HR Crowd ranked 16th as demand grows for strategic HR tech

HR Crowd, a specialist HR technology consultancy, has been ranked 16th on the 2025 Australian Financial Review Fast Starters list. The ranking highlights the rapid growth the firm has achieved in under three years, driven by demand for specialist partners able to align HR systems with core business strategy, compliance and performance.

HR as strategy

Founded in 2023 by Co-CEOs Judith Carelsen and Adrian Everett, together with Chairman Hernus Carelsen, HR Crowd was established to address the need for business- and process-led HR transformation in large and complex enterprises. The company works across sectors including mining, energy, healthcare, and the public sector where HR, payroll, and time-tracking requirements are closely tied to regulatory and operational demands.

The firm positions itself within the SAP SuccessFactors ecosystem, providing advisory, solution design, implementation, and managed services for clients transitioning to or optimising these technologies. Its approach aims to position HR systems as central to an organisation’s operational and strategic priorities, rather than supplementary to broader enterprise resource planning initiatives.

Outcomes-based delivery

HR Crowd’s operations are centred on the principle that HR can drive tangible business outcomes. Its consultancy model combines strategic advice with hands-on delivery to ensure that technology investments support workforce strategy and organisational goals. An experienced core team of consultants in Australia and New Zealand is supported by specialists in the Philippines and Singapore, while newer consultants are brought on to encourage fresh thinking and maintain agility in responding to client needs.

“We started HR Crowd to deliver a business and process-first approach to implementing SAP SuccessFactors technology. We wanted to ensure that we can support customers to do better and more efficient business, with SAP SuccessFactors as the enabling technology,” said Judith Carelsen, Co-CEO, HR Crowd.

Carelsen said that focusing on real, measurable outcomes and treating HR as a strategic business asset had resonated with clients across the region. This approach is viewed as having supported the company’s rapid growth and client retention.

Market demand

The company’s growth reflects a wider trend among large organisations seeking technology partners who are able to deliver value beyond system installation, with ongoing optimisation and support. Clients turn to HR Crowd for help with complex workforce management, compliance, and pay environments. The consultancy has retained many of its earliest customers, pointing to demand for long-term partnerships.

“To be recognised on the AFR Fast Starters list shows that the market wasn’t just ready, it was hungry for a consulting partner focused on delivering real value and measurable return on technology investment. We’re not here to deliver a single project and walk away, we’re here for long-term impact and return. Many of our customers who supported us from day one are still with us today,” said Adrian Everett, Co-CEO, HR Crowd.

Everett said that the rapidly changing technology landscape had created further opportunities for clients to leverage HR platforms for business benefit and highlighted the emphasis on improving the experience of employees within client organisations.

Company culture

HR Crowd attributes part of its success to a work culture that supports learning, collaboration, and contributions from employees at all career stages. The leadership believes that organisational values and internal culture have played a critical role in achieving client outcomes and sustaining growth since the company was founded.

“From the start, incredible people took a leap of faith to join a fledgling company because they believed in what we were trying to build,” said Carelsen. “They shaped our culture, our reputation and our results. The heart of HR Crowd’s success is its people – their commitment, their standards, and the way they show up for clients and each other.”