Our Story — The Human Collaborative - Talent Advisory and Strategy Operations

Who We Are

The Human Collaborative exists to bring people together – clients, partners, technology and talent – to create a more connected, confident and capable world of work. We believe workforce strategy is business strategy, and when organisations build those foundational capabilities, they unlock performance that lasts.

Our purpose is to close the gap between intention and execution, to connect strategy, democratise knowledge and leading practices, manage measured risk, and prepare you to outpace workforce evolution. We work alongside your teams, not above them, helping you design and deploy workforce ecosystems that empower people, strengthen culture, embrace technology and drive measurable business outcomes.

Combining expertise in Business Strategy, Workforce Operating Models and Technology, we bring together the right specialists to deliver impactful, long-lasting outcomes. Our agile model – supported by a trusted network for collaborators – ensures you have the capability you need, exactly when you need it to build a more connected and future-ready workforce.

Sue Howse

Founder & Managing Partner

Sue is an experienced Executive Advisor in Talent, Workforce Planning and Workforce Solutions with over 25 years’ experience across the full Talent Lifecycle. Her expertise spans Talent Strategy, Talent Management, Talent Acquisition, Talent Branding, Contingent Workforce strategies and operating models, technology ecosystem and helping organisations align their people operations to business priorities.

Sue has a unique ability to support companies to enable their businesses strategy and deliver against high standards of collaborative leadership, motivating, empowering and developing others to do the same.

With such diverse industry sector experience, coupled with a work history spanning small, medium, large and public and private sectors, locally and globally, Sue adapts fast to understand how she and the team can truly create solutions and outcomes for clients.

She is an effective and direct communicator as well as being an energetic presenter and public speaker.

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Sean Garbett

Managing Partner

Sean is a seasoned leader in Workforce Solutions and Human Capital Management, with over 20 years’ global experience across North America, Europe, Asia and Australia. He helps organisations unlock the strategic value of their contingent workforce to drive agility, digital transformation and sustainable growth.

His career began in Ernst & Young’s Business and Risk Management practice before more than a decade with ManpowerGroup, including four years as European General Manager. He then spent nearly ten years at SAP Fieldglass, five as Global General Manager, giving him rare insight across both the operational and technology sides of HR and Procurement.

Sean brings deep expertise in human capital management, contingent workforce strategy, governance and ecosystem maturity. His approach is consultative, practical and focused on enabling leaders to treat their contingent workforce not as a cost — but as a critical, value-adding asset.

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Jamie Saad

Practice Lead – Total Talent Solutions

Jamie brings over 17 years’ experience delivering operational excellence across complex Managed Service Programs. Highly adaptable and commercially minded, Jamie partners closely with teams and stakeholders to navigate changing business priorities, market conditions and the ongoing evolution of workforce programs.

With experience spanning Banking and Finance, Oil and Gas, IT and the Public Sector, Jamie has developed deep expertise across Managed Service Programs (MSP), Recruitment Process Outsourcing (RPO), project delivery, process design and optimisation, Vendor Management System (VMS) implementations, and leadership.

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Leanne Mitchell

Chief Financial Officer

Leanne Mitchell is our CFO. Leanne is a Chartered Accountant and the founder and former Principal of Number$ Count, a Chartered Accounting practice she established and led for over 27 years. Following the sale of her practice, Leanne moved into senior advisory and CFO-level roles, working closely with business owners and leadership teams to improve financial performance, strengthen decision-making, and support sustainable growth.

Leanne now works independently with a portfolio of clients as a Fractional CFO and trusted adviser, partnering with businesses from start-up through to scale-up. Known for her commercial and practical approach, she goes beyond compliance to help clients gain financial clarity, manage risk, and unlock growth opportunities. Her experience and broad expertise include financial strategy, business management, business planning and structuring, asset protection, succession planning, and business tax planning.

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Get in touch with The Human Collaborative

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Who We Are

Sue Howse

Sean Garbett

Jamie Saad

Leanne Mitchell

Our Collaborators