humaneer

We’re pioneering a new era of HR - where professionals have the time, tools, and support to lead. 

Mak by Humaneer is your AI-powered productivity partner, purpose-built to reduce admin and unlock strategic impact. Built by HR, for HR, we combine intelligent automation with the power of a global community so no one has to go it alone. This is how we deliver on our promise: less admin, more impact.

CEO/Co-Founder

Quantum Brilliance

We build room temperature quantum computers, powered by diamond, which will provide ubiquitous quantum computing.

Founded in 2019, Quantum Brilliance is a venture-backed Australian-German quantum computing hardware company, providing diamond quantum accelerators supported by a full stack of software and application tools. Quantum Brilliance’s vision to enable mass deployment of quantum accelerators will propel industries to harness edge computing applications and next generation supercomputers. Quantum Brilliance’s international partnerships extend into North America, Europe and the Asia Pacific, working with governments, supercomputing centres, research organisations and industry leaders.

Global Head People Culture and Talent

Instaclustr

Instaclustr is the open source as-a-service company, delivering reliability at scale. We operate an automated, proven and trusted management environment, providing database, analytics, search and messaging. We enable companies to focus on building cutting edge applications, eliminating the need for costly operations teams and technology.

Our core technologies include Apache Cassandra, Apache Kafka, Apache Spark, Elasticsearch, Kibana and Zeppelin. We deliver mission-critical, high performance and always-on data solutions for our customers - supported 24/7 by our Technical Operations team.

Instaclustr’s consulting expertize leverages the experience we have gained from almost 30+ million node-hours of managing Apache Cassandra and related technologies. Our staff includes experienced consultants with deep expertize in the technologies we support as well as extensive consulting experience.

Vice President - People

People Rock

People Rock is a Dynamic HR consultancy which focuses on results.

We help Start ups and SMEs get their HR sorted FAST! 

We specialise in putting your HR framework in place using the best technology in the market, while helping you build out an AWESOME employee experience. Our goal is to get your HR up and running quick smart, with a robust employee journey and superb employee experience. While saving you time and money from the outset!

As the creators of the “7 Points of Engagement Model” our unique approach allows for assessment, development and measurement throughout the process of developing a strong positive work culture. 

We believe that a highly engaged team equates to an AWESOME work culture, and we can help you do that! 

We are advocates for wellness in the workplace, work/life balance and using positive psychology principles to increase overall well being, productivity and resilience. 

We believe in equity and equality, strengths based development and increasing organisational culture and engagement through a shared value system. 

Most importantly… we get results!

Fractional HR/Senior People and Culture consultant

Sitback Solutions

Best Place to Work (Top 25) 2015
Best Place to Work (Top 20) 2016
Best Place to Work (Top 20) 2017
Employer of choice 2016 - City of Sydney Business Awards
Excellence in business 2016-City of Sydney Business Awards
Overall business of the year - City of Sydney Business Awards
NSW Employer Of Choice 2016 - Business Chamber Awards 

Sitback Solutions is a Human Centered Design and Development agency providing customised solutions, psychology-based Experience design, off and on-line, best practice web development and specialised UX training. 

Our Experience design team are registered psychologists and HCI Specialists who apply a depth of research to our work. Our Development team are highly experienced software developers specialising in PHP .NET and Front end development. 

We have been fortunate to work with a broad range of top brands across all sectors including: Finance, Retail, Charity, Entertainment, Government, Education and Corporate.

Working directly with our CEO and SMT team, I manage all things People and Culture within the business.

Head of People and Culture 

cre8 recruitment

... cre8ting opportunities
cre8 recruitment is a boutique Australian owned recruitment company that specialises in the recruitment of professionals within Digital, Creative and Media . We practice what we preach, embracing new technologies and taking recruitment to the next level. 
visit our website - www.cre8recruitment.com.au
We strike a balance between a unique and personalised service while working with some of the biggest players within the industry, both client and candidate side. With soft skilled and technical expertise, cre8 recruitment is "cre8ting opportunities" across the sector. 

We pride ourselves on our unique approach and welcome you to get in touch to find out more.

Founding Director

JMC Academy

JMC Academy is Australia’s leading private education and training provider for the Music, Film and Television and Digital Media fields. 

As a guest lecturer I am lucky to get to share my passion for the recruitment industry and help educate those who have never been active in the job market work effectively to secure their first role in industry. 

My lectures cover the following topics 
- Resume writing - (how to stand out from the crowd)
- Personal online branding through social media (the effects and benefits of online profiles)
- Utilizing different mediums throughout your job search (and how to track these)
- interview preparation and techniques (including those killer questions, competency based interviewing etc.)
- following up after interviews- the next step

Guest Lecturer

TPP Recruitment

Working within the Not for Profit Sector specializing in providing Recruitment and HR Solutions for N-F-P clients and Government Organizations. I was responsible for setting up the new PR and Communications division. Areas of specialism were PR, Communications, Sales and Marketing. Responsible for growing the division for the organization.

