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Samantha Gleeson
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Head of People Enablement & Operations
Australia
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Head of People Enablement & OperationsHeidiFeb 2026 - Current (8 months)- Group People DirectorSafetyCultureJan 2022 - Feb 2026 (4 years 2 months)I lead the global People function at SafetyCulture, partnering with the CPO and senior leaders to support a fast-growing, multi-region business at scale. My focus is building the people foundations that protect clarity, accountability, and performance as the organisation grows in size and complexity.
Mandate: Build simple, durable People ways of working that enable leaders to own culture and performance, reduce reliance on HR, and keep execution strong through growth and change.
What I do
- Partner with senior leaders on organisation design, workforce planning, and scaling teams sustainably across regions.
- Build and evolve performance, reward, and career frameworks that raise the bar and reduce ambiguity fo - Group Head of People OperationsGenius Sports GroupSep 2019 - Jun 2021 (1 year 10 months)Member of the Senior Leadership Team, reporting to the Chief People Officer. Led the global People Operations function for a 1,600+ employee organisation across six countries, accountable for scalable people infrastructure, high performance enablement, and a consistent employee experience through rapid growth and global expansion.
Mandate: Build global People Ops standards, systems, and data capability to support scale, compliance, and a strong culture across regions.
What I did
- Led and developed a global People Operations team across London, LA, Medellín, Tallinn, Vilnius, and Sofia (10 managers and coordinators).
- Established global People Operations standards across the full employee lifecycle, embeddin - Group People and Performance PartnerGenius Sports GroupFeb 2018 - Sep 2019 (1 year 8 months)Relocated from London to Geneva to establish the Swiss entity and launch the first Group People & Performance Partner role. Operated as a global partner to senior leaders across Commercial, Technology, Finance, Operations, Legal, and Marketing.
Mandate: Enable rapid growth while protecting leadership continuity, performance standards, and organisational momentum across functions and regions.
What I did
- People lead on M&A activity: managed end-to-end people due diligence and supported integration while maintaining culture and leadership continuity.
- Partnered with senior leaders on workforce planning, performance management, compensation, and career development to support rapid scale.
- Deployed Workda - People Operations Manager- EMEAGenius Sports GroupFeb 2017 - Feb 2018 (1 year 1 month)Re-established the People Operations function across EMEA following a prolonged vacancy, supporting ~800 employees across multiple jurisdictions.
Mandate: Stabilise and scale People Ops foundations across the region, reducing risk and improving service quality in a fast-paced environment.
What I did
- Led EMEA people operations and lifecycle processes, ensuring compliant, efficient, high-quality HR service delivery.
- Partnered with leaders on recruitment, performance, succession planning, employee relations, and compensation.
- Provided hands-on employee relations support across multiple countries, mitigating people risk and enabling speed with consistency.
- Owned the annual merit review process a - Human Resources ManagerLarkbury Group The Sofa Chair CompanyMay 2016 - Mar 2017 (11 months)Appointed as the first and sole HR leader, with end-to-end accountability for the employee lifecycle and establishing core people operations, policies, and practices to support a growing business.
Mandate: Build the HR function from scratch and put the foundations in place for growth, clarity, and performance.
What I did
- Built the HR function end-to-end, including selecting and implementing the first HRIS and establishing scalable, compliant processes.
- Partnered with the Senior Management Team, contributing to monthly leadership forums and shaping workforce planning and people priorities.
- Led a company-wide restructure across Commercial, Marketing, and Design to enable a new business strategy. - Change Management Coordinator (Project)QantasJan 2016 - May 2016 (5 months)Supported the Change team on a $14.6m enterprise-wide transformation delivering an industry-leading Service Integration and Management capability (ServiceNow), impacting ~28,000 employees across Australia and international locations.
Mandate: Drive adoption and minimise disruption by building engagement, stakeholder alignment, and practical enablement.
What I did
- Supported the employee engagement and adoption activity for the new IT self-service portal, contributing to an uplift in the Employee Delight Index (EDI) from 55.3 to 78 within five months.
- Helped establish and enable a business champion network, supporting change through targeted stakeholder engagement, education, and executive briefings. - People ManagerAppleNov 2011 - Dec 2015 (4 years 2 months)- Led high-performing teams in a fast-paced environment, setting clear expectations and coaching managers to deliver consistent results.
- Built capability in performance conversations, development planning, and team engagement, strengthening leadership bench over time.
- Developed an operator mindset early: cadence, standards, and customer-led execution, foundations I’ve carried into People leadership. - Senior Sales ManagerAppleOct 2010 - Nov 2011 (1 year 2 months)
- Regional ManagerGeneral Pants CoAug 2007 - Oct 2010 (3 years 3 months)
Education
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- Bachelor of Business, Human Resource ManagementCharles Sturt University
- CIPD Level 7 Advanced Diploma in HR ManagementCIPD Qualifications
Projects (professional or personal)
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