Will ingham: The Culture of Belonging

Will Ingham

Will Ingham is a seasoned HR and people strategy leader with deep experience across global organizations and high-growth ventures. He currently serves as an HR Venture Advisor at SemperVirens, a VC fund focused on workplace, healthcare, and fintech startups. Previously, he was Chief People Officer at Ouro, where he led global HR following the $1B acquisition of Netspend. Will also held senior leadership roles at Poshmark, Visa Europe, and Banana Republic, driving talent strategy, organizational transformation, and international expansion. A frequent speaker and advocate for diversity and inclusion, he co-authored The Rise of HR, reaching over 2 million professionals.

William Ingham: The Culture of Belonging 

Summary by Maya Lockwood

What does it mean to lead with soul in a high-stakes, data-driven world? In this episode of The Soul of Silicon Valley, I sat down with one of the most grounded and visionary people leaders I know—Will Ingham. From his early days at Oracle to executive roles at companies like Visa, Poshmark, and Ouro, Will has spent his career shaping people, teams, and cultures. Today, he's investing in the future of HR through SemperVirens and guiding transformative leadership retreats through Elevation Barn.

Our conversation ranged from his professional purpose to his upcoming book on culture, and I left feeling deeply inspired. Here's what we uncovered.

A Calling, Not Just a Career

Will describes his life’s work in strikingly simple terms:
“I was put on this earth to help people become the greatest version of themselves.”

That mission has taken him through the full spectrum of HR—from performance management to team dynamics to large-scale culture transformation. What stands out is the clarity of his ethos: reducing fear, increasing love.

Yes, he uses the word love—not something you often hear in a boardroom.

“That may sound controversial in business, but I think it’s what we’re here to do. We’re here to reduce fear and increase love.”

It’s an idea that transcends role or title. For Will, high performance doesn’t come from pressure or fear—it comes from people being seen, valued, and connected to purpose.

Belonging Over Inclusion

While DEI remains a core conversation in today’s workplace, Will pushes the language—and mindset—even further.

“Inclusion is being invited to the table. Belonging is knowing you belong there.”

He emphasizes the need for workplaces where people can bring their full selves. When individuals feel psychologically safe, they perform at a higher level, are more innovative, and more resilient. But creating that environment requires intentional cultural design—and courageous leadership.

Balancing People and Profit

It hasn’t always been easy. Will recalled a boardroom moment where he advocated for culture work that prioritized employee wellbeing—and was told flatly, “Business is purely about money.”

Rather than argue, he listened. And then quietly continued proving the opposite.

“Business is about people. The best companies understand that healthy, fulfilled teams drive financial results—not the other way around.”

Legacy and the Rise of Multisensory Leadership

When I asked Will what legacy he hopes to leave, he offered something profound:

“I want to be known for who I was—not just what I did.”

He also shared a growing passion for what he calls the shift from five-sensory to multisensory leadership—an emerging model that embraces intuition, energy, and flow as essential leadership tools.

He cited companies like Mobius in Boston that are training leaders to access forms of intelligence that go beyond data and analytics, and how that might be the very edge that keeps humanity distinct in the age of AI.

“AI can’t intuit. It can’t connect to energy or nature. That’s where humans will always have the edge.”

Elevation Barn: Building a New Kind of Leadership Retreat

Will is also a partner at Elevation Barn, a global retreat series designed to elevate leaders through brand-building principles applied to personal growth.

“We work on your business, personal, and philanthropic purpose—deeply human work. It’s not about what you do. It’s about who you are.”

Having experienced the retreat myself, I can attest to its transformative power. The intimacy, the clarity, the community—it’s unlike any professional development experience out there. Elevation Barn is now creating a corporate offering to help leadership teams undergo cultural transformation together.

Learn more: elevationbarn.com

Culture: Are You an Ass or an Alchemist?

Will is currently writing a book on culture with the cheeky (and unforgettable) working title:
“Culture: Are You an Ass or an Alchemist?”

The core thesis? Culture is a business driver—and it can be designed.

“Culture should be reviewed by boards with the same rigor as financial results. But we haven’t had the tools. The engagement survey most companies use? It was invented in the 1920s.”

His methodology includes designing cultural attributes aligned with company strategy, activating leadership teams to embody those values, and measuring them with modern tools like CultureScope developed by iPsychTec.com in London.

A Word to Founders and Startups

Will’s advice to startup founders is simple:
Don’t wait to define your culture. It's already forming—likely in your image.

“Start with the behaviors and values you believe will drive your strategy. And be intentional about them. Culture isn’t fluff—it’s your human operating system.”

He offers examples of leaders like Larry Ellison, whose aggressive style shaped Oracle’s cutthroat culture, and Don Knaus at Clorox, whose humility and optimism defined a very different kind of organization.

Connect with Will

For those looking to bring a more conscious, intentional, and human-centered approach to leadership, Will offers fractional CPO consulting, culture workshops, and Elevation Barn facilitation.

Best way to reach him?
👉 Connect on LinkedIn – his contact info is listed there.

Will Ingham is not your average HR executive. He’s a soulful strategist, a culture alchemist, and a leader who invites us to rethink what performance, leadership, and success can truly mean.

As we continue exploring the future of work, I’m grateful for voices like his—reminding us that our humanity isn’t a liability in business. It’s the competitive advantage.