Senior Recruitment Consultant

Head of Commercial temps – JPA Graduate (London)
Was relocated to the London office to build the graduate commercial temps division. Focusing on starting up this new area for the organization. Concentrated on Business development and setting up systems for the temporary market. 

Manager – JPA Scotland 
Leading the Scottish team based in the Edinburgh Office. Attending monthly Manager meetings in London do discuss progress and strategy within the organization, Was responsible for the attraction, retention and development of new employees within the office. Also conducting one-2-ones and setting KPIs and Targets. 

Consultant – JPA Scotland 
Managing the careers of recruitment professionals within Scotland. Developing strong client relationships while helping with workforce planning and recruitment for growing areas within their business. Specializing in Headhunting and networking within professional service recruitment.

Manager - Graduate (Temporary Appointments)

I see a bright future for HR. As Co-Founder and CEO of Humaneer, our team are leading the charge in transforming HR through AI, making HR faster, smarter, and more human.

With over 20 years of experience in the people space including building and leading global HR teams, I know first hand the challenges HR teams face - buried in admin, navigating complex compliance, and constantly firefighting. That’s why we have built Humaneer.

Humaneer is on a mission to give HR teams back time to focus on people, not paperwork, so they can be more strategic, more proactive, and more human. Built alongside a thriving global HR community, Humaneer's AI powered platform, Mak, is not just software; it’s a movement toward a smarter, more strategic HR function.

I also sit on the UNSW HR Advisory Board, helping shape the future of HR education.

Careen Redman-Matthews

This week I hit 10K followers and I thought this is a great time to reintroduce myself. Its Friday, I'm in a great mood and so coming in with 10 quick facts. 

1 - I'm proud, super proud of what we have built over at humaneer where I work as both Co founder and CEO. Tech start ups run through my viens and building  with Kimberly Burns and Annie Johnson is the role of a lifetime. Its not often you get the opportunity to reshape the industry you love from the inside out, and it is not a role I take lightly. The same way I felt responsibility to the organisations and people while leading HR teams, I feel that same responsibility now, to our industry. 

2- My son is the beat of my heart. Smart, inquisitive, stubborn and so very very kind. I give thanks every day that we have our little miracle boy and being his mum is the greatest privilege.  

3- I have some really questionable tattoos.... I got my first one at 16 (used my friends licence as ID 😜) Pop culture and life events informed my choices... for better or worse 😂

4- Studying positive psychology in 2016 literally changed my life and how I worked in HR. If you ever get the opportunity to study it, do it! It led me to becoming a certified strengths coach with the Centre for Applied positive psychology, changed the way I thought, worked and look after my brain and body. It also brought me to setting up the "Advent kindness challenge" on instagram - check it out if you fancy swapping chocolate for kindness in the run up to Christmas. 

5- I LOVE being out at my veggie patch, it is a source of such joy in our household. Planting, growing and eating your own food is someone quite special and I feel very grateful to have the opportunity to do that with my hubby and son. 

6- Cooking keeps me sane. Entertaining keeps my cup full. Whether it is a BBQ, dinner, lunch, brunch or anything in between, sharing food, conversation and laughs with friends and our community lights me up from within. 

7- I've just started a substack account (and literally have no idea what Im doing)if anyone has any tips, please let me know. Its called "don't forget the humans" and is a place for  curiosity-driven exploration of how work, technology, and life are changing, and what it means for us humans at the centre of it all. 

8- I wake up at 5.30am every morning, even weekends. Not to be part of some club, but to get that first morning cup of tea in beautiful silence. (Not so silent recently with the neighbours rooster, but thats another story 🐔) 

9 - I feel such gratitude for the people who have connected with me here - there is something quite special about finding people that you can learn from, share ideas, support each other and cheer on from across the world. (Thank you 🙌)

10- I love to learn, curiosity is how I spend my down time. It is my ultimate way to relax. Power Plate coach, Zumbini instructor, The newest AI tools and models, if Im learning Im happy. 

Thanks for reading, have an AWESOME day 😀

Careen Matthews

Your AI HR Assistant | Built by HR | Powered by AI | Trusted by Professionals

This one’s for my HR friends in start-up land.
(I see you. Truly.)

I started my morning in a live demo of Mak, the AI-powered HR Assistant that sits in the real, messy HR work that happens inside fast-growing companies.

Here’s what we worked on live:

She needed support building a leadership program for the Co-Founding and Exec team, something most HR people know is critical, but rarely gets the oxygen it deserves when you’re juggling hiring, onboarding, culture, and the daily surprises that come with founders moving at speed.

What I loved about this session was how quickly we went from “this is important and overwhelming” to “okay, I've got this.”

Mak didn’t replace her thinking.
It removed the friction.

It gave us structure, clarity, and momentum. The kind you usually only get once you’ve carved out a full day (that you don’t have) to sit, think and build.

