LARS
SCHMIDT
Company Builder • People Leader • Change Agent
As seen in:
About Me
My expertise is building transformative people teams and programs to drive business growth. I’ve been doing this with a range of category-leading companies around the world.
I’ve spent over 25 years in various recruiting, talent, and people roles. Over those years I’ve established myself as a trusted industry leader and advocate for progressive people practices. Throughout that time, I’ve been building global communities that are driving change in the industry, including HR Open Source and the Amplify Talent Community.
As Founder and CEO of Amplify Talent, I’ve been at the forefront of transforming HR practices with innovative talent solutions for category-leading companies including Hootsuite, SpaceX, NPR, Plaid, Vimeo, Dashlane, Duo Security, and more.
As a writer, author, podcast host, teacher, former IESE School of Founders guest lecturer, LinkedIn Learning instructor, and global keynote speaker, I’ve honed a nuanced perspective on what it takes to build successful businesses in today’s world of work.
Trusted by industry leaders.
Where I’ve Been
Founder & CEO
2013 - Present
Sr Dir, Talent & Innovation
2011 - 2013
Head of Talent
2010 - 2011
VP, Human Resources
2003-2010
Head of Recruiting
2001 - 2003
Account Director
1998 - 2001
Looking for a resume? You can download it here.
Career Highlights
HR Transformation: Created and led the talent strategy to drive the strategic transformation of NPR’s workforce, which transitioned from broadcast-focused operations to a dynamic digital talent ecosystem
Recruiting Strategy: Pioneered the creation of the first global employer brand playbooks for NPR, Hootsuite, SpaceX, Duo Security, Cognosante, Plaid, and West Monroe Partners, establishing foundational strategies that enhanced their recruitment efforts
Executive Recruiting: Identified and hired high-impact executives for Ticketmaster, SpaceX, Vimeo, Cognosante, Magento, NPR, Guild Education, Remitly, Typeform, and others
Recruiting: As sole recruiter, hired 30+ employees across various roles to support Magento’s rapid scale, leading to its acquisition by eBay
Community: Co-founded HR Open Source, a global not-for-profit that accelerates HR innovation at scale. Grew to the community to 10,000+ members in 100+ countries over the first four years
Leadership: Guest faculty for IESE’s School of Founders Foundations of Scale program
Leadership: Created various open-source resources to advance HR including the Founder’s HR Playbook, Silicon Valley Bank Fallout Guide, Return to Workplace Guide, and more
Recognition: Selected as the only HR representative for IAC/InterActiveCorp’s Emerging Leaders Program
Some notable highlights from my career (so far).
Recruiting Strategy: Led the global recruiting and talent strategy for Ticketmaster and NPR
Mergers & Acquisitions: Led the design and implementation of the global internal communication strategy for the Ticketmaster/LiveNation merger
Performance: Led the redesign, rollout, and implementation of Ticketmaster’s global performance management system
Technology: Led to review, selection, and implementation of applicant tracking systems at Ticketmaster and NPR
Talent Strategy: Designed and implemented Ticketmaster’s comprehensive global internal recruiting program for the Beijing Olympics
Employer Brand: Created #NPRlife, one of the first employer brand hashtags on Twitter, which led to Twitter becoming NPR’s #4 source of hire
Community: Created and led the Amplify Talent Community, a vibrant global network of more than 900 future HR leaders that serves as a platform for collaboration and development, influencing HR practices worldwide
Community: Created a globally trending open-source resource to help business and people teams navigate Covid in March 2020
Redefining Work
with Lars Schmidt
People have always been the key to unlocking business performance. Never has that been more true than today. Redefining Work is your guide to understanding the link between business performance and progressive people strategies. Each week, host Lars Schmidt sits down with business and people leaders shaping the new world of work to share their wisdom and expertise.
Are you new to Redefining Work and wondering where to start? You can jump in on any episode from the archives. Here are a few personal favorites to give you an idea of what the show is all about.
Making time for the day after tomorrow with nexxworks co-founder and partner, Peter Hinssen.
Peter Hinssen
Guy Kawasaki
A lively conversation on AI, innovation, and what it takes to be remarkable.
Reboot cofounder Jerry Colonna shares what it means to belong in today’s world.
Arlan Hamilton
Exploring inclusion in tech with Backstage Capital Founder, Arlan Hamilton.
Jerry Colonna
Recent Episodes 🎧
Redefining Work
Transforming People Teams to Drive Business Performance.
Redefining HR: A playbook for Modern HR and People Operations
Redefining HR is the second book by entrepreneur, speaker, and podcast host Lars Schmidt. It examines the evolution in the field of HR and breaks down many of the fundamental components of modern HR and people operations. The book is full of real stories and examples from practitioners doing the work in world-class people executives from companies including Hubspot, Vayner Media, Stripe, Reddit, Mozilla, Eventbrite, Asana, Mastercard, Stitch Fix, and more.
“This book has the potential to transform the future of HR. Lars Schmidt is a beacon of light, and his bold vision may well elevate a long-marginalized field into the force for good that it deserves to be.”
Adam Grant
New York Time Bestselling Author
Writing
Lars is a writer with regular columns in Fast Company and the LinkedIn Talent Blog, past columns with Forbes, and bylines in NPR, SHRM, LinkedIn, and other press.
His work has been featured in CNN, NPR, Wall Street Journal, Mashable, TechCo, Washington Post, Fortune, Axios, and CNBC.
