Building Modern People Systems for Innovative Companies
For over twenty years, I’ve been a trusted advisor to industry-defining companies.
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Exceptional hiring doesn't happen by accident—it happens by design. I build talent systems that turn recruiting and talent programs from reactive cost centers into strategic growth engines. When you combine disciplined process with human judgment, technology with relationship-building, and data with intuition, you create something powerful: predictable access to the talent that drives your business forward.
I design transformative recruiting and talent programs for ambitious companies.
/about
/skills
Transformation
Leading talent or business transformation initiatives. Accelerating team and business impact by upleveling practices and capabilities.
- 01Fruitist
- 02NPR
- 03Ticketmaster
- 04Magento
- 05SpaceX
- 06Hootsuite
- 07Plaid
- 08Vimeo
- 09Typeform
- 10Guild Education
- 11Duo Security
- 12Cracker Barrel
/testimonials
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![Black and white photo of a smiling bald man with light-colored eyes, wearing a dark long-sleeve shirt, sitting at a round table with his arms crossed, against a plain background.]()
“Lars' book Redefining HR 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 of good that it deserves to be.”
Adam Grant - - New York Times bestselling author and host of the TED podcast, WorkLife
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![A smiling man with dark hair wearing a black blazer and gray t-shirt outdoors with green trees and sunlight in the background.]()
“Lars literally changes the game wherever he goes. He is living the future of recruiting. He leads as a business executive who has a superpower in recruiting. He’s plugged into the best talent networks in the world and puts his genius to work pairing the company to the best person for the job.”
Scott Domann - Fruitist Chief People Officer, Investor
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![Portrait of a middle-aged man wearing glasses, a white button-up shirt with rolled-up sleeves, blue jeans, and a brown belt, standing with arms crossed against a plain light background.]()
"Lars' ability to see clearly the best ways to make human resources a superpower within your organization is his superpower. He brings heart-centered sensibility together with experienced-drawn insights to unlock the very best of organizations: their people."
Jerry Colonna - CEO, reboot.io
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![A woman with long blonde hair, smiling and wearing a blue blazer, sitting on a green patterned sofa in a room with brick and green walls.]()
“The thing I love most about Lars in his unique ability to listen, synthesize, and then articulate - very simply - some of the most interesting, forward-thinking trends in the industry."
Katelin Holloway - 776, Founding Partner
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![A woman in a black dress standing outdoors in a park with green trees in the background, smiling at the camera.]()
“Lars has been a standout partner for LinkedIn’s Talent Connect events year after year, consistently ranking among our top-rated speakers. His ability to engage, inform, and energize an audience is unmatched. I couldn’t recommend Lars more highly - he is a true expert at delivering world class keynotes, emceeing, panel moderation, and beyond!”
Jen Gronski - LinkedIn Influence & Analyst Relations Lead
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![A woman with long black hair, wearing a striped shirt, looking to the side against a plain background.]()
"Lars is the compassionate People & Culture crusader of our time. What he shares in his "next" practices is truly a gift to the industry."
AJ Thomas - Founder & General Partner, Good Trouble Ventures
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![A woman with dark hair and bangs smiling in an indoor setting with plants in the background.]()
"Lars is a gifted storyteller and harnesses his own unique voice and those of many other people leaders to paint a picture of what great HR can be."
Katarina Berg - On, CHRO
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![A woman with shoulder-length wavy brown hair smiling, wearing a black sleeveless top and a delicate necklace, standing against a teal background.]()
"The field of HR is evolving dramatically and it's never been more important to be on the front end of the curve. Lars pulls together some of the greatest minds in the industry to pose the questions we should all be asking ourselves of what it means to be great at People."
Maia Josebachvili - Stripe, Chief Revenue Officer of AI
/experience
Fruitist
2024 - PresentVice President, Talent Acquisition & Innovation
Fruitist is on a mission to inspire healthy snacking as a disruptor in the superfruit space. I lead our global recruiting & talent function, ensuring we hire with speed, precision, and purpose. From talent technology selection and optimization to the design of structured hiring frameworks, we're creating recruiting systems to drive talent density across our global operations.
Amplify Talent
2013 - 2024Founder & CEO
As Founder and CEO of Amplify Talent, I partned with industry-shaping companies to redefine how they attract, engage, and retain top talent. Through strategic advisory, consulting, and executive search services, I help organizations align their talent strategies with business goals to unlock growth and achieve lasting impact.
NPR
2011 - 2013Senior Director, Talent Acquisition & Innovation
In this turnaround role, I was brought in to spearhead the transformation of NPR’s talent acquisition function as part of a comprehensive HR organizational rebuilding initiative. Provided strategic leadership to align talent acquisition efforts with NPR’s mission and values, transitioning from a reactive, job-posting-centric model to a progressive, proactive approach. This included leveraging social media, recruitment marketing, brand advocacy, and employer branding to attract top talent.
Magento
2010 - 2011Head of Recruiting (Contract)
Responsible for full life-cycle recruiting for a broad range of technical and corporate roles and developing sustainable talent acquisition, development, and branding strategies and procedures. Helped scale the team from 30 to 100+ over that time, helping position Magento for an acquisition by eBay.