Technology Excellence Awards 2026 Featuring:
AI Global Media, Ltd. (AI) takes reasonable measures to ensure the quality of the information on this web site. However, AI will not assume any legal liability or responsibility for the accuracy, correctness or completeness of any information that is available through this web site. If errors are brought to our attention, we will try to correct them. The information available through the website and our partner publications is for your general information and use and is not intended to address any particular finance or investment requirements. In particular, the information does not constitute any form of advice or recommendation by us or any of our partner publications and is not intended to be relied upon by users in making or refraining from making any investment or financial decisions. Appropriate independent advice should be obtained before making any such decision. Any arrangement made between you and any third party named in the site is at your sole risk and responsibility. Recognising those redefining the future of work. Corporate Vision is excited to announce the return of the HR and Employment Awards! For the third year running, we will be honouring the individuals and organisations transforming the modern workplace. People are at the heart of every successful business. The HR and Employment Awards 2026 celebrate those redefining how we attract, support, and empower talent – from forward-thinking recruiters and wellbeing champions to tech trailblazers and inspirational HR leaders. Sofi Parry, Senior Editor Website: www.corporatevision-news.com HR & Employment Awards 2026 Editorial Team Sofi Parry, Senior Editor | Kita Thomas, Writer | Joshua Beardsmore, Writer Design Team Emma Hunt, Creative Team Manager | Lauren Baldwin, Graphic Designer
Contents 4. hipages Group: Creating Space for All 5. GritHR: Making Life Better with Modern HR 6. Professional and Practical HR Advice for Developing SMEs 7. People-First Recruitment Across Specialist Industries 8. Reimagining Trust by Creating it at Scale 10. Outsourced HR from Industry Royalty 11. Rewarding Corporate Team-Building Activities for Groups of Any Size 12. From Leading in the Air Force to Coaching Leaders to Perform Better 14. Leveraging the Power of People to Transform Business 16. Rewarding Corporate Team-Building Activities for Groups of Any Size
Corporate Vision For more than two decades, hipages Group has played an instrumental role in reshaping the trade industry: helping homeowners to complete jobs with confidence and supporting tradespeople with the tools and resources needed to successfully run their business. After posting a job on the platform, homeowners are matched with trusted local tradespeople – from solo traders to medium-sized businesses – and can review their profiles, compare quotes, and hire the right person for the job. The platform is now 33,000 strong, with more than 12 million jobs uploaded today and one posted every 25 seconds. “We’re driving digital change in one of the last industries to modernise, creating real impact for tradies, homeowners, and communities every day.” This significant industry impact has been made possible by more than 200 hardworking employees driving hipages Group to success. With offices across Sydney, Melbourne, Christchurch, Manila, and Ho Chi Minh City, each member of the hipages team is united by a strong one-team culture. Together, they work to position hipages Group as the most trusted partner to the trade industry, guided by the company’s core values of service, value, innovation, collaboration, being genuine, and its DNA: Make It Happen. Ultimately, hipages Group believes that its people lie at the heart of its sustained growth and success. When expanding, the company maintains an average time-to-hire of 31 days to ensure it can secure talented candidates who align with its values and culture. It places a heavy emphasis on talent attraction – with 91% of hires sourced directly throughout Fiscal Year 2025 – and invests deeply into career development, wellbeing, social connection, and innovation. This has allowed the company to build a safe and authentic environment for its employees, achieving its lowest attrition rate in more than a decade. An essential element of building such an environment is hipages Group’s unwavering dedication to diversity and inclusivity. The company’s recruitment processes reflect this commitment; all advertisements reference gender bias research, encouraging women to apply even if they do not meet every listed criterion. This approach has resulted in 41% of all hires being women throughout Fiscal Year 2025 – significantly above the technology sector average – and 79% female representation in shortlists for management and technology roles by year end. The company employs a remarkably diverse team, with a 44:51 ratio of female to male employees, more than 46 different nationalities, an age span ranging from 21 to 70, and many team members identifying as LGBTQI. Together, the team respectfully celebrates and educates on cultural days, valuing the varying traditions of its diverse workforce to strengthen inclusion and mutual respect. Initiatives are driven by an employee-led Diversity, Equity, and Belonging (DE&B) Committee, with representation across all departments and geographies. Employee wellbeing is prioritised across the board, regarded as a strategic driver of engagement, retention, and performance. hipages Group was founded in 2004, born from a drive to transform the trade industry and build better lives for those operating within it. Since its inception, the company has evolved to not only stand as Australia and New Zealand’s preferred way to connect with tradespeople, but also a workplace where individuals can grow their careers, make a positive impact, and thrive. We took a closer look at hipages Group and its exceptional endeavours below, as the company is named in the HR and Employment Awards 2026. hipages Group: Creating Space for All hipages Group invests holistically in physical, mental, financial, and social wellbeing, tailoring its support to better meet the diverse needs of its workforce. The results speak for themselves: the company’s May 2025 engagement survey recorded an overall engagement score of 83%, with high participation at 84% and 83% of employees believing that the company cares about their wellbeing. This people-first approach has earned hipages Group muchdeserved acknowledgement across the industry. This includes certification as a Great Place to Work in 2024 and 2025, as well as recognition as one of Australia’s Best Workplaces™ for Women 2025, WORK180’s #1 Employer for Women 2025, a 2025 HRD 5-Star Employer of Choice, and being awarded the Candidate Experience Award at the TIARA Talent Acquisition Awards ANZ 2025. Each recognition is a testament to hipages Group’s impact, and its ability to create an internal culture where inclusion and authenticity thrive. Throughout 2025, the company focused on strengthening its teams across Australia, New Zealand, Vietnam, and the Philippine whilst ensuring that a workforce-wide commitment to inclusion and a unified culture remained central to its operations. As a result, hipages Group has successfully positioned itself at the forefront of diversity and inclusion in the region’s technology sector, setting new industry standards for employee wellbeing and establishing itself as Australia’s Most Inclusive Working Environment 2026. Contact: Jodette Cleary Company: hipages Group Web Address: www.hipagesgroup.com.au
