspire participation from those around them. Our 2024 winners show that the future of work is one that embraces technology, innovation, equity, and play. If it wasn’t already clear, thanks to their contribution, the future of work is already here.
Andra Vaduva
Founder
Safe Space & Safe Space Method™
New York, United States
Andra blends organizational and AI expertise to enable a better world of work. She leverages entrepreneurial experience and a data-driven approach to enact cultural change, and provides business leaders with the tools to be transformation agents. Andra is a Forbes 30 Under 30 honoree and a Culture First chapter lead.
LinkedIn
Erica Dhawan
Founder, CEO & Keynote Speaker
Cotential
Tampa, United States
Erica is is a globally recognized leadership expert and keynote speaker helping organizations innovate faster and further, together. Named as one of the top management professionals around the world by Thinkers50, she works with teams and leaders to leverage twenty-first-century collaboration skills globally, and utilize the power of language to foster greater teamwork.
LinkedIn
Gary Ware
Founder, Facilitator & Coach
Breakthrough Play
San Diego, United States
Gary is a world-leading advocate for play and happiness at work. Drawing on a background in theatre, Gary assists teams to unlock creativity and confidence, sparking collaboration with experiential methods proven to drive peak performance. As well as being a sought-after facilitator and speaker, he is also the author of Playful Rebellion.
LinkedIn
Jamila Rizvi
Deputy Managing Director
Future Women
Melbourne, Australia
Jamila is a driving force in the movement for gender equality in Australia. She supports women to accelerate their careers and helps organisations overcome gender biases. Jamila also uses her platform as an author, columnist, podcaster, speaker, and media commentator to champion for fair and inclusive future workforces.
LinkedIn
Lauren Smith
Co-Founder & CEO
Refer
New York, United States
Lauren is responding to the human need for work-life connection in a digital world. The innovative workplace platform Lauren is building draws on the personal network economy to crowdsource referrals with sustainable HR outcomes. Lauren has also been recognized in past roles as an emerging HR talent by Forbes and Vanity Fair.
LinkedIn“I believe that we’re transitioning away from ‘work-life balance’ and towards ‘work-life connection’.”
Lauren Smith
Co-Founder & CEO
Refer
Category 5
In-house people and culture creators
Category judge
Kasey Koopmans
Manager, Customer Success
Culture Amp
Here is an invitation to remember that wherever you are is the place to start. Yes, in-house culture creators drive change at the systems level. But they also model where creator work often begins: in a scrappy, experimental corner with whatever people or process you have access to. The creators shown here start by listening deeply. They understand the values that matter most for an organization. From that foundation, they take a chance that challenges the status quo. These creators are experimenting with new ways of being and leading, reminding us of the urgency of culture creator work and the opportunity we each have to own it.
David Lafreniere
Senior Director, People Strategy & Transformation
Plusgrade
Montreal, Canada
David has dedicated his career to shaping and transforming organizational cultures. His work includes innovating with HR strategy, enriching the employee experience, and re-inventing the people M&A space. Through CSR initiatives, innovation hubs, David is actively contributing to a constantly-evolving work environment.
LinkedIn
Iniabasi Akpan
HR Operations Lead
Niyo Group
Birmingham, United Kingdom
Iniabasi is a proud culture creator committed to creativity, collaboration, and adaptability. From elevating the candidate experience, to reinventing onboarding, and designing appraisal systems aligned with company core values of "Ingenuity, Care, and Integrity," Iniabasi has been a catalyst for transformational change in the workplace.
LinkedIn
Markita J. Billups
Head of Clinical Operations & DEI
Oshi Health
Philadelphia, United States
Markita is an expert in culture-led outcomes in the digital startup space. Leveraging expertise in human behavior, she builds and inspires teams to achieve mission-driven outcomes, and has led companies through dynamic change environments. An in-house DEI champion, Markita supports employees to feel valued and secure with her guidance, support and mentorship.
LinkedIn
Teresa Lilly
Head of People & Culture
Harrison.ai
Sydney, Australia
Teresa is shifting HR from a process-driven function to one of impact in the fast-changing AI world. She uses design-thinking and her knack for blind spots to implement strategies for positive cultural change, and brings others on the journey with her to create a better employee experience.
LinkedIn
Vanesa Cotlar
VP, People & Culture
PolicyMe
Toronto, Canada
Vanesa is an award-winning HR innovator who brings global experience and a background in management consulting and startups to the most pressing people-centric issues. With influence that extends beyond her role, she drives an innovation culture at work, encouraging her team to take chances that lead to meaningful business change.
LinkedIn“HR can be one of the biggest enablers for a business. To achieve this, it is essential for HR leaders to get to know the business well, and for the CEO to understand HR’s value, so that together they can maximize their impact. Don't leave HR out – bring HR in!”
Vanesa Cotlar
VP, People & Culture
PolicyMe