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Words from some of our winners about their successes, challenges, and plans
Hundreds were in attendance recently at the 11th annual Canadian HR Awards, with Canadian HR Reporter celebrating excellence in the profession. Held for the second year at the renowned Westin Harbour Castle in Toronto, the event saw HR leaders, HR teams, and employers gathered 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 evolving HR profession. Below are comments from the award winners, in order of appearance, while a full list including nominees can be found here.
This year’s winner of the prestigious O.C. Tanner Award was Mona Malone, CHRO, head of people, culture, and brand, BMO Financial Group. She expressed the emotion of being recognized on a national level, not only by peers in the financial sector but by HR professionals across all industries.
“To be recognized by people that I respect so much, by our fellow HR professionals, is deeply meaningful,” said Malone.
“I’m so humbled. Getting into HR started for me from a university job that I had that really ignited this spark of the importance of the people side of the business, and I think it’s really the opportunities that I’ve had, the mentors I’ve had, the teams that I’ve been able to work with, and the passion I feel for the work that we do every day.”
Frank Monteleone, Rexall Pharmacy Group’s SVP, HR & corporate relations, acknowledged the significance of winning this award three times in a row.
“It actually goes to reinforce that in these difficult times that everyone’s in … the work we’re doing is meaningful and adding value back to our employees, which is terrific,” he said. Monteleone also referenced the future and the reassurance that his HR team is capable of ferrying Rexall’s workforce through some significant transitions.
“As an organization, we’re going to go through a lot of change in 2025, and I’m really proud of the HR team that we have to help navigate through these changes – it’s been recently acquired by another organization,” said Monteleone. “So glad to see that this is a three-peat for us, and looking forward to what’s ahead, and I have a great team behind us.”
Bayer Canada shone in the category of Best Workplace Culture, setting a standard for cultivating a healthy and inclusive environment that encourages employee well-being and engagement.
“I personally deal with mental health, and I felt it was important to bring that forward to the organization, that they can see that we can have a conversation,” said Janine Pajot, VP of human resources for Bayer. “It’s important for me, it’s important for my team, it’s important for the organization.”
The CHRAs have become a key event for HR professionals across Canada, providing a platform to acknowledge the crucial role HR teams play in building competitive and resilient businesses. Congratulations to all of this year’s winners, and we look forward to seeing you all, along with this year’s latest Rising Stars, at next year’s event!
It’s hard to believe another year has come and gone, but this year’s HR Awards were once again a huge success. Hundreds of HR professionals were in attendance to celebrate their friends and colleagues at a new venue, the Metro Toronto Conference Centre, on September 18.
Looking back on 2024 thus far, HR professionals have been keenly focused on shaping the next phase of the workplace, including the evolution of hybrid work models, a push toward flexibility, and refining strategies for employee well-being.
This year has also seen a heightened emphasis on skills-based hiring to address talent shortages, as well as increased focus on diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) beyond traditional metrics – despite pushback south of the border. Compensation strategies have also been adapted to rising living costs, while navigating changes in employment legislation remained a key priority for HR leaders.
Advancements in AI continue to reshape HR processes, but with a growing focus on ethical AI use, ensuring transparency, and balancing automation with a human touch. The role of AI in recruitment and performance management has expanded, but there’s a notable emphasis on maintaining human-centric leadership and fostering culture in digital spaces.
These trends were reflected in the 2024 Canadian HR Awards, with 24 prestigious categories – for individuals and teams – handed out at the gala event, celebrating and recognizing excellence in the profession.
We would like to thank everyone who submitted a nomination and acknowledge our esteemed panel of judges for lending their time and expertise to the endeavour.
After another great year, we look forward to presenting another successful awards show in 2025!
A special thanks to our Award Sponsors: Achievers, ADP, Dentsu, O.C. Tanner, Payworks, Queen's University IRC, University of Waterloo, and Centurion Asset Management. Your contributions are instrumental in recognizing and honouring the outstanding achievements of HR professionals and organizations that are shaping the future of HR.