HR and Employment Awards 2026 | 5 Corporate Vision seeking scalable HR compliance models for small employers in California, GritHR demonstrated its ability to operationalise compliance without overcomplication. The team delivered a turnkey audit system, a compliance roadmap for each small employer, and a repeatable model that the client can now use to grow and scale the business. GritHR saw further success when working alongside a fastgrowing MSP that has been a client for almost five years. The team aligned leadership behaviour with operational goals to provide the client with clarity, introducing new leadership frameworks, a modern performance model, manager training, and a tech-forward approach to workflow and collaboration. GritHR also designed a four-month cultural improvement roadmap to address morale, communication, and accountability breakdowns. Looking ahead, GritHR aims to continue redefining modern HR support with PeopleOps+, a next-generation, techenabled HR operating system. Built specifically for small- and mid-sized businesses seeking the power of an in-house HR team without the added complexities, the platform blends HR strategies, automated workflows, advanced analytics, on-demand resources, and real human support into a single, seamless platform. Moving forward, the GritHR team will continue working to establish PeopleOps+ as the leading HR solution for growing companies, allowing even the smallest businesses to operate with enterprise-grade excellence. The team’s unwavering dedication to creating industry-wide change – replacing the fragmented processes of traditional HR practices with fully integrated, scalable solutions – has earned GritHR rightful recognition as the Southeast US’s Best Turnkey HR Service Provider 2026. “In five years, we intend to be the go-to partner for companies that want HR excellence without corporate bureaucracy,” Shannon concluded. “PeopleOps+ is our moonshot. It is how we scale our impact, democratise high-quality HR, and push the entire industry forward. We are not just improving HR; we are building the future version of it.” “We are not just improving HR; we are building the future version of it.” Contact: Shannon Anderson Company: GritHR Solutions Web Address: www.grithrsolutions.com GritHR: Making Life Better with Modern HR In today’s rapidly evolving business landscape, businesses are finding that traditional, one-size-fitsall HR practices are becoming increasingly less relevant. Based in Johnson City, GritHR is a firm working to break the mould, with turnkey HR services that reinvent the way its clients and their teams approach HR. We spoke with Shannon Anderson below, Founder and CEO of GritHR, as the firm is named in the HR and Employment Awards 2026. Since its inception in 2021, GritHR Solutions has been on a mission to revolutionise the ways in which businesses hire, pay, develop, and recognise their people. The company empowers ambitious businesses with turnkey HR services that are designed to enhance the employee experience, streamline operations and processes, and help businesses achieve and maintain compliance. “Our goal is simple: to build workplaces where people are responsive, energised, and recognised, reminding the world that HR is here to make your life better,” Shannon told us. “We exist to make HR a true engine for growth, not a compliance chore. Our work is fuelled by grit, guided by purpose, and aimed at igniting an industry-wide shift, where HR becomes a strategic powerhouse for every business we touch.” “Our work is fuelled by grit, guided by purpose, and aimed at igniting an industry-wide shift, where HR becomes a strategic powerhouse for every business we touch.” In a competitive market, GritHR Solutions stands out as a reliable partner striving to make HR accessible and affordable for all. All too often, small- and mid-sized enterprises are priced out of accessing the world-class HR services that will drive their business growth. In response, GritHR has set out to deliver cost-effective and comprehensive HR solutions, building a model that delivers enterprise-level expertise in a way that small businesses can actually use and afford. As a result, GritHR serves an array of businessowners across a wide range of industries, united by their understanding of the importance of strategic HR in driving business success. These clients are typically experts in their field, experienced in handling the various demands and challenges of running a business but requiring additional support and guidance when navigating the complexities of HR. In recognition of this, GritHR takes a proactive, hands-on approach to service delivery. “We believe HR should make leaders’ lives easier, not harder,” Shannon stated. “Clients hire us because they are tired of HR partners who coast. Our team turns up ready to solve problems, not admire them. We move fast, we stay responsive, and we finish what we start. Our clients know us for our energy, our transparency, and our ability to turn chaos into progress.” Across 2025, the team have undertaken several standout projects that demonstrate precisely why clients choose to work with GritHR. In partnership with an accounting firm
Corporate Vision Professional and Practical HR Advice for Developing SMEs HR is a crucial aspect of any business, and yet, particularly for smaller businesses, it can often feel overwhelming. Through the fractional HR services and employment law support it provides to SMEs in the UK, Lemonade HR takes the hassle out of these areas, replacing this distraction with the clarity and confidence business owners and leaders need to run and grow their operations. Named the Best Outsourced HR Partner 2026 – UK in this feature, we caught up with Carol Smith, the woman behind this HR consultancy in Hertfordshire, for more on its HR support for SMEs. After spending 20 years developing her HR knowledge and skills across major brands such as Buyagift, Philips, and American Express, Carol Smith recognised the value she could add to smaller organisations across the UK. Establishing Lemonade HR in 2023, the day-one purpose of the consultancy was simple: to give access to practical, compliant, and grounded HR support without the cost or complexity of hiring and managing an in-house HR team. After all, the point of HR is to help and