And in minutes, here’s what Mak produced:

✅ Step by step process to build out a leadership program. 
✅ Leadership development framework, complete with 
a structured document to outline specific leadership competencies, development activities, and timelines tailored to the needs of the co-founders. 
✅ A framework for establishing and managing mentorship pairings to support the co-founders in developing essential leadership skills and business acumen.
✅ A high-level document that outlines the learning and development goals for the co-founders, including methods for acquiring commercial skills and key performance indicators to track progress.
✅ A tool to assess the skill gaps in leadership, strategic thinking, financial literacy, and decision-making among the co-founders, aligning learning initiatives with their development needs.
✅ A structured approach to set specific development goals for each co-founder, outlining required skills, training plans, and progress tracking to ensure effective learning.
✅ A tool to help the co-founders create clear, measurable, and realistic goals for their leadership development journey, ensuring they stay focused on key objectives.
✅  A guideline for implementing change management strategies within the startup, helping the co-founders navigate the complexities they are encountering.

This is the kind of work that can support how founders lead, how teams communicate, and how a company grows. And when you’re the first or only HR person, tools that give you back time without diluting the quality of your work are rare.

If you’re in the thick of scaling with founders who are learning leadership as they build, something like Mak might actually make your week a little easier.
Give Kimberly Burns Annie Johnson or myself a shout if you want to see how Mak can help move you from Admin to Impact - Today! We are jumping on calls with HR and P&C removing the friction in their roles in real time. 
humaneer

Working in HR looks very different today that it did this time last year. 

I used to spend so much time in the admin, checking legislation. ensuring process was followed. My nights spent writing up notes, emails, policies, frameworks because my days were spent in back to back meetings. 

Being reactive because there was not enough hours in the day to coach, enable and advise while keeping up with all the documentation and follow up. Strategic time, that was a dream some days due to the volume of work. 

And that is what drives Kimberly Burns Annie Johnson and I.  Our vision was to change the way HR was done in companies. Fast, efficient and more human. To move from reactive to proactive. 

To build a platform where we can 

✅ Get answers fast - with step by step process instructions, underpinned by legislation and highlighting risk at every step. 
✅ Negate the need for note taking, as soon as the meeting is done, the compliant notes are there for you. 
✅ Predictive documentation, based on your query or meeting - done in seconds. 

A place to "DO" HR. 

We called the platform Mak (short for Machine Accelerated Knowledge). And Mak is helping HR teams and Small businesses across ANZ completely rewrite how HR is done. 

I got this message from one of our awesome customers yesterday, a seasoned HR professional who has been using Mak this week to update their policies. (Freeing up time to focus on the change management and roll out required for the updates). This is not the future of HR, this is the Now. 

If you want to see how Mak is changing how we work, for the better. Reach out, I'd love to show you. 

humaneer

A HR Guide to Supporting Employees Through AI Adoption 
I read a really interesting article by Built In this morning (link in comments) and these are the stats that got my attention.... 

- 64% of American adults plan to avoid using AI for as long as possible
- 31% of employees (and 41% of Gen Z) are actively working against their company’s AI initiatives
- 45% of CEOs say their teams are resistant or openly hostile

According to the article, There is fear around being replaced, of inaccuracies, of skill erosion, of environmental impact, and of leaders pushing tech without clarity or purpose.

And I believe it gives us as HR key pointers in how to structure our change management approach.

Here’s my quick thinking on how to build trust during AI adoption:

✅ Lead with the “why”. We need to clearly articulate:

-What AI is solving
-How it supports business goals
- How it supports them

✅ Don’t force AI where it doesn’t fit. A lot of pushback comes from employees being told to use AI for tasks AI isn’t good at. When usage becomes a checkbox exercise, resistance increases.

Be honest about:
- Where AI adds value
- Where it doesn’t
- Where it slows work down (because sometimes… it does)

✅ Build a culture of experimentation. You don’t need a culture of “AI adoption.”
It's a culture of testing, learning and continuous improvement.

People adopt AI faster when:
- They’re allowed to try things
- Fail safely
- Share learnings
- Influence how workflows evolve

✅ Validate their concerns 
Employees are raising legitimate issues: Inaccuracy, bias, deskilling, environmental impact, dependency on tools they don’t fully trust. If we shut these conversations down, we shut down adoption.

Our job is to:
- Listen
- Break down the problem
- Explore whether AI is the right tool
- Acknowledge what we can’t control

Validation builds trust,  and trust fuels adoption.

✅ Be crystal clear about guardrails. People resist what feels unsafe or unpredictable.

HR can reduce that dramatically by clarifying:
- What AI will do
- What AI won’t do
- Which decisions remain human
- How data is handled
- How accuracy is monitored

✅ Protect the human skills that matter, concern that AI will erode their critical thinking skills, it doesn’t have to be that way.

Use AI to elevate skills, not replace them:
- Less admin work
- More strategy
- More decision-making
- More creativity

So here's where I have landed personally...
AI resistance isn’t a people problem. It’s a change management and communication problem.

I truly believe that we, in HR are uniquely positioned to close that gap by leading with:
- Transparency
- Clear goals
- Experimentation
- Psychological safety
- Human-first design
- Realistic use cases

What’s your thoughts on this? I’d love to know…. 

