HR Awards 2023: A night to remember

HRReporter.com
Sept. 26, 2023
Sarah Dobson

Hundreds were in attendance recently at the 10th annual Canadian HR Awards, with Canadian HR Reporter celebrating excellence in the profession.

Held for the first time at the renowned Westin Harbour Castle in Toronto, the gala event saw HR leaders, HR teams, and employers gathered together to honour the best of the best in the industry.

And Canadian HR Reporter was on hand to capture the reactions of the winners --- along with their insights into the always-exciting HR profession.

Below are comments from the award winners, in order of appearance, while a full list including nominees can be found here.

Best Service Provider: Chartered Professional in Human Resources British Columbia and Yukon (CPHR BC & Yukon): The association was “beyond honoured,” said Kara Douglas, director of marketing, communications and member affairs, citing the organization’s drive to be “the voice of the profession” and a membership of 8,000.

“We just want to do what we can to support our members through advocacy and professional development and learning.”

CPHR BC & Yukon is also “humbled” to be nominated in the best service provider category, said Sue Ryan, chair of CPHR Canada.

“We don't think of ourselves as providing a service, but we do support our members in everything they do, so it's a fantastic honour,” she said. “[It’s about] raising the bar of the profession, so we spend a lot of our time trying to raising the importance of HR in workplaces and I think that message is coming through.”

As for the biggest challenges facing HR these days, Ryan cited the post-pandemic workplace.

“People are struggling with work-life balance in different ways than they were before. Now, a lot of people are working from home so culture becomes an issue in the workplace where you've got to half your team at home and half in the office; we've got mental health struggles, we've got isolation struggles, we've got talent shortage -- lots and lots of issues.”

Woman of Distinction: Anne Marie Malleau, Great Wolf Lodge: After winning the award, the senior director of human resources said it was hard to believe she won “in an industry where there are so many talented professionals... I’m just blown away.”

“I wouldn't be where I am today if it wasn't for the support of my leadership team,” she said, citing various people including the lodge’s ownership group and general manager.

Originally, from Sault Ste Marie in northern Ontario, Malleau said she worked as a personnel manager for a Holiday Inn. Since then, she has done training, payroll and worked as a generalist in healthcare, but her passion always went back to hospitality.

“Hospitality is where my heart truly lies. And through that, I just seem to blossom and people feed me. And I hope, in turn, I feed them,” she said, citing the importance of “honesty and integrity” if you want to stand out in a crowded field.

Canadian HR Team of the Year (retail/hospitality): Compass Group Canada: At the foodservice and support services company, there’s the motto “We care, we share, we dream, we deliver,” said TJ Turner-Matthews, vice president of people and culture. “People are the heartbeat of the organization, so we're just really proud to be recognized for the great work that we're doing.”

With 26,000 employees across the country, Compass has an HR team of about 80 people, she said.

“I love supporting the business. And being upfront with people makes a big difference for me.”

Canadian HR Team of the Year (finance/insurance): Centurion Asset Management: For Laura Salvatore, winning this award is “amazing,” she said.

“When I started at Centurion over 11 years ago, we did not have any HR department let alone a team. So to win a team award is really, really exciting,” said the vice president of human capital.

“We've worked long and hard for this, and we have such a great group of individuals working to better the experience for our employees. So it's really a great honour.”

So what’s behind Centurion’s success on the HR front? It’s all about listening, collaboration, transparency, honesty and respect, said Salvatore.

“It’s always a safe space for everyone to share their ideas and raise their questions. So it's a great opportunity for everyone to collaborate as well as learn,” she said. “With any challenge comes an opportunity to grow. Has it been difficult this past year? Absolutely. But I think for all of us, it's enabled us to better ourselves as HR professionals. So... it's also been incredibly rewarding.”

The Queen’s University IRC Award for Best Learning & Development Strategy: TD Bank Group: In sponsoring this award, Queen’s University IRC is proving that investing in your people works, according to Stephanie Fischkohl, manager of operations.

As for the latest trends in L&D, there’s been a huge spike in the labour relations field, she said. In addition, it’s about figuring out the new way of work, “and investing in your people so they can succeed -- we can only be leaders if we have a good team.”
Of course, the pandemic saw a huge upheaval with the rise of virtual work and virtual learning.

“It was definitely a silver lining, so we're seeing the development in terms of how are we managing hybrid teams, how are we bringing back people to the office, and doing it correctly? And being supportive of people who have priorities -- we alI have a life, we're all humans and it's hard enough kind of going through life but if we can be adaptable to their needs and support them, they make great employees,” said Fischkohl.

The O.C. Tanner Award for Lifetime Achievement in the HR Industry: Louise Taylor Green: As winner of the lifetime achievement award, Taylor Green said it’s “an incredible honour.”

