FNDN

FNDN exists to empower startup success through strategic pay practices that drive growth and create clarity for your people.

We transform compensation into a clear, strategic advantage by ensuring fair, budget-aligned pay practices that drive your business's growth.

Director

Kindred Minds Advisory Board

An advisory group of HR/People leaders who are helping build the future of People tech. Learn more: kindredminds.com/

Advisor

Oyster®

Senior Director of People Experience

An expanded remit taking on responsibility for both people operations and employee experience of the end-of-end journey that all each professional undertakes in their employment with Oyster.

Director of People Experience

Leading the People Operations function for Oyster:
• Enabled Oysters scale from 200 to 700+ (across 70 countries) within 12 months
• Led establishment and roll-out of compensation philosophy through detailed communication campaign. 
• Led team in the construction of a global pay calculator - delivering an ability to benchmark any Oyster role across 140+ countries within minutes.
• Led pay transparency efforts in support of values. This included building our own compensation tool and launch to internal employees. Comprehensive reporting and enablement efforts on understanding philosophy and basis for mechanics of comp benchmarks.
• Development and rollout of Oysters job levelling framework to provide career paths to all and standardise roles and salaries internally and for candidates coming in to the business.
• Delivered implementation and rollout of a performance enablement platform based on a continuous feedback framework, providing an objective capability for progression and internal mobility.
• Led the growth and development of a globally distributed team of People Ops professionals, delivering an Operating Model to dedicate our team specifically towards service and project delivery.

Director of People Operations

Rheinmetall

• Responsibility for; Talent Acquisition, HR Business Partnership and Workforce Planning.
• Led national workforce planning, reporting and analysis in line with national capital projects and secondary defence contracts.
• Established and led the annual performance and compensation merit cycle. 
• Led team accreditation and adoption of Korn Ferry job evaluation methodology.
• Implemented market dataset in TA benchmarking and merit cycle process. Training talent acquisition, hiring managers and leaders broadly in compensation methodology and uptake.
• Led talent acquisition team in hiring ~250 people over 10 months, as well as key initiatives including the launch of RDA’s referral program.

SilverRail

Procured and implemented a global HR system (HiBob), replacing myriad expensive and non-integrative systems. This provided a single system for employee data, leave management, onboarding, performance, analytics and surveys across our global workforce.

Led development and implementation of a global job levelling framework across four global sites.

Procured and leveraged market benchmarking data for to enable offer benchmarking. Further utilised this dataset to establish market relativity and in developing and leading SilverRail's first global compensation cycle efforts.

Senior Director, People Operations (Boston, London, Brisbane)

Delivering a people agenda focused on creating a workforce of unrivalled growth in capability across initiatives such as; global job levelling, benefits and remuneration; talent identification and selection; organisational value and behaviours; leadership development; and, day-to-day stakeholder engagement across business and corporate executives.

People Operations Manager

Various Companies

Mid-Senior People Operations roles across tech, FMCG, legal and professional services industries.

Mid-Senior career roles

People | Tech | Community

I help startups know what to pay their people.

If you’re leading a People function, I’ve been where you’ve been.

I know you have a thousand things to do, and working out how to do compensation is just one of them.

I know this because my experience isn’t just compensation. I am a career People Operations expert — I just really like nailing comp strategy. 

When I establish and implement practices, I do so with the experience not just of a comp specialist, but someone who's been responsible for the manager conversations, the employee experience and the commercial wellbeing of my company — like you are for yours.

My experience spans small and large tech-scale ups. From seed startups in a small office, to multi-country, to hundreds of people fully remote and globally distributed across 70+ countries. I’ve supported companies that grew to acquisition and that achieved unicorn valuation.

I like to help scaling technology businesses get comp right and get it out of the way — so that you can be the commercial leader your company needs you to be.

My most recent experience was scaling the unicorn and hyper-growth company, Oyster.

Results:
• Oyster scaled from 200 people to 650+ across 70 countries, enabled by the precision and agility of our compensation strategies and operations.
• Underpinned by our compensation strategies Oyster ramped hiring to capture market share that achieved a 390% growth in revenue.
• Our global compensation strategy enabled us to scale and expand the company while achieving an average salary cost reduction of 23%, and maintaining a candidate closure rate of >80%.
• Established Oyster's inaugural pay equity review, closing identified gaps through role-based benchmarking and a newly implemented job level framework.
• Won an employer of choice award from the prestigious HR Transform awards.

