HR Fest Awards 2020 celebrates the best of HR

Today, as part of the HR Tech Festival Asia Online 2020, the HR Fest Awards 2020 will be celebrating the outstanding achievements of the region’s top HR leaders, companies and teams.

Six deserving winners will be announced from these categories: Best Use of Technology, Best Workplace Culture & Engagement (<500 Employees), Best Workplace Culture & Engagement (>500 Employees), Employer of Choice, HR Team of the Year, Best HR Leader (Individual Award).

Describing this year’s finalists as “inspiring”, Josephine Chua, Director of HR & Quality, Ramada and Days Hotels by Wyndham Singapore at Zhongshan Park, and a judge for HR Tech Festival Asia 2020, said, “I have been very amazed with the innovation that companies are achieving, [and] the nominees were extremely impressive and blazing trails in their respective markets.

“It is inspiring and enriching to be able to acknowledge great works, learn from the entrants on their growth and witness the emergence of next-generation business practices, which keep companies current and relevant.”

For Sharmeel Kaur, Head of HR, DHL Asia-Pacific Shared Services, the judging process was “immensely gratifying,” as she explained, “I was amazed with all the stunning work that these organisations and individuals put in. [The winners] were chosen on the consistency of their performance, the result of the implementation of their efforts, the fact that these are relevant to the current circumstances of people management, and the fact that some of the efforts were astoundingly unique.”

Sriven Naidu, a leadership and talent development consultant, a leadership and talent development consultant, added, “Judging several categories was a memorable experience. The background information was comprehensive yet concise, the finalists outlined bold and exciting initiatives, and the support from the secretariat was excellent.”

As HR leaders and teams take on increasingly central and pivotal roles in the business, the bar is now even higher in terms of accountability to overcome some of the most recent people and talent challenges, suggested Elisa Mallis, APAC Managing Director, Centre for Creative Leadership.

She said, “Judging the awards this year required evaluating the finalists through multiple lenses, including their ability to futureproof their business and be instrumental in the digital transformation agenda.

“Seeing the many innovative and powerful new approaches these HR leaders, companies and teams are using made it a steep competition and also provides exciting possibilities for the future HR landscape.”

Being a judge for this year’s awards gave Rachele Focardi, founder of XYZ@Work, the opportunity to learn about “amazing organisations” that have chosen to put their people first.

She highlighted, “The disruption brought by the pandemic has further heightened the importance of an even more human-centric workplace, with an increased focus not only employees’ personal and professional development, but also on their physical and mental well-being

“If more organisations join the HR Fest Awards 2020 nominees in building their corporate cultures on a foundation of purpose, empathy and connection, the future of work won’t be daunting – it will be something to look forward to.”

Also looking to the future is Pip Penfold, CEO and co-founder, People Collider, who congratulated this year’s nominees, “The 2020 submissions included some unique strategies and remarkable results! It was great to see companies pushing the boundaries by doing different things, and things differently. I’m happy to see that this year’s winners are companies who have re-imagined the future.”

The winners of the HR Fest Awards 2020 will be announced at 2pm on Tuesday, September 29. To find out who the winners are, register for the awards ceremony here.