He’s published two books - the bestselling Redefining HR and Employer Branding for Dummies.
Read My Columns
Speaking
I’ve given talks around the world, from intimate workshops to keynotes in front of 4,000+ attendees to sessions at 30,000 attendee festivals. These engagements have taken from Stockholm, San Francisco, London, Johannesburg, Sydney, and dozens of cities worldwide. I’m available for keynotes, presentations, emcee, hosting, workshops, offsite, panel moderation, and training sessions.
Past Talks Include:
Life Is Beautiful Festival • Social Media Week •SXSWi TalentNet • LinkedIn Talent Connect • Transform • Unleash • RecFest • Talent Summit • HRevolution • Future Talent Summit • Recruiting Innovation Summit • Glassdoor Employer Brand Summit • HR Tech Fest • Employer Branding Conference • SHRM • SHRM Talent • ERE Recruiting Conference • Sourcecon • Tru • Every1 • In-House Recruitment Expo • Human Capital Institute • Recruiting Trends Conference
Watch Past Talks
Talent Summit 2023 - Building Tomorrow’s HR (Dublin)
Lars Schmidt shares his insights into how you can futureproof your HR team. He also shares his thinking on how HR should reconsider AI, network equity and new methods of learning. Along with his views on HR's need to rise to new levels of adaptability and responsibility for success in the new world of work.
LinkedIn Talent Connect Show - Attract for Today, Hire for Tomorrow (2023)
The emergence of skills-based hiring is one of many shifts impacting today's world of work. In this panel discussion from LinkedIn's Talent Connect Show, learn how companies are adapting to identify, attract, develop, and retain talent today.
LinkedIn Talent Connect (2019) - A Fireside Chat with Katelin Holloway
Lars Schmidt sits down with former 776 Founding Partner Katelin Holloway soon after she transitioned from her Chief People Officer role at Reddit.
View additional talks and interviews on the Amplify Talent YouTube Channel.
Talent Summit 2022 - The Identity Crisis at Work (Dublin)
The world of work of March 2020 no longer exists, the motivations and values of employees have fundamentally changed after such a trauma. Lars Schmidt puts forward the difficulties for HR leaders that has never faced this situation before.
FAQs
-
The answer is simple: I miss building with a team and being part of something bigger.
Don’t get me wrong, I love the nimbleness of entrepreneurial life and the thrill of bringing a vision to life. But there’s a certain kind of energy that comes from working within a larger organization, where you’re not just building a business—you’re shaping and developing people at scale. That’s the kind of challenge I’m excited to take on again.
Over the years, I’ve been fortunate enough to collaborate with some amazing corporate teams. I’ve seen firsthand how big companies can drive change on a scale that’s hard to match in the startup world. I’ve also seen how my entrepreneurial experiences can bring a fresh perspective to the table—how the lessons I’ve learned in agility, creativity, and risk-taking can be a real asset in a corporate setting.I’m excited about the possibility of leveraging those lessons in a new environment. I want to take everything I’ve learned—about leadership, about resilience, about the importance of culture—and apply it in a way that not only benefits the organization I’m joining but also helps shape the future of work.
-
I’m exploring leadership roles in venture capital, private equity, and corporate teams. These partnerships could be direct or advisory.
-
I miss that feeling of working with a high-performing team—where every part, every person, plays a role in creating something that impacts the world on a large scale. That’s the kind of challenge I’m craving right now.
Over the past few years, I’ve had the incredible privilege of hosting over a hundred podcast interviews with world-class people leaders. These are some of the sharpest minds in HR, talent, and leadership—folks who are out there every day, reshaping the future of work.
Every single one of those conversations has left a mark on me. These leaders have shared their insights, their struggles, their strategies for driving change in organizations big and small. I’ve learned so much from them—about building cultures, leading with empathy, and creating workplaces that truly support and inspire people and deliver business results.
And honestly, it’s been hard not to feel inspired by all that knowledge. After each interview, I’d sit back and think, “I'd love to put this to work.” There’s something incredibly motivating about absorbing all these ideas and then wanting to apply them in a real-world setting, to see the impact they can have on a larger scale. The ability to couple those insights with the global network equity I've built over the years and infuse that in a people team would be tremendous.
-
I have a unique skill set that includes operator and entrepreneurial roles driven by a mix of talent, recruiting, branding, media, and community skills. The intersection of these skills and my global experience will provide unique leverage in VC and PE environments where access to talent and an ability to understand market trends is crucial to returns.
-
Relocation is not an option for my family at this time. I expect to travel and am flexible to accommodate remote and hybrid work structures. Note: while I’m based outside of DC the majority of my work the past decade has been in California, New York, and London.
-
I’m a husband and a father to two girls. I’m an eternal optimist. I’m a tech nerd, always geeking out on new tools, products, software, and all things digital. I’m an advocate for building a better world of work for everyone. I love to travel and experience new cultures. I’m naturally curious and often go down rabbit holes to learn. I’m a wannabe designer and use Canva daily. My perfect day includes a beach. I put myself through college and have been working since I was fourteen. My motto is no time like real-time, which speaks to my bias for action (which has pros and cons).
-
Excellent question! I have an eclectic taste shaped largely by growing up on a skateboard in Florida and living with a house DJ in college. Depending on the mood, you’ll catch me listening to punk, reggae, deep house, classic rock, yacht rock, EDM, 80s, or old-school hip hop. My daughters recently got me in Swiftie adjacent territory so I’m obligated to include that (Spotify data never lies).