Building Connection at Scale: How Rhiannon Barr is Redefining People Leadership in Tech
In the fast-paced world of tech startups, balancing rapid growth with authentic human connection can feel like an impossible challenge. But for Rhiannon Barr, Head of People at Hire Space, this balance isn't just achievable—it's essential to building a thriving organization.
Hire Space, a leading platform in the events industry, helps people find and book unique venues for meaningful gatherings. Under Rhiannon's leadership, the company has applied this same philosophy of meaningful connection to its internal culture, proving that people-first approaches can drive both engagement and performance.
From reimagining professional development to creating intentional moments of connection, Rhiannon has championed innovative people practices that honor both the agility of startup culture and the structured support that growing teams need. Her approach demonstrates how intuition and analytics can work together, how authentic leadership can overcome imposter syndrome, and why building relationships from day one is crucial for any people leader.
In this candid conversation, Rhiannon shares insights from her journey leading people strategy at a scaling tech company, offering practical wisdom for women building careers in people leadership and anyone interested in creating workplaces where authenticity and performance go hand in hand.
1. How do you ensure your internal people practices reflect the same innovation and connection that Hire Space brings to the events industry?
At Hire Space, we’re in the business of helping people connect in meaningful ways, so it’s important that our people practices reflect that too. Internally, we focus on creating the right environment for our team to grow, collaborate and feel like they belong.
One of the most impactful changes we’ve made recently is evolving how we approach professional development. We’ve moved away from static goal-setting and introduced regular, more fluid, employee-lead monthly check-ins between team members and their managers. The focus is on the journey, not just the end result. We want growth to feel continuous and human, not like a box-ticking exercise. Alongside that, we’ve recently made some fantastic improvements to our benefits, including a generous health cash plan and the launch of a workplace nursery scheme, with the aim of supporting our people in both their personal and professional lives, particularly with the economic challenges we’ve all seen over the last few years.
Our culture is something we consistently score highly on in our engagement surveys. Our people tell us they feel they can bring their authentic selves to work, and that they’re encouraged to share ideas and continuously push for the best. That openness to innovation is what makes the team so special. Our values: continually self-improving, keen to help, and action-oriented, are woven into the way we work together every day.
2. How do you balance startup agility with the more structured people processes needed as you grow? What challenges have you faced as a female leader in tech?
One of the biggest challenges in a growing company is building structure and processes without losing the culture that made it successful in the first place. At Hire Space, we’re always trying to protect the things that make us feel like a startup; pace, ownership, creativity, while building in the consistency that helps people feel supported as we grow.
A good example of that is how we’ve changed our approach to development. We knew we needed a more consistent structure, but we didn’t want it to feel too dictated, overly rigid or formal. So we revisited our framework, we focused on creating space for meaningful, employee-lead conversations each month. It’s light-touch but really intentional, and it gives everyone ownership of their own growth. It’s focused on the journey, not just the destination.
In terms of my own leadership journey, I’m very lucky to be part of a senior team that has always backed me fully and trusted me to act in the best interests of the team. That said, I’ve definitely experienced imposter syndrome, which I think a lot of women in leadership roles can relate to. It’s something I’ve had to work on, and the support of my peers and colleagues has been so important in helping me build confidence and trust my instincts.
3. How do you merge care for your people with the strategic demands of scaling a tech company? What does it look like when intuition meets analytics in your role?
People-first decisions can still be strategic ones. I’ve always believed that if you build the right environment, performance follows. You don’t have to choose between the two.
That said, data plays an important role. We use engagement surveys, 1:1 feedback and regular conversations to understand what’s working and where we need to shift. When we spotted in our last survey that development was an area people wanted more consistency and structure around, we didn’t just tweak a few templates. We rethought the whole approach and rebuilt it to focus more on continuous conversations and shared responsibility.
At the same time, intuition matters. Sometimes you can feel that something’s off before the numbers show it. Whether it’s a drop in energy, team dynamics or someone disengaging quietly, being close to the day-to-day and building real relationships helps you pick up on things that data alone can’t show. It’s about listening to both, and acting on what you hear.
4. How do you apply the philosophy of meaningful connection to your people strategy? What role do physical and virtual spaces play in building culture?
We talk a lot about connection at Hire Space, and we try to bring that to life in the way we work together too. Connection doesn’t just happen by accident, it takes intention and consistency.
We’ve recently introduced two 10 minute in-person team standups each week, which have been a brilliant way to build energy, alignment and belonging. On Tuesdays we set our goals for the week, share progress against monthly targets, and recognise team members who’ve lived our values. On Thursdays we celebrate wins and review how the week went. They’re short and simple, but they’ve made a real difference and in May we had our most successful month ever!
We also have a fantastic social committee who bring real creativity and energy to building community; organising everything from breakfasts to sports days, summer parties and cultural celebrations. They create moments that help the team connect on a more personal level, which is so important in a fast-paced environment, along with encouraging constant real-time feedback in our company-wide #recognition channel. These kinds of shared experiences and public recognition of the great things our team are doing every day play a big role in shaping the culture and keeping it vibrant as we grow.
5. What advice would you give to women building a career in people leadership? What do you wish you’d known earlier in your own career?
Build relationships with everyone, and start doing it from day one. In smaller teams or standalone roles, you can’t do anything meaningful without trust. Make space to understand people, follow through on your commitments, and show that you’re there to help them succeed, not just to tick HR boxes.
I’d also say, seek out senior leaders who genuinely empower you. I’ve been lucky to work with leaders who’ve given me the freedom and confidence to push boundaries and shape things from the ground up. That support has been game-changing. If you’re in a space where you don’t feel that kind of backing, it’s okay to ask for it, or to move towards something better.
And finally, to my younger self: don’t wait until you feel ready. You’ll probably never feel 100% ready, and that’s okay. Say yes, trust yourself, and know that your perspective has value, even if you’re still figuring things out.
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