Today I help Heads of People and Chief People Officers of scaling technology companies build and grow their company through their compensation strategy.

To work with me, reach out via my website www.fndn.com.au or send me an email at matt@fndn.com.au 

I have deep experience within the tech domain:
→ Global compensation strategies
→ Pay transparency strategy and rollout
→ Career frameworks and job levelling
→ Executive compensation
→ Pay reviews and pay equity audits
→ Salary benchmarking and market pricing
→ Sales compensation & incentive plans
→ Pay for performance

Matt McFarlane

I don't care who you are.

You're never important enough that people need an email to send you a connection request.

If I have to be spammed as soon as I accept a connection request from a random, so do you. 

It's called shared trauma. 

We're all in this together.

Building startup compensation practices 👉 Compensation Philosophy + Job levels + Salary bands.

The role of the People professional has never been more important, or more uncertain. 

Here to help make every people pro successful, is In Good Company. 

A community for People people that want insights into the conversations about culture, AI, leadership and the future of work — without the spin.

I'm stoked to be an ambassador of IGC, joining incredible leaders such as: Adam Weber, Jessica Z., Hebba Youssef, Angela R. Howard,Christine Song, Johannes Sundlo and many more.

I'd love to see you in there: https://lnkd.in/gbUWzCZu

Everyone says they want to be rich, but they're using outdated goals like 'I want to earn six figures'.

Not me.

I want to be the kind of rich where I can buy a *new* Aesop hand soap, instead of refilling that one I bought 12 months ago with cheap stuff.

That's true wealth.

I just got off a call with a Head of People, and they're dealing with something we've all faced, repeatedly. but often don't know how to solve.

The moment when a manager storms in, desperate to save their top performer, and the data shows they’re already sitting at the top of their salary band.
 
No room to move. No obvious lever to pull.
 
They've got a high-impact employee at risk...
... and you've got a framework you spent months building, which suddenly feels like the thing holding you back.
 
This is where People teams can often collapse into reactive decision-making:
– stretching bands to “just make it work",
– throwing cash at the problem without a strategy,
– or holding the line so tightly that you lose the very people your system was meant to retain.
 
But a top performer at band maximum isn’t the real problem.
 
It could be symptomatic:
– Of outdated bands,
– Of unclear levelling,
– Of weak promotion pathways,
– Or of a business case you haven’t articulated strongly enough.
 
And while managers will always push hard (“we can’t lose them”), you’re the one who has to defend fairness, avoid precedent, and keep your comp philosophy from crumbling under pressure.
 
It usually feels like a no-win scenario. Unless you reframe the problem.

Fortunately, there's a straightforward playbook for tackling everyone's most common problem, and there are ways to recognise and retain your best people without blowing up your structure or creating inequity.

And the timing couldn't be more perfect, because it just got published.
 
In this piece with comp platform Ravio, myself and Ekaterina Potter share a few of the ways to handle this challenge.
 
We give step-by-step guides, with practical examples and decision paths you can actually use.
 
And it's one worth saving, because if you've ever faced the “top performer at band maximum” dilemma, you know it's never a once off.
 
Grab the article here: https://lnkd.in/gtH-84md

And let me know below — how many times have *you* dealt with a high performer at the top of their band?

Ok LinkedIn friends, I have a relatively vain ask of each of you. 


I’m 100 people away from 20,000 followers, and I wanna see if I can hit it before I get back to Australia (on Saturday). 

But I’m not just going to ask for you to follow me (I'm not *that* vain).

Instead, I want to use this as an exercise for uncovering some of the best people to learn from on this platform.

The people you might miss because sometimes this platform isn't as great at uncovering them.

So, who are the 100 people you think I should connect with?

Let’s see if we can’t fill these comments with the best people, posting the best content on being a startup People professional.

I'm sure collectively we can unearth some amazing professionals and give them the recognition they deserve.

