‘Not just a celebrity figurehead’: Hugh Jackman becomes head of impact at Humanitix

Australian star actor Hugh Jackman, who plays Wolverine in the X Men films and PT Barnum in 2017’s The Greatest Showman, has taken a new role as head of impact at social enterprise ticketing platform Humanitix.

Humanitix is a not-for-profit events ticketing platform founded in Australia in 2016, which offers lower booking fees than commercial platforms and donates 100% of its profits to charity. Its competitors include Eventbrite and TicketMaster.

Now expanding into the UK and North America, Humanitix has to date directed more than £11m to charity from ticket sales through its platform. Jackman’s role will focus on amplifying the company’s impact as it grows internationally by raising awareness, with a target to grow Humanitix’s charity donations to £50m globally.

Jackman said: “For a long time, we’ve accepted this idea that business exists to make money, and if you want to do good, you start a charity. Two separate worlds.

“Humanitix rejects that entirely – and that's what makes it so important. Not just as a ticketing platform, but as a signal of where capitalism needs to go. Every dollar of profit goes to the mission, there are no shareholders in the equation. That’s not corporate social responsibility. That’s a whole new architecture for how a company can work.”

Jackman is not new to the world of impact: in 2009, he co-founded social enterprise Laughing Man Coffee, a fair trade coffee company that partners with farmers focused on growing coffee sustainably around the world, and gives away profits to charity. 

Humanitix is expanding at speed in the US, expecting to process US$150m in ticket sales in 2026, representing more than 40% year-over-year growth.

• Read more: Taking on the ticketing giants: Humanitix, a social enterprise event ticketing platform, launches in UK

Helping scale the business globally 

Jackman was directly working with the team on international growth and partnerships, Humanitix co-founder Adam McCurdie told Pioneers Post. “He’s joined us not as an ambassador, but in a real role helping us scale the business globally.” 

He added the actor was bringing a different lens to the business, particularly around growing influence and networks. “He’s actively involved in conversations about where this goes next, not just a celebrity figurehead,” McCurdie said. 

Jackman discovered the social enterprise through a shared connection with philosopher Peter Singer, and “genuinely fell in love with the Humanitix model”, according to McCurdie. He added the actor and the organisation had an “aligned thinking around making social impact through social enterprise and effective charitable giving”. 

He’s actively involved in conversations about where this goes next, not just a celebrity figurehead

The partnership was a year in the making, McCurdie said. “What surprised us most is how genuinely invested he is in the mission with a deep understanding of social enterprise. He’s read a lot of the same books as us on social impact and is really aligned to our way of thinking about social enterprise. It feels less like working with a celebrity and more about working with someone who cares deeply about the outcome.”

Social enterprises and charities can host events on Humanitix at cost, and the platform puts a strong focus on accessibility: the website is compatible with screen readers, and hosts using the platform are asked to input the information necessary for people with disabilities to decide whether it is possible for them to attend an event.

• Pioneers Post is using Humanitix as the booking platform for our forthcoming NatWest SE100 Impact Pioneer Awards, which take place in Manchester on 13 May 2026. 

Top image: Hugh Jackman, courtesy of Humanitix