empower, not hinder and create uncertainty. “Guided by fairness, professionalism, and integrity, we work closely with businesses to make sure that their people decisions are not only legally sound, but sensible, ethical, and right for the organisation.” Under Carol’s expert guidance, what Lemonade HR delivers is experienced-based, hands-on HR leadership, not the generic advice or off-the-shelf solutions that many HR consultancies offer. The practical approach it delivers can be accessed in a few different ways – on an ad-hoc basis, as a retained service, or on a project-to-project basis. Regardless of the nature of the support requested, Lemonade HR sees that any issues are dealt with early and without escalation, giving businesses peace of mind concerning their handling of people. The challenges this work brings are welcome in Carol’s eyes, as she is motivated by helping leaders to navigate complex situations by finding a solution that is fair and practical. Carol explained: “I really enjoy working alongside business when the path forwards isn’t immediately clear – bringing structure, perspective, reassurance, and ultimately helping them to feel as though they are back in control of their people-related decisions.” Recently, Carol has had plenty of opportunities to do exactly this with her diverse clientele. Across many of the newest projects Lemonade HR has carried out in the realm of HR for SMEs, the common trend has been helping businesses to get ahead of their people challenges, rather just reacting to them. This has led Carol to take on projects including driving performance and accountability for a client, supporting a business’ people practices as its reach and services grew, and helping an organisation to reduce risk and any future disruptions by putting preventative HR foundations in place at every level of the business. “Lemonade HR played a key role in helping us establish and scale our UK business. Their calm, practical approach gave us the confidence that our people practices were being built properly from day one.” Support of the calibre provided by Lemonade HR is becoming increasingly valuable to employers of all shapes in and sizes across the UK, as it can often feel as though the goalposts are always moving in the HR and employment landscape, with the balance that has to be struck between legal obligation and commercial pressure becoming harder to achieve. Carol and Lemonade HR empower their people to reach this target by helping them to focus on the developments that impact their businesses. Carol commented: “For Lemonade HR, this evolving landscape reinforces the value of senior, practical HR support that helps organisations adapt, stay compliant, and build workplaces that are both resilient and fit for the future.” Accessing this HR support when situations feel sensitive or complex often makes all the difference, and this is something Carol’s clients have experienced first-hand, with their ability to separate emotion from evidence and make balanced, confident decisions forever changing their companies. Simply put, it all boils down to this: HR is not a cure, it is all about prevention. In helping businesses to stay ahead of their issues and avoid unnecessary stress, it instils a much-needed sense of calm in a sea of noise. With Lemonade HR, all of this is just a few clicks away, and the relationship that will nurtured between Carol and a business leads to an experienced and trusted HR partner being on hand whenever this guidance is needed. It is thanks to this that Lemonade HR has been recognised in this feature. Contact: Carol Smith Company: Lemonade HR Web Address: https://lemonadehr.co.uk/
HR and Employment Awards 2026 | 7 Corporate Vision On a mission to raise recruitment standards across global events, sales, marketing, and tech, Ark Recruitment exists to show that recruitment – which is often viewed as a temporary transaction – can be done with integrity, transparency, and genuine care when leading market expertise is brought into equation. The result is partnerships that can last for years, slowly but surely changing the field of recruitment for the better. As it drives this evolution, Ark Recruitment is guided by a series of core values fundamental to its work. Embodying relentless quality, integrity/transparency, partnership over transaction, and community/culture across its operation, Ark Recruitment never cuts corners. Whether for a one-off hire or a full RPO model, headhunting senior leadership across EMEA/MENA or scaling teams with high-potential talent, its commitment is the same. Clients work with Dan and the team because they know the agency will act in their best interests. Taking things a step further, Dan told us: “What makes Ark Recruitment stand out is our obsession with doing recruitment properly. We pride ourselves on depth, not volume.” A great example of this is the team specialising in the aforementioned sectors of events, sales, marketing, and technology. The team are experts in navigating the nuances of these markets and the talent landscape surrounding them – and know what it takes to succeed. This is why the agency is trusted with recruitment needs of leading brands worldwide. “Whether it’s headhunting across multiple time zones, supporting relocation into the Middle East, or scaling teams at pace, our clients get a level of effort and care that is rare in the industry.” This style of working starts at the top with Dan himself. Following a tenure in the British Armed Forces, Dan knew he wanted a career where he could genuinely help, as well as working in an environment where hard work, integrity, and accountability stand for something. Recruitment ticked all of the boxes, as the ability to change someone’s life for the better is something that never gets old. Recruitment was also the perfect field for Dan to map his military values onto, and Ark is these principles put into practice. A number of memorable projects have been completed by this events recruitment agency as a result, including an expansion project for a global events organiser across the EMEA and MENA regions. They needed to scale rapidly across multiple regions and required talent at every level. Using its blend of market knowledge, relentless headhunting, and a partner-based approach, Ark went beyond just filling roles to instead consult on everything from structuring salaries to onboarding and even consulting on a long-term talent strategy. Anyone who has ever worked in events, sales, marketing, or technology will tell of the importance of having a strong team united under a common aim. The foundation of this success lies in hiring the right people, a process that begins by putting their needs first – every time. Renowned for delivering professionalism and a quality service by following the REC’s Code of Practice to the letter, Ark Recruitment EST has been recognised as the Best Events Industry Recruitment Agency 2026 – UK in this