(If you enjoy thinking this stuff through with fellow HR folks, come join the humaneer community - I'd love to welcome you).

What if I told you your HR team could increase capacity by 24% next week…
without hiring a single extra person?

Bold, I know. We already know that the stress we feel in HR is not a capability issue. It’s a capacity issue.

We already have the expertise, the judgement, the EQ, the deep organisational knowledge.
What we don’t have?
The hours.

Between compliance, documentation, file notes, policy updates, investigations, recruitment, onboarding, and the never-ending “quick questions” (that are never quick) 😜

HR isn’t short on talent.
HR is short on time.
That’s exactly why we built Mak by Humaneer.
Not as another dashboard.
Not as another system to manage.
But as an AI-powered productivity partner, purpose built by HR, for doing HR. That eliminates the repetitive admin blocking our best work.

Here’s what happens when you get time back...
✅ More strategic decision-making
✅ Faster compliance responses
✅ Better employee experience
✅ Less burnout
✅ More space for culture, leadership, coaching and impact

THIS is what “less admin, more impact” really means.
And no, you don’t have to wait months.

That’s the part I’m the most excited about.
Small shifts in admin automation compound fast.
You feel it within days. Your team feels it. The business feels it.

If you're curious what 24% more capacity could actually look like for your HR team reach out. 
And come join our humaneer community and see how HR professionals globally are already transforming the way we work.

What would you do with 24% more capacity next week? I'd love to know ...

This time next week I will be Sydney side with our ambassadors Jason Portelli and John-Paul Costales Kathryn Palmer for our end of year humaneer meet up, and I CAN'T wait to see everyone for a fun afternoon of connection, conversation, and maybe even a cheeky toast (or two) 🥂

📍 Bungalow 8, King St Wharf, Sydney
🗓️ Thursday, 11th December 2025
⏰ 2 PM – 4 PM

No agenda, no pressure... just good people, great chats, and some festive spirit 🎅💬

Its been a massive year for the community and for HR in general, this is the perfect way to round off the year. A safe place to connect, share and have some fun. 

Looking forward to seeing our humaneer friends and some new faces (who will leave as friends I'm sure). 

If you havent joined us before, come along and meet your people. humaneer is more than community. Its a movement, its a home for HR and its a place to be yourself surrounded by people who "get it". 

👉 Link to RSVP: https://lnkd.in/gbVC2iAH

... or just login to humaneer.app and put your name on the event invite. Come celebrate with us! 🎉

Jolene Leong Richard Winters Kate Dodd Mark Lewis Natasha Meah Jasmine Alderton Sorcha Joyce Dee Rice Kerry Shields Jackie Greenwood Jacquie Williamson Sharon Banfield Mallory Conboy Olga Papageorgiou Kimberly Burns Annie Johnson 😀😀

I’ve been sitting with something for a while now… this feeling that the world, especially the world of work is shifting faster than any of us can reasonably process.

Every week there’s a new technology, a new expectation, a new economic twist, a new conversation about what work should look like. 

And somewhere in the middle of it all are real humans, trying to make sense of it in real time.
I don’t have the answers (honestly, who does?) but I do have curiosity, bucketloads of it and a deep belief that work should always centre people, not the other way around.

So… I’ve started a Substack. YAY - It’s called “Don’t Forget the Humans.”
 And it’s my little corner of the internet to explore:
 ✨ how work is evolving
 ✨ how technology is reshaping us
 ✨ how society and economics show up in our work lives
 ✨ and what all of this actually feels like for the humans at the centre

No hype. No doom.
Just curiosity, questions, reflections, and the occasional “is anyone else feeling this too?” moment.
If that sounds like your kind of thing or if you’re simply trying to make sense of the rapid changes happening around us, I’d love to have you join me.

Here’s the link:
 👉 https://lnkd.in/gEU9kC7z

And a massive thank you to everyone who encourages me, challenges me, and shares this wild, wonderful journey of learning. You’re the reason I feel brave enough to try new things like this.

Have an amazing weekend when it comes for you - and don’t forget the humans ❤️

Open article: Don't forget the humans | Careen Matthews | Substack by dontforgetthehumans.substack.com

Don't forget the humans | Careen Matthews | Substack

I've had some really interesting conversations recently with some of the humaneer community about how they got into HR/People space. 

Some chose HR, others HR chose them... There are so many interesting stories of how we all got to where we are. 

For me, I was travelling in Thailand in my very early twenties, I met the most inspiring girl, she worked for a big recruitment company in London.... her passion for people, growth and support was infectious, and I was hooked. On returning to Scotland I made it my goal to get a role in recruitment, and that is how my people career started... a beach in Thailand meeting one of the most inspiring women 🙌🏼

So I thought this would be a little bit of fun... how did you get into HR? 

Feel free to share your story in the comments. I love learning about how others got into HR 😄

If systems hold knowledge and humans hold culture. What happens if one starts replacing the other?