I’ll even kick things off with a few legends I adore following:
- Jessie Schofer - doing the lords work finding and sharing the best in the world of HR tech
- Luke O'Mahoney - leading the charge on people as a product with amazing content and events
- Melissa Theiss - some of the most pragmatic and commercial People content you can find
- Matt Bradburn - for everything at the intersection of people and AI
- Vanessa Monsequeira - चित्रलेखा - incredible leadership and org design and amazing build in public.

Now, just reply back with the 1 (or more) people you thoroughly enjoy (and why) and I’ll connect with them. 

Then by Saturday, if I’m at 20,000 people, I’ll be able to enjoy my jet lag just that little bit more easily. 

Thank you for your service.

LinkedIn is making it harder to find the best voices in HR. So I curated the most important list of people to follow if you're a HR professional.

I'm sure you're feeling it, too.

Every week I see only a limited, narrow segment of my full network.

And I feel like I'm losing the chance to learn from fresh names and faces, who are doing important work.

So I did something about it.

Last week I asked my network for help identifying the top 100 people I should connect with.

What happened next created a chain reaction of hundreds of the most important people to follow in the people profession.

My amazing network recommended the best people to learn from.

Then those same people recommended who they learn from.

It was a who's who of the best
- Thinkers
- Leaders, and
- Doers

All helping to lift the profile of our profession with their thought leadership.

They say you're the average of the five people you spend the most time with.

I believe the same can be said of the network you build around yourself.

Level ourself up and check out the full list here:
https://lnkd.in/gjwCCehP

Who's the most important person *you* learn from on LinkedIn?

2025 might be winding down, but on the FNDN Series, things are only heating up ﻿🔥
﻿
And we're closing out the year with powerhouse guest, Sarika Lamont. Chief People Officer at Vidyard.
 
We've got three incredible episodes, tackling three incredible topics.
 
This coming Sunday we'll be dropping episode 1, on everything to do with leading AI adoption from the People team.
 
(Fun fact, that's what Sarika is doing at Vidyard)
 
She shares a thing or two on the challenges facing people teams and how she's overcoming it.
 
For the final two episodes, we focus on my favourite theme: comp
 
In episode 2, we're covering how to personalise comp during a downturn. 

And how you can continue to make it meaningful and impactful despite a difficult business environment.
 
(Which might be particularly relevant given the bubble everyone thinks we're in...)
 
Then we hit a fun one in episode 3, with 'How to have the tough pay conversations'.

All three of them are bangers (promise).
 
First one is coming Sunday, and you can read, watch or listen (link below).

We’re in the most challenging era of salary progression of the last decade. And there's two compounding factors I see that are reducing how to grow your pay.

Pave has just published their 2026 Compensation Budgets & Trends Report, and it's a detailed snapshot of the market.

(grab the report here btw, well worth a read: https://lnkd.in/gnErrHN9)

But here's the two things that stood out to me:
 
1. Salary growth has stalled, with companies budgeting a pitiful 3.5% merit increase for 2026
 
2. Job hugging is growing, with turnover plummeting (especially in public companies) and people staying put for longer.
 
So why does this matter?
 
For those playing at home, a 3.5% increase on a $100k salary is $3,500...
... or $67 a week. 

*Before tax*
 
Not great for anyone who’s already absorbed record-high inflation. 

Prices may not be rising as fast, but they’re still elevated.
 
But sure, salary increases have sucked for a little while now, who cares?
 
Well I can tell you both from first-hand experience, and report data, the biggest pay increases you will get in your career will likely come from switching employers.
 
– The data shows an average 15% pay increase from switching companies,
– I've personally experienced closer to 30%.
 
That's anywhere from $11,500 to $26,500 you're leaving on the table by accepting your companies 3.5% pay increase.
 
And the gap compounds in years 2+
 
Which is why the rise in job hugging matters.

It represents the biggest impact to salary growth we’ve seen in years.
 
Now I'm not advocating for everyone to up and quit their job every 12 months.
 
But I am advocating for being clear-eyed about what’s driving this, and it's impact on you.
 
Job hugging is being driven by fear.

Months (years?) of high-profile layoffs and hiring freezes, have lead the majority of employees (55%) to state they're now prioritising job security over ambition.
 
