Diversifying Your Talent Pipeline, with Kyle Samuels

In this podcast episode, Dr. Jonathan H. Westover talks with Kyle Samuels about diversifying your talent pipeline.

Kyle Samuels is the founder and CEO of Creative Talent Endeavors (CTE), a retained executive search firm known for helping organizations identify and hire the leadership talent that drives growth, transformation, and long-term value. Under Kyle’s leadership, CTE has been recognized twice on the Inc. 5000 list of fastest-growing private companies and was named the #4 fastest-growing company in Charlotte. What sets Kyle apart is a deep commitment to authenticity, candor, and alignment. Whether he’s partnering with a founder making their first executive hire or a global enterprise reshaping its leadership bench, Kyle brings a direct, empathetic, and values-driven approach to every search. His work is grounded in the belief that hiring the right leader isn’t just about a resume — it’s about long-term fit, trust, and shared purpose. Kyle is also the creator of Fairantee™, a value-based pricing search algorithm that uses data to determine the price of a search, not an arbitrary percentage like most search firms use. This makes using executive search more transparent and equitable.

Check out all of the podcasts in the HCI Podcast Network!