Governing Body Spotlight

Samantha Coker is a passionate HR leader with more than 20 years of experience in construction, field services, and professional services. As Chief Human Resources Officer for Apache Industrial Holdings, she leads people strategy, communications, and culture for more than 5,000 employees across North America. She’s all about helping people and businesses grow stronger together.

A Louisiana native, Samantha loves good food, family travel adventures, endurance races, and her two spoiled pugs, Pam and Patricia.

Learn more about the Houston CHRO community here.
 

Give us a brief overview of the path that led to your current role.

My path to Chief Human Resources Officer started in recruiting, which can be a tough but rewarding place to learn the value of discipline, grit, and dealing with people from all different backgrounds. I grew up around industrial construction, with a dad who spent his career helping people find work, and that shaped how I think about opportunity and purpose. Over the past 20 years, I’ve worked in a range of HR leadership roles within large construction and industrial service organizations, learning to balance people, performance, and progress.

Today, as Chief Human Resources Officer at Apache Industrial Holdings, I oversee HR, payroll, communications, and marketing for more than 5,000 employees across North America. I’m passionate about building strong teams, fostering trust and accountability, and creating environments where people can do great work and enjoy the process along the way.
 

What is one of your guiding leadership principles?

One of the things I really believe in as a leader is that discipline actually creates freedom. When you're reliable, you show up, and you do what you say you're going to do, you've earned the right to lead with real clarity and confidence.
 

What is the greatest challenge CHROs face today, and how are you addressing it?

The biggest challenge in my role is navigating constant organizational and market change while keeping people confident in the direction we’re heading. In HR, we sit at the intersection of strategy and human reality, where every decision has ripple effects. My focus is on communication and trust: being transparent, setting priorities, and keeping our teams focused on what really moves the business forward.
 

What is the key to success for someone just starting out as a CHRO?

The key to success in this role is understanding exactly how you and your team create value for the business. For us, it’s getting employees to job sites safely, quickly, and efficiently while making sure our field operations teams feel supported and cared for. Our job is to remove stress from their work lives, not add to it. Figure out what truly matters, get really good at it – better than anyone else – and then deliver it with consistency and pride.
 

How do you measure success as a leader?

I measure success by the level of trust within my teams – my HR team, my peers, and the broader leadership group. Without trust, nothing else works. People need to know they can be honest with me, even when the feedback is hard, and that I’ll do the same for them. When trust is strong, communication is open, accountability is natural, and the team can move faster and farther together.
 

What is the value of being a member of Gartner C-level Communities?

Being part of Gartner C-level Communities offers a chance to step back from the day-to-day, connect with peers, and gain new perspective to reimagine what’s possible.
 

Governing Body members share their insights and leadership perspectives to shape the agendas and topics that address the top priorities impacting business leaders today.