feature. Founder/MD Dan Payne was on hand for more on his leading recruitment agency. People-First Recruitment Across Specialist Industries There are many more examples like this, with Ark’s status as a media recruitment agency also seeing it nurture success with numerous fast-growth tech and media organisations, helping them build entire teams from the ground up. Dan explained: “These projects work because we embed ourselves within the business, operate with complete transparency, and deliver quality over quantity every time.” All of this is becoming more sought after, given Ark’s focus industries have changed rapidly over the past 12-18 months. With a more cautious hiring market, increased demand for multiskilled talent, and a push towards internal talent teams being just some of the ways these sectors have changed, Ark has doubled down on its specialisms, agility, and people-first recruitment, allowing it to adapt faster and deliver better outcomes in an ever-evolving landscape. The consistent feedback it receives praising the honesty, reliability, and calibre of its candidates is a fitting example of this, highlighting that recruitment does not have to feel so impersonal. Continuing down this path is the primary goal for this embedded talent partner as we move through 2026 and beyond, with its plans revolving around raising recruitment standards on the back of a blend of smarter processes and stronger partnerships. Giving back is another key aim for this senior headhunting agency, which prides itself on supporting ex-military and local communities alike – underpinning a real commitment to people. It is this dedication that has resulted in Ark Recruitment EST being recognised in this feature. Contact: Daniel Payne Company: Ark Recruitment EST Web Address: https://ark-recruitment.com/
Corporate Vision Reimagining Trust by Creating it at Scale Winning Best Background Screening & Compliance Platform 2026 – USA is the kind of recognition that tells half the story for Yardstik. The other half of their story is everything that happens after the check. In a world where AI-driven fraud and synthetic identities are outpacing the tools built to stop them, a background check is no longer enough - trust has to be built continuously. Yardstik built the infrastructure to do exactly that. We caught up with CEO Andrew Johnson on how their Human Trust Platform is redefining workforce trust for an era where the old way of screening simply doesn’t cut it anymore. Headquartered in Minneapolis, Yardstik exists to build real technological solutions that make trust measurable, accessible, and universal for organizations and their people alike. It does this by offering solutions that go beyond point-in-time screening and instead help clients to detect fraud, continuously monitor their workforces, verify credentials, and fight risk – allowing them to iron out any issues before they become real liabilities. Andrew explained: “With bad actors on the rise and AI actively being used to deceive (synthetic identities, AI-generated credentials, and digital impersonation), we believe technology should be the antidote, not the enabler.” This guiding ethos is reflected through the company’s core values of innovation, courage, integrity, and a genuine commitment to people, with these being the cornerstones of a start-up truly dedicated to challenging outdated screening systems – not merely for disruption’s sake, but simply because the old way no longer works. Setting the scene, Andrew told us how, despite trust being something foundational to the human experience, workforce screening was, for decades, treated like a tick-box exercise. It was very much a case of running a quick background check at hire, filing it away, and then moving on. Yardstik set about bridging the gap between what trust actually necessitates and what the industry was delivering before it came along more than five years ago. The world has moved on considerably since traditional screening was built, and these one-time checks, point-in-time decisions, and abundance of blind spots are hallmarks of a much slower time. Today’s hiring landscape is much more demanding, making this approach not only outdated but downright dangerous. By going beyond background checks to include continuous monitoring both before and after a hire, Yardstik combines key areas such as fraud detection and credential monitoring to make trust ongoing. “Most background check companies give you a photograph – a single snapshot of a person at the moment of hire. We give you a live feed.” As the Human Trust Platform, Yardstik offers its clients a system that covers the full lifecycle of their workforce, detecting identity fraud, screening candidates, verifying credentials, and continuously monitoring their workforces in real time. Thus, whereas most legacy providers carrying out these kinds of services stop at hire, Yardstik
HR and Employment Awards 2026 | 9 Small Business Awards 2023 | 9 keeps going to make trust real and measurable. More than just a distinctive feature, this shows that the way the company thinks about trust is fundamentally different. Moreover, given that it is a licensed Consumer Reporting Agency and a PBSA-accredited company, it is clear that compliance is something Yardstik takes very seriously. These certifications demonstrate that the compliance underpinning its platform is real, regulated, and built to last, which is not something others can replicate overnight. But what really makes Yardstik different is that, once its clients make the switch to its platform for all of their background screening, they realise that they were previously trying to solve the wrong problem. One background check was never enough, and no matter how much they invested in getting it right, it was always going to fall short compared to the ongoing protection Yardstik offers through its organisation-protecting solutions. Diving deeper into the motivation behind this platform, Andrew commented that Yardstik’s foundational belief is that the best teams need the best people. Getting the best people to make up the best teams is something they play an integral role in, keeping bad actors out of schools, hospitals, homes, and workplaces and protecting credible workers from being undercut by dishonest people harbouring bad intentions. “There’s a real human story on the other side of that data**,”** Andrew shared. “That’s what keeps us motivated.” Recently, this motivation has been channelled by the team into solving one of the most pressing issues their clients continue to face across their organisations: AI-driven identity fraud. When Liveops, a leading business process outsourcing provider, came to Yardstik seeking a solution for this challenge (it had become a target for sophisticated fraud applications using falsified identities as a result of being a company that attracts a high volume of remote workers), the team were happy to help. The crafty individuals