We’ve moved so much of what we know into platforms, workflows, and tools.
And honestly… there’s a lot of good in that. I've seen first hand how thoughtful platforms like Mak by humaneer can transform the role of HR in extremley positive ways like,
  
Knowledge becoming accessible.
Processes becoming clearer.
People not left guessing.

But is there another side too?
When systems hold the “how,” do humans stop sharing the “why.” When everything is automated, do we start to forget that culture lives in stories, relationships, rituals… in the things systems can’t capture.

And that made me think:
Are our systems strengthening culture… or slowly thinning it out? Is this something we should be thinking about? 

In this week’s edition of Don’t Forget the Humans, I explore it...

If you’re thinking about how technology is reshaping the way we work, lead, and connect, I’d love you to read it (and give me your feedback, its my first article 🙌).

Here's the link 👉 https://lnkd.in/gRj-NjAG

As always, I don’t have all the answers.
Just a lot of curiosity and a deep belief that culture is worth protecting.

Would love to hear what you’re noticing in your world.

Have an awesome day 😀

Open article: If systems hold knowledge and humans hold culture. What happens if one starts replacing the other? by open.substack.com

If systems hold knowledge and humans hold culture. What happens if one starts replacing the other?

Hey HR friends 👋🏼 A quick question if you have 2 seconds... 

I'm building out a library of workflows showing where AI integrats into them for HR teams. 

Is this a resource you or your team would find useful? 

let me know below, and feel free to comment which workflow would make the biggest impact today 👇🏼

keep an eye out for the first share 😊

humaneer 🚀

Would a resource that shows HR workflows and how AI integrated into them be useful to you? 

Fractional People Leader | Founder of Stakkd - Join our #HRtech benchmarking beta

Hiii, I’m Jess!
I’m an Aussie living in Germany, a boy mum, and the founder of Stakkd.

I’ve spent over 14 years working across corporates, startups, and scale-ups. I’ve seen great HR teams drowning because of the wrong tech infrastructure.

While on maternity leave, I started putting together a Notion table to make sense of all the HR tech out there. It was meant to help a few friends, it ended up helping a lot more. That’s how Stakkd started.

Now I spend my days making sure People and Talent teams find the right HR tech for their business.

I’m also raising a little boy as a build Stakkd, and figuring it out as I go!

Head to the Stakkd platform now to discover the best HR tech: stakkd.tech

And if you’re a vendor who wants to be featured, send me a DM.

Jessie Schofer

Why are we surprised when someone from HR becomes a CEO?

I feel like CPO's becoming CEO’s is a good thing.

→ Leena Nair went from leading people at Unilever to running Chanel
→ Mary Barra started in HR before leading General Motors
→ Anne Mulcahy began in HR and saved Xerox 

Apparently these are “unusual” stories.
But they shouldn’t be.

HR leaders spend their careers reading and understanding people.

They make decisions without perfect data.

And they manage risks you can’t put on a spreadsheet like TRUST.

THAT is what leadership is.

The best CEOs I’ve met don’t just understand strategy.

They also understand people.

I was in HR too.

And it 100% shaped how I’ve built my company.

It taught me that PEOPLE are everything.

If we took HR as seriously as finance or operations….

… we’d probably have better companies, and better leaders 🙃

Happy Friday 🫶🏻

Helping you navigate HR tech | Founder @ Stakkd | HR Tech Queen | Speaker | Boy Mum

5 HR communities you need to know about 👇
(You never need to do HR alone ever again)

1/ Talent Crunch Berlin (TC) / Andreea

fastest growing private talent community based in Berlin with AMAZING events

2/ Open Org / Adam

exclusive, collaborative space where People & Culture leaders connect

3/ AI for HR Community / Vanessa

exclusive community to learn, build, and grow with fellow HR pros using AI

4/ PromptMates https://tally.so/r/wLlpg2 / Joe

private community giving recruiting leaders access to AI experts, peer support, resources

5/ Humans in the Loop HR Community / Jessie (me)

private community giving People leaders access to resources and learnings for their HR tech & AI transformation

DON'T be like old me who didn’t join any communities because I was “too busy”.

🔥 Save, share and tag other HR communities and I will create a central place for you to find them on stakkd.tech!

Happy Monday everyone

It’s been ONE year since I launched stakkd.tech 🎈
and here's how it's going...


Firstly, ONE YEAR, feels like TEN 😆

And let me tell you it has been a WILD ride

Here’s some things I am proud of:

- over 105 clients signed up
- over 50,000 database views
- 4520 connections to vendors
- launched trending insights
- leveled up the design

Annnddd Stakkd is being used by the global HR community
(over 70 countries!)

Not bad for an ex-HR solopreneur 😎

I am still figuring things out as I go...
But so far it seems to be working.

And I’m SO GRATEFUL you’re all here with me as I build this in public with all the cringe and mistakes that come with it.

I am ready for 2026!

LFG 👊🏻✨

ps. if you are a vendor and NOT on Stakkd and want to be - reach out!

