Thomas Cunningham

Thomas Cunningham is an experienced executive with over 20 years of experience in professional services across HR, operational leadership, and software development. He currently serves as an Executive Fellow at the Higher Ambition Leadership Alliance, a position he has held since July 2024.1

Professional Background

Prior to his current role, Cunningham held several notable positions:

• Chief People Officer (CPO) at Pariveda Solutions (March 2017 - August 2023): He served as the functional equivalent of CPO, though his internal title was Lead Link of the People Circle.1

• Office Managing Vice President at Pariveda Solutions (August 2014 - February 2017): In this role, he was responsible for building and managing the local market consulting practice in New York.1

• Managing Director at Neudesic (January 2011 - March 2013): He led the business operations for Neudesic in the Northeast region.1

Areas of Expertise

Cunningham's focus areas include:

• Culture transformation
• Organizational design
• Adult development
• Career acceleration

His philosophy emphasizes combining an inspiring vision for the future with passionate stewardship of the organization.1

Key Contributions

During his tenure as CPO, Cunningham played crucial roles in:

• Learning and recruiting strategies
• CEO succession planning
• Acquisition integration
• Establishing a DEI office
• Crisis communications
• Executive assessment
• Retention strategies
• International expansion
• Mentorship and coaching
• Employee engagement improvement1

Current Role

As an Executive Fellow at the Higher Ambition Leadership Alliance, Cunningham engages with HR leadership at member organizations. He supports their efforts to foster great cultures where Higher Ambition Leadership can thrive. The Alliance is a member-driven nonprofit organization focused on promoting human-centered leadership approaches that create trusted stakeholder relationships, healthy cultures, and high-performing organizations.1