Celebrating the best in HR: Top teams and leaders from across Canada honoured
The Canadian Human Resources Awards 2024 (CHRA), hosted by HRD Canada, was a night to remember, as HR professionals and organizations gathered at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre to celebrate the industry’s best and brightest.
In its 11th year, the awards recognized the vital role HR plays in driving organizational success, especially in today’s dynamic and competitive business environment.
One of the evening’s highest honours, the O.C. Tanner Award for Lifetime Achievement in the HR Industry, was presented by Jennifer Gates, Managing Director & COO-Canada at OC Tanner, who summed up the importance of recognizing HR professionals.
“At the end of the day, a company is just a company,” she said.
“To make anything happen, you need people, and you need to ensure that people are onboard with your strategy, that they align with the purpose of your company, that they trust in the organization”
HR awards recognize significance of industry innovators
The prestigious lifetime achievement award was given to Mona Malone, CHRO and Head of People, Culture and Brand at BMO Financial Group, in recognition of her extensive contributions to the HR industry and her organization. Over her career, Malone has been a leader in shaping inclusive workplace cultures and aligning HR strategies with organizational goals, making her a standout figure in the field.
“This award, it’s really recognizing someone who’s made incredible contributions over a long period of time,” Gates said. “It’s not just a one-off, it’s not just a short-term thing. This is someone who is really invested to make the HR industry better.”
Reflecting the changing landscape of HR and technology in Canada, another key award of the night, Best Remote Work Strategy, went to Cognition+ Inc. and was presented by Ayo Owudunni, a councillor for the City of Kitchener.
This award highlights the significance of maintaining flexible work arrangements in the post-pandemic world; Owudunni commented on the relevance of remote work in today’s context, and the importance of pointing out innovation.
“I do think, in today’s day and age, where we have a lot of organizations that are pushing for staff members to return to work, data and research has been done over a period of time showing that people are productive when they’re staying home,” said Owudunni.
“They’re going to save more money, there’s less stress, all of that. So having an opportunity to celebrate organizations that still see this as important and are still ensuring that they take care of their people is really, really important, and I think it’s important that we celebrate that, absolutely.”
Matthew Scott, President and CEO of Cognition+, expressed pride in the win, attributing the company’s success to its commitment to employee development and well-being.
“Any time that our people are up for an award or recognition for the work that we do, it’s something really special for us, because we do spend a lot of time on our people, developing the right people, the right culture, and this is just recognition that we’re doing the right things,” Scott said.
“We put a lot of focus on development, wellness, and work-life balance. Those are really themes for us that we’ve put into our mission and our strategy for the last couple of years. So, we’re going to continue to do that.”
Importance of HR mentorship, training recognized
The University of Waterloo Award for Next Generation Employment Innovation was another highlight of the evening, with Kinetrics Inc. taking home the award.
Mike Cole, Regional Manager for the Toronto East Region in Co-operative & Experiential Education at the University of Waterloo, presented the award, commenting on the significant challenges faced by students entering the workforce today.
"The biggest challenges right now that students face are just finding those opportunities that are relevant for them, and really finding the opportunities that they feel are where they can make a difference,” he said. “So for employers, doing a really great job of articulating the differences students can make for them is really key."
Kinetrics Senior HR Advisor Caitlyn Buhay expressed pride in her team’s role in shaping the future of the nuclear industry.
"All HR teams, we work incredibly hard. It's wonderful to get the recognition of all the hard work that the team does,” she said.
“What we do for the nuclear industry, what we're trying to do to establish the next generation of talent, to get this award is wonderful. Establishing that trained pool of individuals for the industry is so important to us, and to provide meaningful work as HR, that's what we love to do, right? To do that every day is wonderful."