partaking in this AI-driven identity fraud were not random people trying to sneak through the gate**;** they had been trained on how to game the vetting process. With there even being services out there helping these individuals exploit the system, it was clear from the beginning that this challenge was a very sophisticated one. Liveops did have measures in place to combat this, but since its setup relied solely on disconnected single-point solutions, there were plenty of gaps. Following extensive research, Yardstik was chosen by Liveops because the company could offer something that no other vendor could – an integrated flow where identity verification feeds directly into the background check, meaning the verified identity is always the one that is screened, as there is no opportunity to swap it out or manipulate it in between. As Tom Glaser, Liveops’ Information Security Officer, reported back, the results were immediate, with fewer fraud attempts made and candidate conversion improving. It was on the back of this successful partnership with Liveops that Yardstik made the decision to officially announce its Human Trust Platform in February just gone, ushering in a new era of workforce technology that brings together its Detect AI™, Identity Verification, and Continuous Criminal Monitoring solutions into one connected system. Given that only 19% of businesses currently use verification solutions beyond that initial point-of-hire screening, they are potentially risking lives, especially with the advent of AI, which has introduced new threats the industry has not yet caught up with. However, given that this team has spent several years building the technology infrastructure to fight back, catching the invisible signals that legacy systems often miss, they are in a position where the industry’s biggest problem is the very problem they actively solve. “Take AI-driven fraud seriously before it becomes your problem. Synthetic identities and AI-generated documents are no longer edge cases. They’re increasingly common, particularly for remote and gig roles. If your current screening process relies entirely on self-reported information with no identity verification layer, you have a gap worth closing now rather than after an incident.” With its Human Trust Platform making real-time monitoring, fraud prevention, enhanced candidate screening, credential verification, and more within reach for its clients, it is clear that Yardstik has carved out a reputation for itself as going beyond background screening to instead serve as a security partner for its clients’ operations and teams. As it continues to build a world where trust is not something that is conducted at a single point in time, but rather a tangible infrastructure that is continuously monitoring and working underneath every workforce, the company’s future plans involve expanding its real-time monitoring capabilities, deepening its AI fraud detection capacity, and ultimately becoming the first platform of its kind to integrate natively with AI agent and agentic onboarding workflows, so that a layer of trust can be added into AI-led onboarding. In the longer term, Andrew detailed: “We believe Yardstik will become the go-to trust infrastructure for the modern economy, not just concerning employment, but also across every platform where humans connect and where the cost of misplaced trust is real. We named this new category we have created ‘Human Trust Platform’ because we believe it describes not just what we are today, but also where the world is going.” Recognised as having the Best Background Screening & Compliance Platform 2026 – USA, Yardstik’s distinction can be seen further through its having been named a Best Place to Work for five consecutive years (2021–2025), as well as a Newsweek America’s Greatest Startup Workplaces 2025 award, placing it in the top 1% of over 20,000 evaluated start-ups nationally. All of this comes from the people building this platform believing in what it does and that they are building toward a future where trust isn’t a moment – it’s a layer beneath every hire, every credential, and every workforce. That infrastructure doesn’t yet exist at scale; they’re building it. Contact Details Email: [email protected] Contact: Andrew Johnson Company: Yardstik Web Address: https://yardstik.com/
Corporate Vision Outsourced HR from Industry Royalty Every business wants to do things right when it comes to their people, but many do not have the funds to hire a full HR department. This is exactly why Duchess HR offers its clients the affordable, commercially-driven advice and support they need on their terms. So, whether for a helping hand in the short term, on a project-by-project basis, or as a long-term partner, Duchess HR offers everything its clients need in the realm of outsourced HR. Named the Best HR Consultancy 2026 – UK in this feature, we take a look at the full scope of Duchess HR’s services below. Based in Bristol, Duchess HR is as a dynamic consultancy offering outsourced HR support to SMEs and large organisations alike. The support it provides to business owners helps them to make sense of HR, and with the services it provides covering everything from a free business HR health check to employee contracts and company handbooks, everything is made much, much easier. This, combined with the fact that all of the advice it delivers is underpinned by more than 30 years of accumulated experience, makes the company HR royalty. One of the major benefits of outsourcing HR is that it allows for a fresh pair of eyes to understand the personal challenges a business is facing. Duchess HR doubles down on this, providing a bespoke, personal service that all starts with the same person being by a client’s side throughout the entire process. From here, clients are afforded access to the expertise of a small team knowledgeable across all areas of both health and safety and people management, but the insights they offer are just the tip of the iceberg. This is because a cloud-based HR software solution is also delivered by Duchess HR, with this having been designed specifically to cover the needs of SMEs. The company can even manage this system on a client’s behalf, freeing them up to spend more time on what is important to them. In the case of the business owners it primarily serves, this is usually growing their business, which they can do confidently and more effectively when they do not have to worry about their HR or people management. More than just freeing up time, this software helps to take the stress out of people management – with its central location allowing everything from holidays and absence management to expenses, recruitment, and onboarding to be managed conveniently. The purpose of this is to provide businesses with the data they need to make strategic decisions. Again, the team here are on hand to help in any way they can, be it initially setting up the platform or