Sarah Dobson
Managing Editor - HR
“More than 20 years of innovation has given Achievers a front row seat to the amazing work of customers who demonstrate that R&R done well amounts to so much more than a thank-you program. There’s no better connector to a company’s mission, an employee’s manager or colleagues at work than recognition and no technology, in a world teeming with tools, that touches every aspect of the employee experience the way recognition does. Achievers is honoured to sponsor this year Award for Best Reward & Recognition Strategy and excited to learn from the nominees and winner.”
— David Bator, Managing Director, Achievers Workforce Institute
Achievers is an employee experience platform that engages employees and empowers managers through frequent recognition, listening and connections.
Our investments in workforce science, smart technology and trusted advice is the foundation upon which customers build cultures of recognition and performance and how employees are inspired every day to do the best work of their lives.
For more information, visit here
“We are proud partners of the Canadian HR Awards and are delighted to support and recognize the HR community for their tremendous contribution to the evolving world of work. Congratulations to all this year’s nominees and winners!”
— Ed Yuen, Vice President, Strategy and HRO
Designing better ways to work through cutting-edge products, premium services and exceptional experiences that enable people to reach their full potential. HR, Talent, Time Management, Benefits and Payroll. Informed by data and designed for people. For more information about ADP Canada visit www.adp.ca or follow us on Instagram @ADP_Canada
“Dentsu Canada is honoured to sponsor The Most Innovative Use of Technology in HR. In these times of unprecedented change, innovation in technology is crucial for addressing today’s people challenges, enhancing the employee experience, and empowering HR as strategic business partners. We are grateful for how these awards celebrate our collective achievements and continue to foster learning within our HR community.”
— dentsu Canada
Dentsu is an integrated growth and transformation partner to the world’s leading organizations. Founded in 1901 in Tokyo, Japan, and now present in over 145 countries and regions, it has a proven track record of nurturing and developing innovations, combining the talents of its global network of leadership brands to develop impactful and integrated growth solutions for clients. Dentsu delivers end-to-end experience transformation (EX) by integrating its services across Media, CXM and Creative, while its business transformation (BX) mindset pushes the boundaries of transformation and sustainable growth for brands, people and society.
“We are proud and deeply appreciative to continue to sponsor the Lifetime Achievement in HR Award at the Canadian HR Awards. Through this sponsorship, O.C. Tanner has had the honour of welcoming outstanding Canadian HR professionals, Dr Melanie Peacock, Dr Raeleen Manjak, Jim Reid and Louise Taylor Green to this very elite group. As with our previous winners, this year’s recipient has a recognized history of distinguished service and has been on the forefront of leadership strategies that strengthen workplace cultures and help people thrive. We wholeheartedly embrace the opportunity to acknowledge their legacy, knowing that this award serves as a testament to the power of perseverance, innovation, and the pursuit of greatness.”
— Ed Galasso, VP Sales & Marketing, O.C. Tanner
O.C. Tanner is the global leader in software and services that improve workplace culture through meaningful employee recognition experiences. Our Culture Cloud™ employee recognition platform helps millions of people thrive at work.
Our team of 1,500 programmers, researchers, designers, client professionals, and craftspeople hail from 58 countries and speak 62 languages. Together, we create the technology, tools, and awards that help our clients shape productive work environments, drive innovation, and fuel positive business results.
Learn more here.
“We’re thrilled to once again sponsor the award for Best Corporate Social Responsibility and to play a role in recognizing organizations whose philosophy and actions align with Payworks’ own purpose of ‘doing right by people.’ These organizations and their HR teams inspire us, and we celebrate all of this year’s nominees for their significant contributions within our communities!”
– PAYWORKS
Payworks is a leading expert in the field of total workforce management solutions, providing cloud-based Payroll, Human Resources, and Time Management to more than 21,000 businesses across Canada. Payworks is a 2019 winner of the Canada’s Best Managed Companies Platinum Club designation, having retained our Best Managed designation for seven consecutive years.
