Partner spotlight: CultureHQ

For our second partner spotlight, we’re joined by Brian Vigeant, CEO and Cofounder of CultureHQ—the employee storytelling platform trusted by global brands such as Microsoft, Santander, and Verizon. CultureHQ helps some of the biggest brands in the world collect and share real employee stories that attract talent and keep teams genuinely engaged.  

Brian’s favorite thing about his role? Working with a diverse group of talented people.  

“As a founder, it’s been incredibly rewarding to see our small team grow into a group of awesome people from across the globe. Whether in sales or engineering, everyone brings something different—and that diversity brings our mission to life.” 

As the CEO of CultureHQ, Brian is leading the way in authentic candidate experience. We were excited to hear his unique perspectives on employer branding today—and his priorities for the future.  

What one trend are you seeing that’s reshaping employer branding? And how is it impacting your customers? 

It’s impossible not to talk about AI.  

In this crazy era—since 2022 when ChatGPT first launched—AI has reshaped everything. But the irony is: this wave of AI-generated content has only underscored the power of truly authentic storytelling. It's become easier than ever to spot the difference between corporate, AI-generated content and a genuine human voice. 

Historically, companies have played it safe—sharing top-down, corporate messaging. But the brands that will really stand out and be truly impactful are those that fully lean into human-first, personal storytelling—and that requires courage. 

Allowing your employees to show their authentic selves—not just their polished work persona—will cut through more than ever. And it’s a trend that we’ll consistently see as AI permeates every aspect of content creation.  
 

What’s a common challenge your customers face, and how has CultureHQ helped turn that challenge into an opportunity? 

Many of our customers share a common challenge: creating meaningful content at scale across their global business. There are typically two main factors at play: 

• Employee reluctance: How do you get employees to feel confident enough to tell their story—especially if they’re not natural content creators? 
• Employer resistance: What about the red tape? How do you navigate privacy, permissions, and compliance without slowing everything down? 

These challenges are difficult to overcome. Really difficult.  

How can we encourage employees to share their truth—without going rogue? How do we make sure we have the right permissions? And what happens when staff leave the company?  

Faced with these hurdles, many companies default to generic corporate content.  

CultureHQ streamlines storytelling on both sides.  

We help employees feel comfortable by offering personalized prompts, practical tips, and real examples of what good content looks like. Authentic storytelling doesn’t have to be polished or perfect—it's about showing a little bit of the messy side of human emotions. Seeing examples of personal, powerful stories empowers staff to open up and tell their own story in their own way.  

On the employer side, our platform makes it easy to manage risk and review content—approval and publishing is streamlined into a single click. 

Data often reveals surprising insights. What one key insight has shaped your thinking or strategy recently?   

This one takes me back to the beginning—to our founding story.  

My co-founder and I connected over a ping-pong table while working at a large global company. We saw firsthand how human connection impacts team dynamics, so we set about building a platform that learns about employees and helps them connect based on shared interests and passions. 

To begin with, it was hard to prove the ROI of the platform—but then COVID-19 struck. Suddenly, companies around the globe entered the crazy world of remote work and our tool became indispensable.  

People were capturing and sharing authentic stories of working from home—and it clicked. We weren’t just creating connections during a crisis. We were helping to showcase authentic culture. 

So often the best ideas were right in front of you all along. We’d never looked at it through an employer brand lens, but suddenly companies wanted to share this content on their careers websites—and we realized the true value of what we’d built. 

This insight has been the driving force fueling us from then through today. We saw how impactful reality-first storytelling—not just imagery—could be for both employees and  candidates. 

Looking forward, what innovation or emerging idea excites you the most in this space?   

I’m excited about how AI can enhance—not replace—storytelling.  

The challenge isn’t generating content. It’s guiding people to express themselves in a way that feels genuine and resonates with candidates as a result. That’s why we’re embedding AI in the CultureHQ platform—to act like a creative coach, not a content machine. 

We give users quick, clever prompts that help to build a creative brief before hitting record.  They have the personalized instructions they need to create more personal, less performative content, quickly.  
 

Can you share a defining moment in your career that taught you an invaluable lesson?   

A few years ago, we launched a major recruitment campaign to hire a lead engineer.  

Coming from a Sales background, I intuitively leaned towards high-energy, outgoing, funny candidates. Someone who mirrored my own style. 

But engineering is a different world. 

After rounds of interviews, our two top candidates were polar opposites: one outgoing, one timid—both very smart. I was first very drawn to the candidate with a similar personality to mine—but despite my gut feeling, we hired the more reserved candidate. 

It was one of the best decisions we ever made. He turned out to be an incredible engineer, a strong cultural fit, and someone who consistently brought so many great ideas to the table.  

This experience showed me very clearly that I was letting my own bias and personal preferences influence my hiring decisions. It was a profound realization and one that shaped how I approach hiring and leadership today.  

Want to see how authentic your employer brand really is?  

Book your free authenticity audit—a behind-the-scenes look at how your employer brand is perceived by candidates across your channels. You’ll learn where your messaging connects—and where it might be falling flat.  

Or to see how the CultureHQ platform can help you turn employee voices into your most powerful brand asset, get in touch with the team today.