In an HR landscape as dynamic and uncertain as today’s, HR excellence should be celebrated at every opportunity—both to acknowledge the standout contributions of innovative HR people and to showcase paths toward success for aspiring leaders. Those are among the goals of HR Executive’s annual awards programs, which shine a spotlight on the most strategic and accomplished leaders in the profession today.
Here’s a recap of this year’s winners. Be sure to spend some time catching up on those you missed and learning from some of the top leaders in HR:
By all accounts, the chief people officer of the nation’s largest employer has revolutionized HR at the retail giant. From introducing frontline workers to new AI tools in a strategic, grounded way to spearheading the execution of a $1 billion investment in career training, Morris is laser-focused on equipping the Walmart workforce with the skills needed to carry the retailer into the future of work.
HR Leader of Distinction
The global head of HR at the world’s largest alternative asset manager says she sees the world “through a talent lens,” which has helped her align talent and business strategies and elevate HR’s strategic contributions. She urges fellow HR leaders to step into their potential.
“The second we don’t embrace the fact that we’re key parts of building the future, we lose,” she says.
HR’s Rising Stars
Mai Lan Nguyen, Schneider Electric
The skills and career development of Schneider’s 40,000 North American employees are top of mind for Nguyen, who helms HR for the region after more than two decades with the company. Her commitment to talent investment is evidenced through such initiatives as a new AI upskilling program and the launch of an internal mobility platform.
The senior vice president of global talent management and acquisition has stayed on the leading edge of AI in HR integration. For instance, Tilley spearheaded AI tools to assist interviewers with prep, write more inclusive job descriptions and audit for bias, leaning into data-driven decision-making along the way.
In his work as global HR leader at World Wide Fulfillment by Amazon and North America Selling Business Programs, Howell has fused both advanced data analytics and people-centric storytelling to secure significant HR wins. For instance, he is credited with helping increase middle-management mobility by 15% and employee engagement by 10%, while reducing company spend by tens of millions.
Ajmera has spent nearly two decades at Microsoft, most recently as general manager of HR digital strategy & innovation. In this role, she has driven significant AI innovation, including through the rollout of a new AI-powered employee self-service agent and new HR use cases of Copilot.
Gabrielle Rodman, Dell Technologies
The global senior talent projects and programs lead at Dell has worked to modernize leadership development, including through a new executive training program as well as a development initiative aimed at high-potential talent.