.... and yes, that is a date with a candle in it lol.... I didn't have any cake but wanted to celebrate 🎂

7 AI NATIVE HR TECH TOOLS 👇
(you probably don't know)


1. Borderless AI - AI native EOR
2. DreamTeam - AI native HRIS
3. Kula - AI native ATS
4. Taito.ai - AI native performance management
5. Winslow - AI native people operations
6. Included - AI native people analytics
7. Metaview - AI native recruitment notetaker & sourcing

now I am not saying you NEED to choose an AI Native HR tech stack

but it is very possible

there’s also plenty of other great tech out there, not just these ones!!

go check out 330+ tools on Stakkd and discover the what's on the market before jumping in!

ps. does anyone know a company with a fully AI native HR and recruiting tech stack?!?

I’d love to talk to them 👀 

pps. these are all partners of Stakkd

I GOT BLOCKED BY LINKEDIN FOR 24HOURS FOR... *drumroll* 🥁


Commenting thank you 15 times in a row to people who congratulated me on my one year post 😄

Clearly my fast typing at 11:30pm before I went to sleep was too much like a bot.

Thanks for giving me anxiety linkedin.

ANYWAY

Moral of the story is... don't say thank you.

No I'm kidding... don't comment too fast 🫠 

and yes it's midnight and I am so happy to have my account back I am posting at this hour! 

Back to it tomorrow (today?) 🫶

I’ve seen 100s of HR platforms.
These are the 30 core HR tools you should check out 👇🏻

(PS: If you’re an SME and looking for your next HR platform, I did the job for you, start here)

BambooHR
Breathe
Calamari
Cercli (YC S23)
ChartHop
CharlieHR
Darwinbox
Deel
DreamTeam
Employment Hero
Evity HR
Factorial
GoCo.io, Inc.
Happy HR
Hailey HR
HealthBoxHR
HiBob
HoorayHR
Humaans
Leapsome
Namely
Personio
Plumm
Remote
Rippling
Sense Workplace
Simployer AlexisHR
Tellent
Worknice
Zelt

I’ve experienced core tech that doesn’t work.
And it hurt.

Some platforms genuinely make life easier for you, others look great until you actually start using them.
Make sure before diving into core tech that they do what they say they’ll do and support your business goals.

Hint: this will be different for everyone.

If you’re curious about other HR tech (ATS, engagement, AI for HR, Talent Management etc.), you can discover them all here → stakkd.tech

pps. some of these are verified partners of Stakkd! Toggle verified on to find them 🤓

48h in San Francisco
32h on planes 
9 oat lattes (minimum) 
1 sickness
absolutely ZERO hours of proper sleep thanks to jet lag 😂
and I’m finally back in Berlin!! 🇩🇪

did I win the grant? sadly no...

(thank you for all the supportive messages on Monday though... I am so lucky to have you all!!)

BUT what I won was WAY better.
and no it’s not a “network”

👉 it’s long life friends

- friends who support each other
- who are happy to talk for hours about GTM, sales conversion and automation
- and build each other up

THAT IS THE MAGIC

EVERYONE deserved to be there

And the 3 winners deserved to win!!! 👏 

Patricia Florencia founder of Pilou
Johanna Salazar founder of FoodStream Network
Douglas Wilson founder of SyncPop

PLUS I am so thankful to have meet all these other beautiful souls

Ryan B. founder of Squadies™
Tremaine Grant founder of Pulse: Fitness Collective
Sebastián Arjona & Leonardo Raúl Vilchis Padrón founders of Bullground
Tomás Uribe founder of Mavity
Jelanna Salas Olivera (she, ella) and Dr. Tracey Hathaway founders of auntedna.ai
Estrella Q. founder of Last Farewells
Melina Cruz Villafaña Cruz founder of Chain https://lnkd.in/gguCFsjP
Toby Oyetoke Engineering at KrosAI (DraperU S24)

We all have something to share and learn from each other

And I can’t wait to see us all smash it 🚀 

Happy friday everyone!

ps. thanks again to Lily Yuen Xu, Sara Lila Cordero Porta, the investors and the whole Amazon Web Services (AWS) and Techstars team for making this all happen 

AND to the amazing Allison McGuire, Mary McKenzie and Tijuana Ricks from the McGuire Method for teaching us everything you know

ALSO LOOK AT HOW MANY WOMEN ARE IN TAGGED IN THIS POST :) 

Okaybyenow 😄

50,000 people working in ONE department were laid off in 2025 

Can you guess which one?

It’s the same department responsible for building teams, managing culture, and holding a company together when things fall apart.

And yet, it’s still one of the first to go.

When layoffs hit, HR is often cut before product, sales, or engineering.

Is HR underperforming? 

Nope..

It’s because HR isn’t considered revenue generating.

That’s the reality.

The boardroom logic is simple: 
- if hiring slows, why keep the people who hire? 
- if budgets tighten, why keep the people who manage them? 
- if morale drops, well, that’s intangible.

Most don’t see “culture” important to their P&L.

So HR becomes expendable, even though every redundancy, every restructure, and every difficult conversation still runs through them.

We call HR a “strategic function,” but most businesses don’t treat it like one.

