Candice Levy Thompson

Candice Levy Thompson

VP of HR, Teramind

For Candice Levy, a career in talent leadership was never accidental.

From early in her life, Candice knew she was drawn to two things: people and business. She was fascinated by human potential, personal growth, and the ways organizations succeed when people are empowered to do their best work.

Rather than choosing between those interests, she found a way to combine them.

“I was really lucky that I was able to merge and marry my two passions and make a living out of doing it.”

That mindset became the foundation of a leadership philosophy built on empathy, curiosity, and excellence.

Throughout her career, Candice has viewed talent acquisition as far more than a hiring function. While recruiting serves as the first point of contact between individuals and organizations, she believes its true value lies within a much larger talent ecosystem that includes engagement, development, collaboration, and long-term employee success.

“I truly believe in people’s potential and tapping into their unique strengths while making sure there’s alignment with whatever the mission may be.”

That perspective has guided her rise through increasingly senior leadership roles and helped shape her reputation as a people-first executive who never loses sight of the human side of business.

Building Talent Ecosystems, Not Just Recruiting Functions

One of the defining characteristics of Candice’s leadership philosophy is her belief that talent acquisition should never operate in isolation.

While many organizations view recruiting as a standalone function, Candice sees it as the opening chapter of an employee’s broader journey within an organization.

For her, recruiting is about creating genuine human connections from the very beginning while ensuring those connections continue long after a candidate becomes an employee.

“It is the first way to make a genuine connection, which to me is everything.”

This holistic view has allowed Candice to build people strategies that extend beyond hiring metrics and focus on sustainable organizational success.

She believes businesses thrive when talent leaders think beyond filling roles and instead create environments where individuals can fully contribute, grow, and reach their potential.

That philosophy has remained consistent throughout her career, even as technology, recruiting practices, and workforce expectations have evolved.

“What has kept my network really strong and served my organizations really well is treating people with honor, respect, and a human touch regardless of level or experience.”

It is a leadership style that prioritizes relationships without sacrificing performance and empathy without sacrificing accountability.

The Leaders Who Shaped Her Approach

When reflecting on the leaders who influenced her career, Candice points to two talent acquisition professionals whose impact continues to shape how she leads today.

The first was Alina Owsianik, a recruiting leader she worked alongside during her time at Rogers.

At a time when talent acquisition was often viewed primarily as a relationship-driven function, Alina brought a level of rigor and business discipline that fundamentally changed Candice’s perspective.

“She taught me that it wasn’t just about finding talent and keeping clients happy. It was about being best in class and benchmarking yourself externally.”

Alina approached recruiting with an analytical mindset, focusing heavily on KPIs, operational excellence, and measurable business outcomes.

Watching her lead recruiting as though it were its own business unit left a lasting impression.

Today, Candice continues to bring that same commitment to measurable impact and performance excellence into her own leadership approach.

A second major influence was Marsha Ford, whose focus on diversity, equity, inclusion, and representation broadened Candice’s understanding of talent strategy.

Marsha consistently demonstrated how inclusive hiring practices could drive meaningful business outcomes while simultaneously creating more equitable workplaces.

Rather than treating diversity initiatives as separate from business performance, she connected them directly to organizational success.

“She tied it to business success and showed how representative teams ultimately create stronger organizations.”

Together, these two leaders helped Candice develop a balanced leadership philosophy that combines analytical rigor with deep empathy and inclusion.

One taught operational excellence. The other reinforced the importance of representation, belonging, and human-centered leadership.

Both lessons continue to influence her work today.

Leading With Empathy in an AI-Powered World

As artificial intelligence continues transforming recruiting, Candice believes talent leaders have a unique opportunity to embrace innovation while protecting the human connections that make recruiting effective.

She views AI as both an efficiency accelerator and a source of new complexity.

The technology allows recruiting teams to engage broader talent pools, identify candidates faster, and streamline many administrative processes that historically consumed valuable time.

At the same time, it creates new challenges that require greater intentionality from recruiters.

“AI has made our lives much more efficient, but it has also added a lot of complexity and noise.”

For Candice, the answer is not resisting technology but learning how to leverage it responsibly.

At TerraMind, her team actively uses AI-powered tools to improve sourcing and recruiting workflows. However, she remains convinced that technology cannot replace the human judgment required to assess values alignment, cultural fit, and authentic connection.

“Relationships matter and our touchpoints matter more than ever.”

While AI may increase efficiency, Candice believes the future of recruiting will place even greater importance on emotional intelligence, relationship building, and meaningful human interaction.

Rather than reducing the need for recruiters, AI is elevating the value of the uniquely human skills that great talent professionals bring to the table.

“I am not at all of the mindset that it is going to take over. We’re growing, evolving, and learning. It’s a journey, and it really excites me.”

The Future of Talent Leadership

Candice’s career reflects a balance that many organizations strive to achieve but few execute successfully.

She combines operational excellence with empathy. Strategic thinking with human connection. Business performance with people development.

Whether discussing recruiting, leadership, organizational culture, or technology, her philosophy remains remarkably consistent: people are the foundation of every successful business.

As talent acquisition continues evolving through AI, changing workforce expectations, and increasing organizational complexity, leaders who can maintain that balance will be positioned to have the greatest impact.

Candice Levy’s ability to blend analytical rigor, authentic leadership, and unwavering belief in human potential is precisely what makes her a deserving member of the Talent 100 Awards.