Looking back over her career, she said some of the highlights have included seeing teams thrive and organizations challenging themselves to do better.

“Sometimes what people think is impossible, when teams come together, it can have profound impact on employees and the organization's performance and HR fuels that.”

Taylor Green said she’s been lucky to have had amazing teams and “great CEOs” who really believed in the positive impact that HR can have on the organization, “so I've been given the freedom to do really fun, impactful work.”

The ADP Canada Award for Rising Star of the Year: Sarah Yusyp, Skyline Group of Companies: Calling herself “a little bit speechless,” the director of HR at Skyline said she was “very grateful and very humbled” by the award.

Having worked at the real estate management company for more than eight years, Yusyp said she came into HR because she loved the combination of business and working with people.

“My hopes and aspirations for the future are just to continue to work alongside some really wonderful people that get to make a difference in employees’ professional lives and to work for companies that support growing initiatives and enriching engaged employees.”

HR is a very exciting industry, said Ed Yuen, VP of HR outsourcing and strategy at ADP Canada.

“In my 20 years doing this, I don't think I’ve ever been in a more exciting time to be in this profession and I think really it's the complexity of it that needs now to be navigated through. This is more complex than ever.”

Best Employer Branding: Sephora Canada: At Sephora Canada, they’ve been playing “a long game,” according to the manager of employer brand.

“The thing that's always stayed top of mind is our people, so both our candidate experience and our employees, and just making sure that the employee experiences that we're building are authentic, and are what our people want, and what our candidates are looking forward to.”

The CPHR Canada Award for HR Champion: Home and Community Care Support Services: Winning this award is “a phenomenal achievement considering this organization has really come together in just over two years,” said CEO Cynthia Martineau.

“We built a strong HR team that have done some fantastic work, along with our communication strategy that has really been instrumental in supporting all of our staff and establishing a strong recruitment/retention initiative.”

And when it comes to CEOs and HR, it’s “imperative” to have a strong relationship, she said.

“I have an organization of almost 9,000 staff, and we need to work lockstep with HR through some very difficult challenges... and HR is instrumental in all of that work.”

Excellence in Financial, Physical & Mental Wellness: Air Canada: Winning this award is “a great honour and recognition” of all the hard work that’s been done by HR in terms of advancing wellness, said Dr. Jim Cheung, chief medical officer.

Cheung and his team push forward programs that put employee wellbeing first, said Pina Guercio, VP of HR: “We take care of our employees so they can take care of our customers.”

Under Cheung’s leadership, Air Canada has developed a versatile, mobile-friendly platform, said Guercio, where employees have resources across all spheres -- “Unlock the Best in You” or UBY.

It’s important to leverage technology, said Cheung, both for younger employees who are more comfortable with using mobile applications and for older employees who may not be as technologically adaptable.

“It's really combining the two and just ensuring that we have a potpourri of solutions for all our employees.”

Most Effective Recruitment Strategy: City of Vaughan: A winning internship program has been the focus at this Ontario municipality, which was developed largely to attract new talent, according to Anne Musacchio, manager of HR.

“We have a lot of shortages in certain professions like legal planners and, really, we're trying to develop a pipeline of talent. So by reaching out to our partners at schools, universities, post-secondary education, through job fairs, through various initiatives, we try to, first of all, let people know that these careers exist and also to attract that new talent to the city.”

And the City of Vaughan makes it a goal to do outreach to diverse communities, she said.

“All of our job postings go to a diverse community group... to make sure that our work is reflective of the diverse community that Vaughan serves.”

The University of Waterloo Award for Next Generation Employment Innovation: Starlight Group Property Holdings: This award is “hugely important” to Starlight because for organizations to survive in the future, “they need to embrace the next generation of talent that's entering the workforce,” said Ross Johnson, executive director for corporate education.

It’s really about building a program that supports the young people who will be hired in the future, said Lauren Kenny, chief people officer.

“No two scenarios are the same. So you really have to be malleable, you have to be able to change, pivot and embrace all the differences, the cultural differences -- it’s the diversity that makes us so great.”

Best Labour & Employment Boutique Law Firm: Rudner Law: With so many great nominees, it’s “amazing” to be given this award, said Stuart Rudner, managing partner.

“It shows we have an amazing team -- our team is getting better and better every year. So it really means a lot to get an award like this,” he said, adding that employment law is an exciting field.

“This is what I love about it, it's never the same --- especially the last three years, which have been crazy, obviously... It always changes, it's always kind of fun, it doesn't get boring.”

The Payworks Award for Best Corporate Social Responsibility Strategy: Bimbo Canada: This recognition belongs to the historic bakery’s more than 4,000 associates, according to Jeff Robertson, director of ESG.