And that creates a perfect storm:
 
We’re in a market where the two biggest levers for salary progression (annual increases and job mobility) are collapsing at the same time.
 
The result?
 
Professionals are experiencing the weakest real earnings progression in a decade, largely because fear is keeping them in roles where pay growth has flat-lined.
 
People aren’t earning more because the mechanisms that normally drive meaningful pay growth simply aren’t functioning.
 
Low salary budgets + risk-averse “job hugging” = stalled earnings.
 
So I'm not telling people to job hop.
 
But I am telling you the current environment is structurally stacked against your salary growth.

And you need to understand the forces at play so you can act deliberately, not passively.
 
Because staying put and hoping for a better pay increase isn’t a great strategy.

Not in this market. And probably not for a long while.

One of the biggest unlocks of my entire career has been the mantra 'ask and you shall receive'. Here's what I mean and how it worked for me just last week.

There's a famous quote I love, that is a little cliched, but perfectly sums up my approach to life.

"You miss 100% of the shots you don't take" 

So many people let the fear of rejection prevent them from ever asking someone for something.

And they reject themselves from the opportunity before anyone else is given the chance.

But asking for something has been the biggest unlock for my entire career:

- Can you help me with this
- Can I get involved in this
- Can I do this piece of work

Whatever it was, 'simply asking' can be the biggest hurdle between yourself and opportunity.

Here's an example that worked for me even just last week.

I was at 19,900 followers on LinkedIn. I wanted to be at 20,000.

I asked my network for help recommending 100 people I should connect with that would help me get there.

A few hours and 100+ comments later, a post curated with some of the most amazing people that I and others could follow was generated.

So ask the question.

Don't let the fear of rejection reject you before someone else can.

Because even if they do, you're no worse off after the ask than you were before it.

What's one thing you've been wanting to ask for that you've been putting off?

I get it, you're tired. But if there is one thing that is the most tiring part of being a Head of People, it's headcount planning.

Luckily for you - this weeks guest author on the FNDN Series is Melissa Theiss. 

A 4x Head of People that drops some of the most sage wisdom on being a commercial people leader getting around.

And this week's article (you guessed it): 'How to Build a Headcount Plan That Actually Works.'

Melissa shares a straight-forward 3-step process for taking the most stressful part of the year, and turning it into a process that works for you (and the business).

So hop on over to the FNDN Series newsletter and subscribe to get this article and many more nuggets of wisdom, straight to your inbox 📫

Despite the feeling, AI isn’t a threat to HR. It’s an opportunity to grow your responsibility (and yourself).
 
Most Heads of People are scared to say it out loud, but when I speak to them, their fear is real.
 
- Fear of being replaced.
- Fear of stuffing it up.
- Fear of one more responsibility dumped on an already overloaded team.
- Fear of not being “technical enough”.
 
But AI is already reshaping the People function. And it will do it whether we lead that charge or ignore it.
 
The fastest-moving leaders I’m speaking with aren’t waiting for permission.
Instead, they're claiming AI as a lever for culture, productivity and influence.
 
Not a risk to be managed, but a mandate to lead.
 
And the shift is simple: Instead of seeing AI as a tech project, view it as a people project (because it is).
 
It's a shift in mindset, a focus on adoption, and a need for behaviour change.
 
This and more came out clearly from my recent interview with Sarika.
 
In the latest FNDN Series interview, Sarika Lamont (CPO at Vidyard) shares how she not only placed AI squarely within the People remit, but why it worked.
 
And the outcome every HR leader (and Founder/CEO) wants?
 
She was able to avoid an entire People Ops Coordinator hire because automation reduced a full workload of admin.
 
These outcomes weren't just theoretical, and not just "future state". This was a present day impact.
 
That’s what leaning in (not stepping back) can look like.
 
In the latest episode, Sarika even goes into detail on how the hurdle to getting started isn't as high as everyone worries.
 
Don't be intimidated by starting with “transformation”.
 
You can start with something as simple as a low-stakes workflow:
Employment letters,
Policy retrieval,
Pre-boarding.
 
You just need one experiment that proves the point.
 
If you want the playbook for leading this shift, this episode is it.
 