They measure it in cost, not consequence.

The result is pretty obvious: when things go to 💩, companies scramble to rebuild trust, rehire, and repair what could’ve been protected.

The irony?

The same leaders who signed off the cuts end up paying more to fix the fallout later.

Make it make sense 🤪

Ever tried building a business while being mum to a 2 year old boy?
Wouldn’t recommend it…😅
(Actually, I would. He’s the love of my life!)

But wow, it’s A LOT…
People ask me how I manage both.
The truth is, I don’t “manage” anything 😆
TIME BLOCKING is the only reason my days are not a mess.
Otherwise everything would fall apart very quickly!
It’s the only way I can survive

This is what a day usually looks like for me:
6:30 - trying to wake up before he does
7:30 - breakfast, play time and negotiating to get him dressed (iykyk)
8:30 - childcare drop-off
9:30 - Stakkd now takes priority (and cold coffee)
4 hours for everything: content, product dev, clients, podcast…work work work
13:30 - grabbing food because I forgot to eat
14:00 - 2h sales call block
16:00 - childcare pick-up
17:00 - toddler chaos + trying to prep dinner
18:30 - husband is home for dinner (THANK GOD)
19:30 - Sleep time for Hugo
20:30 - US calls, Brazilian dev team calls , catch up
10:30 - Try to sleep 😄

Without the structure of time blocking, my whole day would be a complete mess.
I need to be laser focused for all of it.
The founder part.
The mum part.
The human part.

some days I get it right.. some days I don’t.
But the structure helps 😅

Happy Thursday to all the working parents out there, you’re doing amazing 🫶🏻

ps. anyone else do the same?

Top 5 trending HR tech products right now 👇 



Plumm
Juicebox
Kula
DreamTeam
VoiceHubs
Hailey HR

Want to know know what else is hot right now?

Go to the TRENDING insights on stakkd.tech👇

You can see:
- top features
- top integrations
- new products
- top trending products

(by time period)

All you have to do is:
1️⃣ go to 👉 https://lnkd.in/gnHuU9mP
2️⃣ login
3️⃣ BOOM

Now you can see what's trending on Stakkd 😃

women don’t support women.
women compete too much.
women…. <insert negative thing>🤦‍♀️

I’ve heard this time and time again throughout my career.

usually said with so much conviction, like it’s just facts about women.

And I have to say, it’s usually said BY WOMEN.

But no one ever stops to ask why we were made to believe there are only a couple of seats at the top?!

why we were raised to think there’s not enough space for each of us?

why we were taught to protect our spot instead lifting each other up?

it definitely wasn’t women who built that system.

but we sure are getting messed up by it.

That is why I started the girlsclub

and it was so nice to meet up with some Berlin members for brunch yesterday!

No bs.

Just support, kindness and each of us wanting the other to win!

(and of course coffee)

women aren’t the problem.
the boxes we’ve been put in are.

And let’s remember, we can break the cycle

move over boysclub, girlsclub is here 🙌

Everyone loves to talk 💩 about HR…



…until they need us 🙃

And we’ve all been there.

Scared, confused, going through some tough moments and not knowing who to talk to..

And there’s always that ONE person in HR who really helps you.

The empathetic and human ones.

- the ones who listened during the pandemic
- the ones who handled the wild situations
- the ones who helped you figure out your next step or to hold it all together when it was all a mess

People forget how much emotional weight HR carries.

So let’s give them some credit for once!

→ who’s that HR person you can turn too?
tag them below!👇

they deserve it 🫶🏻

Giant ball pit?? Cool people??
Yes please!

Another great event by Talent Crunch Berlin (TC) and Corporate Culture Community!!

There's too much to say. 

So instead of typing a long post you won't read, you can live it through my photos instead 😄 

Lovely to see Hung Florina Rap Lucia Ariadna Nadine Sonita Hilary Harveen Tiffany  and meet the Greenhouse Software team + more

Thanks for all the hard work to make this happen Andreea and Deniz 🫶 

ps. scroll to the end to see the photos Hung Lee got of me in the ball pit lol 😅

LONDON HR COMMUNITY
(this is for you)

Rooftop +
HR crowd you actually want to hang out with
= must join event

I am jumping on a plane next week Tuesday for this rooftop HR community event

Do you know which one I am talking about?

it's the People with a (rooftop) View hosted by DreamTeam

There's no agenda
Just connecting and sharing
Meeting people

That's exactly the kind of event's I like.

The ones you can REALLY meet people.

So I couldn't miss it!

I also couldn't miss finally meeting Luke O'Mahoney, Adam Horne and Matt McFarlane IN PERSON!

Annnnddd seeing the wonderful Daisy Ilaria who will also be there 🫶🏻

PLUS all of you!

I think there only a few spots left 🔥

So if you want to join make sure to register: https://lnkd.in/g5YP82_f
I hope to see you there!

📅  November 11th, 6pm
🌇 NYX Rooftop

____________________


ps. I still can't believe I am going to meet Matt, not in Australia, but London haha - YAY!

pps. DreamTeam is a partner of Stakkd!

The 2 most IMPORTANT SKILLS you need in HR 👇


Focus and Delivery

Why?

because if we don’t know WHAT to work on

or

how to DELIVER it

then it doesn’t matter what we do, it won’t drive business outcomes

Focus:
• what do we invest in and prioritise and why
• how do we balance between them
• how do we communicate the expectations and focus

Delivery
• how do we deliver all of the things in focus
• how do we do it well
• use systems thinking and people skills

Too many HR teams just have laundry lists of unprioritised projects

and teams of people who aren’t sure how to deliver change properly

You can see why it’s critical.

These are skills I learnt when I was 19.
And have kept learning since.

They have really been the reason why I have been successful.

When people ask me what my expertise is...

I used to say “portfolio and project management”.
But no one gets that.

So now I say focus and delivery.

Because it’s true for EVERY team and EVERY business.

And it’s something AI can’t do well.

So if you want to start somewhere with upskilling.
Start there 🤓

What other skills do you think are critical?

Two Skills for HR

Are we really surprised?

The participation rate of mothers with young children has dropped to 67% this year.

What the actual fudge!!?!

That number shows the issues women face daily.

We talk about flexibility, hybrid work, and inclusion.

But none of it matters if the structure underneath hasn’t changed.

Most workplaces still run on an old design built around uninterrupted time, predictable schedules, and someone else taking care of everything at home 🙄

So when costs rise, childcare breaks down, or the pressure builds…

It’s mothers who step out first.

Not because they want to, but because the system tells them to.

When I became a mum, I realised how hard it would be to keep working inside a framework that was never designed for me.

It’s SO broken. 

That’s why I built something different.

Until work is redesigned to allow women with children to participate properly in work (without killing themselves), we’ll keep watching the same data repeat itself.

Images like this are getting old.

But we have to keep talking about it to change things.

Some more action would be good too 😁

ps. I am building stakkd.tech - the go to place for HR tech discovery, go check it out!

I was asked to ROAST a HRIS product.
And I said no...

But then we were talking more, and I realised DreamTeam REALLY want honest feedback.

They want to know what isn't good and how they can get better.

So I said okay, because I do really like the vision they have and I've seen a lot of people asking about the product in communities recently.

So here we go!

This is the first time I am doing this.
(and maybe the last?!)

I am gonna keep this as tangible, short and sweet as I can.

So I jumped into the product and here are my notes:

✨ AI Nativeness:

You can see the platform has been built with AI in mind. It’s very much embedded into everything and they have recently launched an AI Agent.

✖️ Cons:

- it’s NOT suitable for enterprise, it’s suitable for small to mid market
- there’s no embedded payroll at the moment
- there’s no ATS functionality

✅  Pros:

- great customisation, you can make it look and feel yours
- I feel like the team are UX/UI obsessed, design is great + it's easy to use
- And well... it’s AI native like I said, which will be super powerful as they expand the product

Overall I do really love the foundation of what they have built.

I do want to see how they progress and how they leverage their AI native advantage and reimagine how a HRIS of the future can be.

All right that’s all folks.

Let me know what you think! 

ps. Dreamteam are a partner of Stakkd - go check out them on stakkd.tech/dreamteam

#partner #ad #payingpeoplefortheirtimeisgoodbusiness

Brand partnership • Helping you navigate HR tech | Founder @ Stakkd | HR Tech Queen | Speaker | Boy Mum

We built bias into hiring. 
Let's not do it again.


In this week's newsletter I dive into this uncomfortable topic 🙃 

The thing is, if we DON'T talk about it.
... we won't change things.

But talking about it also won't fix things magically. 

So I've got some suggestions about how you can take some control back when it comes to AI tooling.

Hint: vote with your $$$

As always let me know what you think 👇


𝘛𝘰𝘥𝘢𝘺'𝘴 𝘯𝘦𝘸𝘴𝘭𝘦𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘪𝘴 𝘴𝘱𝘰𝘯𝘴𝘰𝘳𝘦𝘥 𝘣𝘺 𝘊𝘓𝘈𝘙𝘈 🫶🏻 https://lnkd.in/gCCSgRuQ

Today's newsletter is sponsored by our friends at CLARA. The future of recruiting isn't about replacing human judgment, it's about giving you better d

Open article: We built bias into hiring. Let’s not do it again. by Jessie Schofer • 4 min read

We built bias into hiring. Let’s not do it again.

Ever wondered how you could use AI agents in recruiting?

Well this weeks demo of hackajob will show us how you can!

CEO Mark Chaffey is joining co-host Adam Horne and I to show us how the tool works and how you can leverage AI and agents in your recruiting workflows.

Don't miss it!

📆 Thursday 27 November, 3:30 CET

Hit attend below 👇

Alana Marks, CPHR, Rūta Krasauskaitė and 73 other attendees

Live Demo: hackajob AI matching & sourcing

Thanks for joining our exclusive live broadcast. Feel free to share your questions and interact with other participants in the chat.

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