Each day, we deliver upon Payworks’ purpose: doing right by people. Developed with our employees, this serves as our guiding principle both inside and outside the office, whether through our customer relationships or community support initiatives. Our purpose permeates our culture in every interaction and manifests as holistic respect for the well-being of our team, environment and community.
Our social responsibility philosophy is to pay it forward – to participate in meaningful ways in the communities where our employees work, live, and raise their families – through local sponsorship, employment, investment, and employee-initiated giving and volunteering. Payworks added a Pay it Forward Day to its list of employee benefits in 2015, encouraging staff to take one day per calendar year to donate their time and skills to a not-for-profit charitable organization of their choosing.
Let us show you how we’re different: visit here to learn more.
“We are proud to sponsor once again the Queen’s University IRC Award for Best Learning and Development Strategy at the 2024 HR Awards, and to take part in honouring organizations whose ideology and outlook reflects Queen’s IRC’s passion, commitment, and long-established dedication to the HR profession.”
— Alison Darling, Director, Professional Programs, Queen’s University IRC
For over 85 years, Queen’s University IRC has been a leader in professional development programs for busy HR and LR professionals. Our award-winning programs in labour relations, human resources, and organization development are delivered by industry experts, available both in-person and virtually, and grounded in adult learning principles. Elevate your career with coveted IRC certificates in Labour Relations, Human Resources, and Organization Development, and access exclusive Thought Leadership resources to stay ahead of industry trends.
For more information, visit here
“Like Co-operative and Experiential Education at the University of Waterloo, the Canadian HR Awards are dedicated to recognizing those who nurture and develop talent for the future of work. These awards honour the outstanding achievements of organizations across various industries, including many of our esteemed Waterloo co-op employers. Together, we can innovate to advance Canadian business, technology, and research to address the world’s most pressing challenges.”
— Co-operative and Experiential Education, University of Waterloo
The future of work is changing. The University of Waterloo’s commitment to the value of work-integrated learning makes it a global leader in co-operative and experiential education. Waterloo’s future-ready students and alumni are recognized for their unmatched entrepreneurial drive, game-changing research, field-specific knowledge and ability to develop innovative solutions to tackle today and tomorrow’s biggest challenges.
Waterloo helps more than 8,000 global employers identify and recruit talent for the skills they need for their business to thrive. Future-proof your organization and claim your space at the forefront of innovation by hiring Waterloo talent.
For more information, visit here
Stage 1 – Nominations
The call for nominations was open to all HR professionals, teams, companies, and organizations – including HR service providers – from across Canada.
Nominations were open from April 8, 2024, to June 14, 2024, at 11:59 pm ET.
To submit a nomination, participants went to the Nominate page of the website. Submissions were free of charge.
Stage 2 – Research
The Canadian HR Awards team conducted research and drew on knowledge and information gained through HRD Canada and Canadian HR Reporter to verify and support the nominations received.
Excellence awardees were determined from both pools of information.
Stage 3 – Excellence Awardees
Once all nominations were considered and research was completed, excellence awardees were selected in each category (except the Lifetime Achievement category) and notified via email or phone.
Excellence awardees had the option to update their nominations, providing an opportunity to address the category criteria in more detail. However, this was not required. All submissions remained confidential unless otherwise marked and were not shared with any third parties other than the judges.
Excellence awardees were officially announced in July 2024 on the website and promoted in HRD Canada and Canadian HR Reporter magazine and online channels. Promo packages to leverage achievements across marketing and promotions were available for purchase.
Stage 4 – Judging
All submissions from the excellence awardees were forwarded to the independent judging panel, comprising industry leaders and senior representatives. The panel assessed and voted for their winners in each category according to the relevant category criteria.
Voting commenced in August 2024, and their judgment was impartial, balanced, incisive, and fair.
Any judge with a conflict of interest in a category recused themselves from judging that category.
Stage 5 – Winners
Using a simple points system to aggregate judges' votes, the excellence awardee with the top score in each category was named the winner.
Winners were announced at the awards show on September 18, 2024, and on the website. They were promoted in HRD Canada and Canadian HR Reporter.
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