managing the entire thing, whilst still providing the client access. “Our cloud-based HR software solution tames the chaos so that you can get out from behind the desk and lead your people.” As touched on in the beginning, there are a number of services covered by Duchess HR across its encompassing approach to HR, with employee relations, training/development, strategic consultancy, and change management being just a few. However, it is not only the sheer amount of services the company offers which sets it apart, as the award-winning nature of their delivery not only saves clients time and money in the long run, it also helps them ensure their legally compliance. Consistent delivery across these promises can be attributed to Jayne Temple-Heald and the small team she oversees, with Jayne’s experience alone spanning more than 25 years working across senior HR roles for many large companies in the UK. Jayne’s understanding of the challenges organisations face in people management began during her time working as an operational manager in retail. From this foundation, Jayne has grown into a trusted advisor known for developing relationships and immersing herself in clients’ businesses. “I’m really proud that Duchess HR has become the trusted HR partner for many entrepreneurs and established CEOs. Our mission is simple, to provide all of our clients with the service that they need, at the time that they need it, whilst not compromising their individual cultures.” Standing as a beacon of trust when it comes to outsourced HR for businesses from across the Bristol area and throughout the UK, Duchess HR is more than deserving of its place in our feature celebrating the very best of HR and employment. For more on its services, visit the web address linked below. Contact: Jayne Temple-Heald Company: Duchess HR Web Address: https://www.duchesshr.co.uk/
HR and Employment Awards 2026 | 11 Small Business Awards 2023 | 15 March 2026 | 15 also develop leadership skills and help their community at the same time. It’s a win-win-win!” Across both its Build-A-Bike programme and its other community-focused team events, The Leaders Institute has published more than 1,200 case studies and success stories, which are available to view here. Exploring just some of these, Liberty Bank recently celebrated its 200th birthday, and marked the occasion by donating 200 children to the children of the Native American Mohegan Tribe. Similarly, the fans, Ice Girls, and even the mascot of NHL team the Dallas Stars recently built 200 bikes for kids in the local schools. “These are a couple of the big ones, but most of our clients are 20-50-person teams who just want a break from the normal business meeting to race through a team treasure hunt or to build teamwork into their normal business meeting.” Outside of these activities, The Leaders Institute is excited to have developed a system for training and certifying ‘Master Team Building Facilitators’, with the goal here being to create a standard certification for all facilitators. This will help add capacity for smaller organisations in the field of team building and improve the quality of delivery for larger ones. As this shows, training others is a big part of what this team do, with Doug himself having trained hundreds of friends who now serve as friendly competition. Nevertheless, the industry remains full of people who are manipulating SEO to appear as those they are big players (more on this can be found here). It takes a real company to reach the top of the lists detailing the top team-building companies, and with The Leaders Institute® frequently topping these, its team have positioned themselves as fitting recipients of the title of Best Corporate Team Building Specialists 2026 in this feature. More of the company’s team-building experience examples can be found at the link below. Contact: Doug Staneart Company: The Leaders Institute® Web Address: https://www.leadersinstitute.com/ For more than 25 years, The Leaders Institute® has been revolutionising team building, taking a concept that has long been associated with forced, awkward socialising and introducing a blend of real teamwork and a community focus. Clearly this has paid off, with over 90% of participants reporting that their expectations were exceeded and the overall satisfaction rate of the company sitting at more than 99%. Thus, The Leaders Institute is today setting the standard for great service in the world of team building. Before this team came along in 2005, a team activity involved everyone being treated to dinner or taken to a ball game. This all changed when Doug and co. delivered their inaugural Build-A-Bike® programme, starting an entire industry in the process. Recounting this, Doug explained: “For the first time, companies could experience an interactive game based on working together as a team to solve challenges.” He continued: “As they accomplished the fun challenges, they earned bike parts. So even if one of the team members didn’t actually turn a wrench to build the bike, they still knew their contribution was important.” Impressively, this was just the beginning, as just when the last groups were finishing up building their bikes, a group of children from an inner-city kids club came running in to receive their first new bicycles. This was the icing on the cake for these teams, who had not only developed real business skills and had a blast doing it, but also had a real, measurable impact on their local communities, which they were able to see first-hand. In the years since, more than $10m worth of bicycles have been given to global children’s charities. Commenting on this tremendous success, Doug told us: “The best part about the charity team-building industry is that the companies we work with are going to spend money to entertain their team anyway. But if they invest in a charity team activity, not only do they get a fantastic, shared experience for their team, they Boasting a presence in all 50 US states and more than a dozen countries worldwide, The Leaders Institute® specialises in charity team-building activities for its clients. With its team having been recognised as the Best Corporate Team Building Specialists 2026 in this programme, a feat underpinned by them working with more than 400 companies in the Fortune 500 and countless independent business, we caught up CEO Doug Staneart for more on what makes this one of the top team-building companies. Rewarding Corporate Team-Building Activities for Groups of Any Size
