Research
People Leader Moves, Q2 2026.
The CHRO and Chief People Officer changes US public companies reported to the SEC from April 1 to June 30, 2026, each one named and linked to the filing.
Next Horizon Leadership
Published October 6, 2026 · 16 moves from SEC filings
In the second quarter of 2026, 14 companies reported 16 changes in their top people seat to the SEC: 11 departures and 5 appointments. Each row names the person and links to the company’s own filing.
| Filed | Company | Move | Person | Title | Filing |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kennametal KMT | Appointment | Amanda Cole | Chief Human Resources OfficerPromoted from inside | Form 8-K filed by Kennametal on Jun 30, 2026, on sec.gov | |
| Mueller Water Products MWA | Departure | Todd P. Helms | Chief Human Resources Officer | Form 8-K filed by Mueller Water Products on Jun 18, 2026, on sec.gov | |
| Alaska Air Group ALK | Appointment | Lindsay-Rae McIntyre | Chief People Officer | 8-K press release filed by Alaska Air Group on Jun 17, 2026, on sec.gov | |
| Cencora COR | Departure | Silvana Battaglia | Chief Human Resources Officer | Form 8-K filed by Cencora on Jun 15, 2026, on sec.gov | |
| Cencora COR | Appointment | Samantha L. Hammock | Chief Human Resources OfficerFrom outside the company · Has held the seat before | Form 8-K filed by Cencora on Jun 15, 2026, on sec.gov | |
| Aditxt ADTX | Departure | Christopher J. Porcelli | Chief People Officer | Form 8-K filed by Aditxt on Jun 5, 2026, on sec.gov | |
| Yum! Brands YUM | Departure | Tracy Skeans | Chief People and Culture Officer | Form 8-K filed by Yum! Brands on Jun 2, 2026, on sec.gov | |
| Builders FirstSource BLDR | Departure | Mike Hiller | Chief Talent OfficerNow Chief Operating Officer-Designate | Form 8-K filed by Builders FirstSource on May 18, 2026, on sec.gov | |
| Builders FirstSource BLDR | Appointment | Coley O'Brien | Chief Human Resources OfficerFrom outside the company | Form 8-K filed by Builders FirstSource on May 18, 2026, on sec.gov | |
| LendingTree TREE | Departure | Jill Olmstead | Chief Human Resources Officer | Form 8-K filed by LendingTree on May 18, 2026, on sec.gov | |
| Uber UBER | Departure | Nikki Krishnamurthy | Chief People Officer | Form 8-K filed by Uber on May 11, 2026, on sec.gov | |
| Hilton HLT | Departure | Laura Fuentes | Chief Human Resources OfficerMoving to Chief Brand Officer | Form 8-K filed by Hilton on May 5, 2026, on sec.gov | |
| Health Catalyst HCAT | Departure | Linda Llewelyn | Chief People OfficerRole eliminated | Form 8-K filed by Health Catalyst on Apr 27, 2026, on sec.gov | |
| The Simply Good Foods Company SMPL | Departure | Amy Held | Chief Human Resources Officer | Form 8-K filed by The Simply Good Foods Company on Apr 21, 2026, on sec.gov | |
| Patriot National Bancorp PNBK | Departure | Frederick Staudmyer | Chief Human Resources Officer | Form 8-K filed by Patriot National Bancorp on Apr 8, 2026, on sec.gov | |
| Versigent VGNT | Appointment | Sharon Vinci | Chief People OfficerFirst officers at the spin-off | Form 8-K filed by Versigent on Apr 1, 2026, on sec.gov |
Where the new leaders came from
| What the filing says | Appointments |
|---|---|
| From outside the company | 2 |
| Promoted from inside | 1 |
| Origin not stated in the filing | 2 |
| Had held the top people seat before | 1 |
| First time in the seat | 0 |
| Experience not stated in the filing | 4 |
By sector
| Sector | Moves | Departures | Appointments |
|---|---|---|---|
| Consumer & Retail | 5 | 4 | 1 |
| Industrial, Energy & Transport | 4 | 1 | 3 |
| Life Sciences & Healthcare | 3 | 2 | 1 |
| Financial Services | 2 | 2 | 0 |
| Technology | 2 | 2 | 0 |
Sectors follow each company’s SEC industry code, grouped the way NHL’s rooms are named.
How this is counted
US public companies file a Form 8-K, Item 5.02, within four business days when a named executive officer leaves, and some also file one when they appoint a new people leader, which for a CHRO or Chief People Officer is their choice. We search those filings for the usual titles of the top people seat (Chief Human Resources Officer, Chief People Officer and their variants), and count each appointment and departure once, in the quarter it was first filed. A company appears twice when a departure and a successor are filed together.
Read the counts as what companies disclosed in these filings. Many changes in the top people seat are announced only in a press release, or never filed: a company must report a departing named executive officer, and chooses whether to report a new people leader. A filing that gives the seat an unusual title, or reports the move under another item, can also be missed. So the list holds more departures than appointments, and fewer moves than the market. The full method, every quarter and the data as a CSV are on People Leader Moves.
Source: SEC EDGAR, Form 8-K Item 5.02 filings, April 1, 2026 to June 30, 2026. Compiled by Next Horizon Leadership.
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