Tara Furiani

Over a career of more than 20 years — including 16 as a Chief People Officer and senior executive — Tara has led across entertainment, financial services, non-profit, education, hospitality, media, and technology. Her experience includes organizations valued at more than $6 billion and workforces exceeding 10,000 employees globally, with leadership roles at Alamo Drafthouse, NEON Films, REACH, ACT, loanDepot, and Dale Carnegie. She has advised founders, CEOs, boards, and executive teams through growth, transformation, crisis, culture change, and the complicated human realities that rarely fit neatly onto an org chart.

Today, and since 2020, Tara is the CEO and creator behind Not the HR Lady, where she brings a sharper, more human lens to leadership and the world of work through media, consulting, executive coaching, speaking, and original leadership programs. She is also the founder of SAIL for Leaders, an immersive executive leadership development program for professionals who need something considerably more useful than another hotel conference room seminar, hard muffins, and slide deck with yet another goal setting acronym.

Her work and commentary have appeared in The Wall Street Journal, American Express Business, The Washington Post, BBC, Business Insider, Newsweek, U.S. News & World Report, and numerous other major media outlets. She has spoken on stages around the world, from executive conferences to the Sundance Film Festival, and previously served in an advisory board capacity supporting NASA's inclusion and equity initiatives.

She is the author of F*ck Your Office Snacks, a sharp critique of performative workplace culture and the leadership failures hiding underneath it, and is developing new work exploring leadership, ambition, identity, and what happens when talented people stop building their lives around somebody else's definition of success.

Tara lives in Austin, Texas, with her husband, musician and producer Justin Boggs, and their beautifully busy household with five kids. When she isn't working, speaking, writing, or traveling, you're just as likely to find her at one of Justin's shows with the rock band, Mimiclou, cooking with her family, playing a game of Pass the Mic, or taking karaoke far more seriously than the venue intended.

Chief People Officer & Senior Executive — 16 years. A career of more than 20 years across entertainment, financial services, non-profit, education, hospitality, media and technology, including organizations valued at more than $6 billion and workforces exceeding 10,000 employees globally.

Leadership roles at Alamo Drafthouse, NEON Films, REACH, Account Control Technology, loanDepot, Dale Carnegie.

Not the HR Lady is Tara Furiani's leadership and workplace media brand — a podcast, video series, and editorial platform examining leadership, organizational culture and the future of work. She is its creator and host.

SAIL for Leaders is an immersive executive leadership development program founded by Tara Furiani. SAIL stands for Self-Care, Accountability, Influence, and Learning.