The latest episode of the FNDN Series is live now, and Sarika dives deep into how she's taking AI by the reins and seeing real benefits at Vidyard.
 
Jump into it in the comments.

“Employer of choice” awards can unfortunately have a bit of a credibility problem.
 
Too many rely on opaque scoring or pay-to-play models.

The result is predictable: companies buy an accolade instead of building a workplace worth celebrating.
 
What cut through for me with Inspiring Workplaces was the opposite dynamic.
 
The process is transparent.
The bar is clear.
 
And my favourite part 👉 the award recognises progress over perfection. 

Organisations doing the work to build better workplaces, not just the ones polishing a submission.
 
It’s also why I agreed to join the judging panel for the 2026 awards.
 
And not just me. My co-judges are even more incredible. People like Nicole Karagiannis GAICD, Melanie Cole, Charlotte Anderson and Alex Pusenjak (and many more)
 
A who's who of those who have been in the trenches, pushing for the same people-first outcomes.
 
So if you’re a Head of People, ask yourself: what's that one thing you've delivered this year that deserves recognition? The thing that others could benefit from, even if it's not perfect.
 
PS: Early-bird pricing runs until 5 December. So jump online and get involved.

A guilty pleasure of mine when travelling is checking the internet speed wherever I go. Here’s the speed everywhere I went in Europe over 5 weeks. 

- Madrid Airbnb: 92 down, 50 up (bad start)
- Malaga Airbnb: 487 down, 450 up (😍)
- Malaga airport: 25 down. 17 up (tragic)
- València Airbnb: 287 down. 184 up. 
- Lisbon Airbnb: 519 down. 372 up (hello)
- Lisbon to Porto train: 9 down. 4 up (🤮)
- Porto Airbnb: 38 down. 8 up. 🙈
- Porto Airbnb 2.0 (didn’t like the other one): 737 down. 371 up (🔥🔥🔥)
- Turin Airbnb: 327 down. 155 up. 
- Lucca Airbnb: 67 down. 55 up (😞)
- Cagliari Airbnb: 83 down. 20 up. 
- Rome hotel: 368 down. 129 up (acceptable)

What’s the weird thing you do when you’re in the vacuum of holiday travel?

I know a lot of Australian People teams are grappling with how to improve the way they do work. If you're looking to implement Product-led thinking into your people practices, I can't think of anyone better to help you than Megan.

🐝 | UXer turned PXer | Speaker, Coach & Facilitator | Empowering leaders to unlock team performance through HCD

Years ago, when I was still in UX, I kept talking about wanting to work in teams that felt like intellectual beehives. 

🐝 I come alive when I’m working with collaborative, innovative and adaptive teams who are working towards something bigger than themselves.

If you've followed my journey as a UXer turned PXer, you know I've spent years advocating for people functions to adopt product-led, human-centred approaches. 

Before moving back to Australia, I told a friend about my dream of setting up a business to help founders and people leaders design organisations where people could do the best work of their lives.

 ➡️ 💬 He replied “Sounds like you’re a pollinator of design thinking”...

In the last two months I've been running my own discovery & design phases to get PollinateXD off the ground.

Now, what I'm working on is:
 • Sharing insights and ideas on how to design impactful & human-centred people experiences
 • Partnering with founders and leadership teams to build high-performing organisations
 • Coaching people leaders to build their confidence in moving beyond traditional approaches

I've got capacity for a few projects and coaching clients in the new year, so for those who have asked how you can help, I'd say:

♻️ Engage with posts that resonate. 
Likes, comments, shares - they help build community

📬 Subscribe to the collaborative newsletter I'm writing with Mark Lewis from Crewmojo. 
Every other Sunday, you'll get practical insights on how to adopt a truly people-centred approach to performance. (Link in comments)

☎️ Get in touch if you or someone you know is wrestling with adopting a truly PX approach to building organisational performance. 

and a MASSIVE thank you to my wonderful community across the globe for all your support so far!

Moving home, getting married and starting a business all in one year has been no small feat. But it's been nourishing for the soul and I'm excited for what's to come.

#PeopleExperience #OrganisationalDevelopment #CultureDesign #HumanCentredDesign #Leadership

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? 

taplio

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