Corporate Vision Corporate Vision only current and relevant, but also tailored to each individual audience. To keep people engaged and entertained, Dr Mike utilises helpful tools including keynotes, seminars, retreats, workshops, or coaching on a group or individual level, with his diverse offerings making sure that his message always gets through. Whether an executive wants to create successful leaders, develop high-performing teams, solve problems, or a build a world-class culture, Dr Mike can help. Many of those he works with feel confused, lost, or stuck, which is no way to live. Not only do these emotions disrupt day-to-day life, they also have a knock-on effect on other areas too – relationships, finances, work, health, and so on. Dr Mike has identified that these feelings are shaped by two things in our minds: false perception and a lack of alignment with clarity and purpose. Despite how detrimental these feelings can be in our lives, Dr Mike’s message is that we all have the power to harness our inner energy, leverage our stories, and create impact to positively change the world. To achieve this, one needs intent, focus, purpose, and practice, and this is where the services of Dr Mike and Smith Research & Development come in. As Dr Mike explained: “My desire is to help as many people as I can to use their life experiences as stepping stones towards fulfilment – instead of campgrounds of emptiness.” “With the right mindset and perspective, our experiences shape our stories and truly give our lives meaning.” Besides his extensive experience in the Air Force, Dr Mike also operates atop a wealth of qualifications, including a PhD in industrial and organisational psychology from Walden University, a master’s in human relations from the University of Oklahoma, and a Bachelor of Science in workforce education. This is just the beginning, as he is also certified by the Six Sigma Global Institute, the International Coaching Federation, and the HR Certification Institute, to name just a few, underpinning the effectiveness of his coaching. The unique blend of first-hand military experience and an abundance of qualifications has led Dr Mike to develop a series of core values reflective of all that both he and his work represent, with these spanning professionalism, collaboration, humanity, and equity. To say these values are From Leading in the Air Force to Coaching Leaders to Perform Better When Dr Mike Smith began his active service in the United States Air Force (USAF) in the mid-1980s, he never could have imagined he would end up as an executive leadership coach helping CEOs to lead their businesses with the same purpose and precision he did over more than 25 years leading teams in the USAF. Named the Leading Executive Coach 2026 (Global) on the back of the services he provides in this space, we take a closer look at Dr Mike’s career, from his Air Force days to now, and explore the coaching tactics that have led to his recognition in this feature. Back in 1983, Dr Mike Smith enlisted in the United States Air Force, beginning what would become a 26-year service. Over the course of an illustrious career, Dr Mike held leadership positions across the likes of the Air Education & Training Command Headquarters and several Honor Guard units. The highlight of his time in the USAF came when he was selected to serve as the First Seargent of the elite Thunderbirds Air Demonstration Squadron, where he travelled the world proudly representing the men and women of the Air Force. Serving in the Thunderbirds is the honour of a lifetime, but it is the ever-changing nature of this environment – commanders rotate biannually, pilots change often, and enlisted members have an average tenure of three years – that proved the most effective in developing Dr Mike as a leader. This is because, despite this constant change, the squadron operates at the highest level. For Dr Mike, this can be attributed to the embedded culture every member of the team adheres to, which creates a rock-solid foundation of accountability and trust. Ultimately, it is this which he hopes to capture through his coaching, consulting, and training work, bringing this lesson to corporate leaders and helping them to build cultures across their own organisations which can endure change, drive performance, and deliver the results they seek. Of course, there was so much more that Dr Mike learned across his tenure in both the Thunderbirds and the Air Force more generally, but what will always stay with him is the true meaning service, discipline, and people-first leadership that it stands for. In late 2008, Dr Mike made the decision to retire from active duty, making the transition to the civilian sector and becoming a corporate leader. His initial role at Berkshire Hathaway Engineering saw Dr Mike provide his services as a leader, mentor, and guide at all levels, paving the way for his career as an executive coach. Then, following a period as the CEO of a global coaching company group, Dr Mike started his own company, Smith Research & Development, LLC, where he works as a public speaker, coach, and consultant serving small organisations, Fortune 500 companies, and everyone and everything in between. Focusing on topics including mental toughness and approval addiction, Dr Mike strives to drive meaningful change through intentional actions, guided by his mission of providing a top-notch education through content that is not
HR and Employment Awards 2026 | 13 March 2026 | 17 Contact: Dr Mike Smith Company: Smith Research & Development, LLC Web Address: https://docmikesmith.com/ embedded in his sessions would be an understatement, and regardless of whether he is delivering leadership coaching and organisational consulting, workshops, keynote speeches, or more, they remain an ever-present part of his process. Beyond shaping his approach to consulting, the knowledge and expertise Dr Mike boasts have also found their way into a book authored by this veteran of Air Force, ‘Erasing the Line in the Sand’. An Amazon Bestseller across four categories, the book is all about navigating societal acceptance and belonging, from the unique perspective of an ex-serviceman. The book has been acclaimed in the approximately two-anda-half years since release, as suggested by the many five-star reviews it has across Amazon and beyond. Just one of these glowing reviews comes from former NFL Super Bowl Champion and fellow keynote speaker Jimmy Farris. Jimmy wrote: “This book is an important read for anyone struggling with acceptance, particularly veteran and former service members struggling to transition back into civilian life. ‘Erasing the Line in the Sand’ is an easy, enjoyable read. Kudos to Dr. Dr Mike for the excellent book!” Many reviews come from people who Dr Mike has previously coached, highlighting the lasting impact of his insights. And impact is what it is all about for Dr Mike, who has even appeared across ABC, FOX, NBC, CBS, and the CW to discuss the likes of executive coaching, people success, and more. All of this positions Dr Mike as one of the foremost authorities in global leadership coaching today, and it is our privilege to champion him as such with the title of Leading Executive Coach 2026 (Global) in this feature. More on the services Dr Mike Smith provides through Smith Research & Development, LLC can be found at the link above.
