Dan Sodergren Named a Top 101 Global Employee Engagement & Experience Influencer
Dan Sodergren Named a Top 101 Global Employee Engagement & Experience Influencer
for the third year running
I’ve been named one of the Top 101 Global Employee Engagement & Experience Influencers 2026 by Inspiring Workplaces.
This is my third year in a row on the list.
The first time I appeared back in 2023, I didn’t expect it. I work in this space every day, but recognition like this always lands a little sideways. You look at the names alongside yours — people shaping HR, Internal Comms, leadership, technology — and you pause.
Three years on, the feeling is different. Less surprise. More responsibility.
What the #Engagement101 is actually about
The #Engagement101 highlights people from across the global business community who are doing the work of improving how organisations treat, involve, and listen to their people.
That work shows up in different ways.
Some educate.
Some build platforms or communities.
Some influence conversations through content, research, or leadership.
The list isn’t built on popularity. It’s shaped by contributors from around the world and focuses on real contribution. People who are changing how organisations think about employee experience — and what they’re prepared to invest in.
Especially in this time of the Fifth Industrial Revolution.
Why this matters right now
Work is changing faster than most organisations are comfortable admitting.
AI is altering roles, workflows, and expectations. Job descriptions are being rewritten in real time. Productivity is being redefined. But here’s the point I keep making in keynotes and boardrooms:
Technology doesn’t reduce the need for engaged people.
It increases it.
That idea sits at the centre of my books The Fifth Industrial Revolution and The NEW Intelligence (available at https://futureofwork.gumroad.com/).
The organisations that perform best aren’t the ones rushing to deploy tools. They’re the ones using AI to improve decision-making, reduce friction, and give people better work — not just more work.
That’s also where my Four Intelligences framework comes from:
Artificial. Emotional. Independent. Organisational.
You can’t apply AI well without emotional intelligence.
You can’t build organisational intelligence without trust and autonomy.
And you don’t get sustainable engagement by accident.
It’s the base layer.
Three years on the list — and a changing conversation
When I joined the list in 2024, the question was whether AI would replace jobs.
In 2025, it became about responsible use.
Now, in 2026, better leaders are asking something more useful:
How do we use this moment to build workplaces where people actually want to stay and do good work?
That’s the thread running through everything I do. Whether I’m speaking to executives in Brazil, running AI training with Internal Comms teams, or writing my Future of Work Friday newsletter — it always comes back to the same principle.
People first.
Technology in service of people.
What happens next
Members of the #Engagement101 will be invited to contribute to events, research, guides, and practical resources throughout 2026. I’m glad to be part of those conversations — and to keep sharing what works, what doesn’t, and what leaders need to hear.
If your organisation is trying to balance AI adoption with employee engagement, culture, and trust, you can find more about my speaking and training work at www.dansodergren.com or follow the ongoing conversation on LinkedIn.
And to everyone else on this year’s list — well done.
Now let’s turn good thinking into better workplaces.
View the full #Engagement101 list:
