Top 10 Powerful Women Leaders in HR

Best women who flourish in HR are especially adept at influencing people.

Numerous pursuits give you power based on the job position. HR is where power comes from your ability to influence.

As per the 2018 Workplace Diversity Report, women made up 67% of the HR workforce.

As pointed out by the studies, it stems from a woman’s high emotional intelligence or the ability to sympathize. Another apparent reason would be - women being highly informed about human resources and better at resolving conflicts.

We have summarized a list of ten most inspirational female leaders in HR, the ones who have paved their way with mastery and excellence.

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Top Women Leaders in HR

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1. Leena Nair

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Leena Nair is Unilever's first woman and youngest ever CHRO. She is a member of the Unilever Leadership Executive (ULE), in charge of the company's performance and profitability.

She leads global people strategy that includes 160,000+ employees in more than 100 countries. As the first female CHRO at Unilever, her goal is to create an inclusive atmosphere where people of multicultural society may flourish equally.

During her time at Unilever India, Leena Nair established the Career by Choice initiative, which helped women who had dropped off the career ladder, owing to various obstacles.

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2. Claude Silver

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Claude Silver is the first CHO at Vayner Media. She is a coach, manager, and mentor who believes in emotional optimism.

She manages company size of 1200+, whilst being “in touch with the heartbeat of every single person in the company.”

Claude Silver's studies focused on Transpersonal Psychology and Human Development. She has also excelled at integrated marketing and social media strategies.

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3. Dr. Diane Hamilton

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Dr. Diane Hamilton, founder of Tonerra, is an experienced leader, author, national radio host, keynote speaker, and former MBA Program Chair member at the Forbes School of Business.

She wrote multiple books including Cracking the Curiosity Code: The Key to Unlocking Human Potential, and The Power of Perception, required in universities around the world.

Dr. Diane is known for developing the first and only scale that identifies the conditions that limit curiosity, Curiosity Code Index®, along with the Perception Power Index which identifies the factors that influence perception.

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4. Anna Ott

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Anna Ott is VP people at HV Captial, one of the leading Venture Capital firms in Europe. She is a Talent Advisor to +70 startups with more than two decades of experience in HR.

She has previously worked as an independent consultant for enterprises, SMEs, and start-ups. She was an advisor to a number of HR technology companies across Europe.

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5. Gauri Das

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Gauri Das is a global TEDx speaker and mentor with 15+years of experience in aligning HR strategy with business goals.

She is also the Membership Lead for the Mumbai Chapter of the Professional Speakers Associations of India (PSAI).

She is certified in Organizational Development from Tata Institute of Social Sciences, and has completed her Post Graduate Diploma in Business Administration & HR from the well-recognised Symbiosis Institute.

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6. Risha Grant

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Risha Grant is a host, author, diversity & inclusion expert, consultant and international key note speaker. She is the CEO of Risha Grant LLC, Oklahoma's first, award-winning comprehensive communications and consulting agency.

She wrote and published the book "That's BS!" which portrays her own anecdotes and experiences on how biases hinder the power to attract and recruit diverse audience.

Her organisation specialises in community engagement and strategy planning, while also bridging the gap between the problematic areas of diversity and inclusion.

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7. Rachele Focardi

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Rachele Forcardi is the founder of XYZ@Work, recognized as the Top Influencer in Asia. She is the best-selling author of the book “Reframing Generational Stereotypes.”

Her focus is greatly prioritized on generational diversity at workplace. Rachel Forcardi is among the global thought-leaders, and a public speaker on multigenerational workforce dynamics.

She is also a chair member of the Multigenerational Workforce Committee for the ASEAN Human Development Organization, Board Member of Future Talent Council, and Mentor at Workplace Accelerator.

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Also read: peopleHum's publication on the top HR leaders in 2021.

8. Anna Tolmachova

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Anna Tolmachova is HR Director at Metro Cash & Carry Ukraine, and manages 3500+ employees. She is a talent management expert, rated among the top 20 HRs in Ukraine.

She believes in setting global HR standards, while educating and engaging youth in the HR domain. Her expertise around the principles of HR is certified by the leading platforms like SHRM & CIPD.

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9. Amelia Ransom

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Amelia Ransom is an HR-executive with 20+ years of expertise in HR functions. She is a keynote and motivational speaker, who focuses on people growth, culture & diversity.

She is currently the VP Diversity, Equity and Inclusion at Smartsheet. Her area of expertise also greatly includes learning & development (L&D) and early in career strategy development.

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10. Surani Amerasinghe

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Surani Amerasinghe is the Head of Human Resources at Lion Brewery, Sri Lanka’s leading collective in the market. She previously worked a Senior HR Business Partner at British American Tobacco.

She has mastered in Business Administration from American City University, conducted by the Institute of Technological Studies, Sri Lanka.