The strength of every organisation lies in its people, and superior People and Culture leadership has proven a critical factor in sustaining business success in turbulent times. The role of Chief People Officer, Chief Human Resources Officer or Executive General Manager People and Culture now carries a much broader remit than traditional human resources obligations. These leaders provide strategic leadership of culture and capability, drive internal policies that affect the entire organisation, and need the skills to lead rapid transformation, working in partnership with the Chief Executive Officer to build stronger, more diverse and more successful organisations.

Our Partners approach every People and Culture search individually, assessing what the Chief Executive Officer and the Board expect of the function, how far the organisation is into its transformation, and whether the appointee is being asked to build a function or to lead one that is already performing. They bring years of client side experience across diverse global industries and work forces, and understand the complex dynamics of employee relations, organisational development, industiand company culture. They look for outstanding people skills and cultural alignment alongside exceptional levels of skill.

The People and Culture practice at Omera Partners is sector agnostic, because the function sits at the executive table in every organisation. Omera Partners appoints Chief People Officers, Chief Human Resources Officers and Executive General Managers People and Culture across the following industries, from offices in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane, supported by an in house research team:

•         Business andProfessional Services

•         DigitalInfrastructure

•         Energy, Oil andGas

•         FinancialServices

•         FMCG, Franchiseand Consumer Services

•         Government, Nonprofit and Education

•         Health and LifeSciences

•         Industrial andManufacturing

•         Infrastructure,Transportation and Water

•         InstitutionalInvestment and Private Capital

•         Marketing,Communications, Digital and Corporate Affairs

•         Mining and MiningServices

•         Retail andConsumer

•         Superannuationand Funds Management

•         Technology, Mediaand Telecommunications

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Market perspective

Engagement is one of the clearest signals of the pressure on People and Culture leaders. Gallup’s State of the Global Workplace 2026 report found that only 21% of Australian employees are engaged, two points below the prior three year average, and reported that manager engagement has fallen from 31% in 2022 to 22% in 2025. Boards increasingly expect their Chief People Officer to hold a clear view on how culture, leadership capability and manager effectiveness translate into performance.

Artificial intelligence now sits firmly on the Chief People Officer’s agenda. The Australian HR Institute points to a leadership and management deficit and a growing artificial intelligence capability gap that threaten to stall progress, while Jobs and Skills Australia found that generative artificial intelligence is more likely to augment jobs than replace them, with adoption still early and the right skills essential. The Chief People Officer therefore sits at the centre of how an organisation prepares its people for artificial intelligence, through workforce planning, capability building and employee trust.

Questions Boards and Chief Executives should ask before appointing a Chief People Officer

•         Have the board and Chief Executive Officer agreed what the Chief People Officer must deliver beyond traditional human resources obligations, including strategic leadership of culture and capability?

•         Is the appointee expected to transform the People and Culture function, or to lead a function that is already performing?

•         How will the Chief People Officer work with the Chief Executive Officer and the executive team?

•         Can the candidate show how they have connected workforce planning, training and capability to the strategy of the organisation?

•         Can the candidate show how they have led workforce planning, capability building and employee trust through the adoption of artificial intelligence?

•         Will the shortlist be diverse as well as exceptional?

Working with Omera Partners

Omera Partners advises Boards and Chief Executives on Chief People Officer, Chief Human Resources Officer and Executive General Manager People and Culture appointments across Australia, from offices in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane. When a single appointment shapes the culture, capability and confidence of an entire organisation, the search deserves a firm with genuine depth across the People and Culture function. That is the standard Omera Partners brings to every People and Culture appointment.