“They’re the ones who are actually implementing our strategy and doing community investment projects across Canada,” he said.

“We have a really cohesive strategy that brings together our products, our people, the communities, and the environment... We call it nourishing a better world, and it allows us to take a really exhaustive approach to CSR.”

Most Innovative Use of HR Technology: Seasons Retirement Communities: In coping with a tight labour market while serving residents in the vulnerable sector, Seasons constantly has to think about “keeping up, being innovative, getting ahead and giving them the best,” said Jessica Poling, senior director of employee services at the 1,700-employee organization.

“That means giving our staff and our team members the best tools to be able to service them. And so we're constantly thinking about not just today but what can we do tomorrow? And anything we can do to make life easier for our team members means a great experience for our residents.”

CCDI Award for Excellence in Diversity & Inclusion / Best Workplace Culture: Hyundai Auto Canada: A winner of two awards this year, Hyundai is obviously doing something right.

“It's an incredible team achievement,” said Kurt Merrett, director of HR and administration. “Our whole company has been working on this for a number of years and DEI is central to what we do.”

It's important to bring everybody together and to share different perspectives, said Katherine Mior, manager, HR and DEI, who recently spoke in-depth with HRD in a video, “and to bring awareness of each and every person that makes our company who it is. So it's important for us to share and celebrate every single individual.”

Best Talent Management Strategy: Ontario Power Generation: Calling the award “very humbling,” the senior manager of talent programs says it’s because of “a great team of people with an excellent leadership team that has a strategy, and we come to work and give it our all every single day.”

“Year over year, our strategy has evolved to recognize the environment and the influences with respect to our climate change strategy, our Reconciliation Action Plan, and our EDI strategy -- and bringing that back to our talent management programs, and how we support the development of our people and ensure we have the right people in the right place at the right time.”

Canadian HR Leader of the Year: Cheryl Kerrigan, Bluecat: Calling it both an honour and a privilege, the chief people officer said she was “absolutely floored to be nominated.”

“It's been a long fight, and we have been able to do this together with mentors, with people who believe in it, with business leaders that see the value of HR, and I'm just so beyond privileged to be able to accept this award.”

The profession of HR is one that Kerrigan chose, she said.

“This wasn't something I fell into. This is what I believed that I could do. I believed that I could contribute to the value of an organization by being in HR... I knew I could be a differentiator and I knew I could provide value by believing in a people strategy that could really accentuate the employee experience.”

Best HR Communication Strategy: Labatt Brewing Company: “It's an amazing opportunity for us to be here,” said Beatriz Grubesic, vice president of people.

“It's our first time participating and I'm so honoured that we were selected as a winner... I hope to be back next, year with even more submissions.”

With a variety of worker roles and worker locations, having an effective communication strategy is important to ensure that everybody in the company is reached, she said, using tools such as SharePoint, email communications, town halls, and “making sure that we are really tailoring our communications to the different employees on different sites.”

And while technology is important, managers also play a big role, said Grubesic, through one-on-one touchpoints and “making sure that managers are present for the moments that matter for employees.”

Best Reward & Recognition Strategy: CAA Club Group of Companies: Being recognized for award-winning recognition is meaningful “because recognition has been embedded in the DNA of our culture,” said Mara Notarfonzo, VP of total rewards.

“It really is a way for us to continue to celebrate the success of how we all come together and cheer each other on in recognizing all of all of what we do as an organization -- on an individual level and as a corporate organization.”

The company sees 100% utilization of this program and that’s partly because of the peer-to-peer recognition and leader recognition, along with celebrating each other “organically,” she said.

“It's all about recognizing how we all come together for the success of the organization and driving things forward.”

Canadian HR Team of the Year (less than 500 employees): Refrigerative Supply: “My team is the greatest I've ever worked with, and we have accomplished this award together,” said Aman Malhi, director of people and culture.

Key to that success is remembering to keep people front and center.

“We're doing it for the people, and we're doing it for the business. And so everything that we do revolves around employee experience,” she said, adding the company plans to implement a new recognition strategy and new talent strategy in terms of learning and development, “so there's tons of great things coming from my team.”

Canadian HR Team of the Year (500 employees or more): Aecon Group: Winning this award is testament to the company’s HR leader, Gordana Terkalas, and the “brilliant” leadership team working behind her, said the vice president of human resource operations.

As for managing such a large workforce, it’s about staying abreast of all the different changes that are taking place in the industry, “and making sure that we have the right talent to be able to execute some of the large projects.”

It’s also important to listen to your people, she said: “Allow them to be part of the solution and that allows you to be able to create the company that you want it to be.”