Corporate Vision the areas mentioned above. It is this impressive product lineup that makes FINEOS a global market leader in the field of life, accident, and health insurance technology. With FINEOS AdminSuite being designed to manage the modern, complex structures of both group and individual insurance planning, optimising plan, coverage, and data management as well as operational processing and business intelligence in the process, adopting it quickly leads to increased efficiency and enhanced customer care. Aiding this is the fact that the system can be implemented and integrated within a company’s existing system before FINEOS AdminSuite takes over, enabling faster deployment in critical areas. Impressively, this is just the beginning, with the FINEOS Platform, which blends the features of FINEOS AdminSuite with FINEOS Digital and Data, and Platform Capabilities, being more than the sum of all these parts and standing as the single most modern SaaS core insurance platform across employee benefits and life, accident, and health today. Bolstering this claim is the fact that more than 40 customers in North America rely on FINEOS, including 7 of the 10 largest employee benefits insurers in the U.S. and 70% of group insurers in Australia. Diving a little deeper into the processes behind this success, Joanne told us: “Our FINEOS Playbook serves as the guiding internal compass that clearly articulates our purpose, vision, and mission – defining not only what we aspire to achieve, but why we exist and how we create value for our customers and each other.” The company’s values are an extension of this, shaping how the company operates, signalling the behaviours and mindsets it strives for, and setting the tone for both how it works and how it develops its culture. Headquartered in Ireland but working across the globe, FINEOS encompasses a diverse range of perspectives and experiences, which strengthen its capacity to deliver high-calibre solutions to its international customers. This is where FINEOS’ greatest asset – its people – really comes into play. As the Chief People Officer at FINEOS, Joanne is responsible for leading company-wide HR, learning, talent, development, and transformation programmes, delivered with the goal of nurturing a high-performing, employeeoriented workplace and sustainable growth. Exploring this further, Joanne told us: “We pride ourselves on encouraging people to see potential in themselves that they may not recognise at first, and on creating an environment where they feel supported to stretch, grow, and step into new challenges.” She continued: “When individuals lean in, get a little uncomfortable, and discover what they are capable of, they not only transform their own careers but also contribute to transforming the business. That is where the magic happens.” “When people are engaged, aligned with purpose, and enabled to thrive, strong business performance naturally follows.” Given she has been with FINEOS since 2000, Joanne has had ample opportunities to demonstrate how aligning talent strategy with business goals can accelerate growth and drive innovation, something which has been an interest of hers since she began her career in HR. As a key member of the Executive Leadership Team, she works closely with senior colleagues to ensure talent initiatives are fully integrated into the company’s strategic direction. Over the last 25 years and counting, Joanne has had the privilege of taking part in a number of key initiatives across FINEOS, initiatives that were not only important strategically but which were also connected to the wider sense of purpose the company has always had. Discussing some of the most pivotal milestones achieved over the course of her career, Joanne mentioned international expansion, IPO execution, and helping to lead the acquisition of two organisations during the pandemic as personal highlights. Leveraging the Power of People to Transform Business Our 2026 HR and Employment Awards feature is a great way to celebrate the intrinsic link between people and business success. Having served as the chief people officer at FINEOS, a technology solutions provider for life, accident, and health insurers, for more than 25 years, Joanne McMullan understands this link better than most. With FINEOS being named the Best Life, Accident & Health Core Insurance Technology Provider 2026, we profile the company below, before sharing some of our catchup with Joanne about how her work has helped position the company as a leader. The world of employee benefits and life, accident, and health is one that has long struggled with moving past outdated legacy systems and into the modern world. As a global software company providing modern, customer-centric software to this space, FINEOS has helped these companies adopt purpose-built, customer-centric technology to empower their operations. This has been made possible through its FINEOS AdminSuite, which covers everything from billing, claims, and absence through to policy administration and underwriting. Before we dive into this, it pays to go back to the beginning – to when CEO Michael Kelly established FINEOS in 1993. At the time, Michael introduced a suite of modern technology to help life insurers provide exceptional service to their customers. The first product provided a single view across all channels, with this enabling the delivery of enhanced customer service in an environment that was becoming increasingly competitive and technologically advanced. This success fuelled FINEOS to amplify both its tech and its expertise. Working across absence, billing, claims, payments, and policy in subsequent years, FINEOS then set about creating its full-service, quote-to-claim solution, adding quote, rate, and underwriting to
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